Sharaf Rashidov
Encyclopedia
Sharof Rashidovich Rashidov (in Cyrillic Uzbek
: Шароф Рашидович Рашидов ; in Russian
: Шараф Рашидович Рашидов Sharaf Rashidovich Rashidov) ( - 31 October 1983) was a Communist Party leader in the Uzbek
Soviet Socialist Republic and a CPSU Central Committee Politbureau candidate member between 1961 and 1983.
Born the day before the Russian Revolution
to a poor peasant family in Jizzakh
, in what would be the Uzbek SSR
, Sharof Rashidov worked as a teacher, journalist and editor for a Samarkand
newspaper. He returned home in 1942 with wounds suffered on the German front in World War 2
. He became head of the Uzbekistan Writers Union in 1949, and was elected to the post of Chairman of the Praesidium of the Uzbek Supreme Soviet in 1950. In 1959, he became First Secretary of the Uzbek Communist Party, a post he held to his death in 1983.
In the Soviet Union his name became synonymous with corruption
, nepotism
and the Great Cotton Scandal of the late Brezhnev period. As orders from Moscow
to grow more and more and more cotton
spiraled in, the Uzbek government responded by reporting miraculous growth in land irrigated and harvested, and record improvements in production and efficiency. Today it would seem that most of these records were falsified. The Uzbek leadership used these exaggerated figures to transfer substantial amounts of wealth from central Soviet funds into Uzbekistan. When this was discovered by Andropov he committed suicide.
During the decade following the death of Rashidov, Moscow
attempted to regain the central control over the Uzbek SSR, which had weakened in the previous decade. In 1986, it was announced that almost the entire party and government leadership of the republic had conspired in falsifying cotton production figures. A massive purge of the Uzbek leadership was carried out, with prosecutors brought in from Moscow, leading to widespread arrests, executions, and suicides. It may never be know how high the corruption extended, as Brezhnev’s own son-in-law, Yuri Churbanov
was implicated in the affair. In the rest of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan became synonymous with corruption even though such corruption was widespread throughout the whole country. After Uzbekistan independence, Rashidov re-emerged as a national hero. He is seen in Uzbekistan as having been a strong leader who found a way to cleverly defy Moscow and "beat the system” while managing to create a situation where Uzbekistan became quite autonomous of central control.
Uzbek language
Uzbek is a Turkic language and the official language of Uzbekistan. It has about 25.5 million native speakers, and it is spoken by the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia...
: Шароф Рашидович Рашидов ; in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Шараф Рашидович Рашидов Sharaf Rashidovich Rashidov) ( - 31 October 1983) was a Communist Party leader in the Uzbek
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
Soviet Socialist Republic and a CPSU Central Committee Politbureau candidate member between 1961 and 1983.
Born the day before the Russian Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
to a poor peasant family in Jizzakh
Jizzakh
Jizzakh is a city and the center of Jizzakh Province in Uzbekistan, northeast of Samarkand.Jizzakh was an important Silk Road junction on the road connecting Samarkand with Fergana Valley...
, in what would be the Uzbek SSR
Uzbek SSR
The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Uzbek SSR for short, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union since its creation in 1924...
, Sharof Rashidov worked as a teacher, journalist and editor for a Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
newspaper. He returned home in 1942 with wounds suffered on the German front in World War 2
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He became head of the Uzbekistan Writers Union in 1949, and was elected to the post of Chairman of the Praesidium of the Uzbek Supreme Soviet in 1950. In 1959, he became First Secretary of the Uzbek Communist Party, a post he held to his death in 1983.
In the Soviet Union his name became synonymous with corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
, nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
and the Great Cotton Scandal of the late Brezhnev period. As orders from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to grow more and more and more cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
spiraled in, the Uzbek government responded by reporting miraculous growth in land irrigated and harvested, and record improvements in production and efficiency. Today it would seem that most of these records were falsified. The Uzbek leadership used these exaggerated figures to transfer substantial amounts of wealth from central Soviet funds into Uzbekistan. When this was discovered by Andropov he committed suicide.
During the decade following the death of Rashidov, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
attempted to regain the central control over the Uzbek SSR, which had weakened in the previous decade. In 1986, it was announced that almost the entire party and government leadership of the republic had conspired in falsifying cotton production figures. A massive purge of the Uzbek leadership was carried out, with prosecutors brought in from Moscow, leading to widespread arrests, executions, and suicides. It may never be know how high the corruption extended, as Brezhnev’s own son-in-law, Yuri Churbanov
Yuri Churbanov
Yuri Mikhailovich Churbanov was the son-in-law of Soviet politician and longtime General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev.-Life and career:Chubranov was born on 11 November 1936. As a young boy he was an active member of the Komsomol. He attended the Moscow State University in the 1960s and studied...
was implicated in the affair. In the rest of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan became synonymous with corruption even though such corruption was widespread throughout the whole country. After Uzbekistan independence, Rashidov re-emerged as a national hero. He is seen in Uzbekistan as having been a strong leader who found a way to cleverly defy Moscow and "beat the system” while managing to create a situation where Uzbekistan became quite autonomous of central control.