CONTEMPORARY HISTORY (FROM THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY ONWARDS)
By the mid-18th century, the Kazakh Khanate was facing encroachment from Qing China in the east and from Tsarist Russia to the north. In order to fend off the threatening Kokand Khanate (a Central Asian state that existed from 1709-1876 within the territory of modern Kyrgystan, eastern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and southeastern Kazakhstan), the Kazakhs accepted Russian "protection" in 1822. The Russians ruled through "puppets" until the death of Kenesary Khan in 1847, after which they exerted direct power over Kazakhstan. The Soviet Union ruled over Kazakhstan until 1991, when it declared its independence.
In September 1989, an ethnic Kazakh politician named Nursultan Nazarbayev became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, replacing an ethnic Russian.
On December 16, 1991, the Republic of Kazakhstan declared its independence from the remains of the Soviet Union.
The Republic of Kazakhstan now has a growing economy, mainly thanks to its reserves of fossil fuels. Much of the economy has been privatised, but President Nazarbayev still maintains a KGB-style police state (KGB was the intelligence and internal-security agency of the Soviet Union) and rigs elections. The Kazakh people have come a long way since 1991, but they still have some distance to go before they are truly free of the after-effects of Russian colonisation.
In September 1989, an ethnic Kazakh politician named Nursultan Nazarbayev became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, replacing an ethnic Russian.
On December 16, 1991, the Republic of Kazakhstan declared its independence from the remains of the Soviet Union.
The Republic of Kazakhstan now has a growing economy, mainly thanks to its reserves of fossil fuels. Much of the economy has been privatised, but President Nazarbayev still maintains a KGB-style police state (KGB was the intelligence and internal-security agency of the Soviet Union) and rigs elections. The Kazakh people have come a long way since 1991, but they still have some distance to go before they are truly free of the after-effects of Russian colonisation.