Va-PoReg Country Report Bukhara 1900–1924

The Emirate of Bukhara encompassed territory that is now part of contemporary Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. The Russian military invaded Bukhara in 1868 resulting in the Emirate becoming a Russian Protectorate.¹ After 1900, the emirate retained some level of autonomy in their internal matters. Nevertheless, the emirate remained under the authority of the Russian governor general in Tashkent, acting on behalf of Tsar Nicholas II. The Russian Empire exercised direct control over significant areas in Central Asia, permitting the emirate to govern a substantial portion of their traditional territories independently.² From 11/07/1917, when the Russian Soviet Republic was proclaimed³, the Khanate enjoyed a higher degree of independence. While Soviet power was consolidated in Turkestan during 1917-1918, the regimes in Bukhara and Khiva were openly hostile towards the Bolsheviks. In the following time the Slavic and European troops controlling Tashkent worked to remove the emir of Bukhara in 1920 (Becker 2004: 206, 211).

On this date, after an invasion by Red Army troops in August of that year, the Bukharan People’s Soviet Republic was proclaimed.⁴

With the establishment of the USSR, the Bukharan People’s Soviet Republic became a part of the Soviet Union.⁵ Between 08/19/1924 and 02/17/1924, the Republic was referred to as the Bukharan Socialist Soviet Republic (Bukharan SSR). In 1924, during the establishment of new national borders, the Bukharan SSR willingly voted to dissolve itself and merge into the newly formed Uzbek SSR. Bukhara is not treated by FH, LIED and V-Dem. According to our observations, no multiparty legislative and executive elections were present.

For the time after 08/19/1924, see Uzbekistan.