The Basmachi movement was an armed resistance in Central Asia against Russian imperial and, later, Soviet rule. It grew out of the Central Asian revolt of 1916, a response to the decree that conscripted Muslims for labor behind the front lines, and it expanded after the Bolsheviks took power in Turkestan and crushed the autonomous government at Kokand in 1918. Its fighters were local bands, especially in the Fergana Valley, led by commanders such as Madamin Bek. The former Ottoman minister Enver Pasha joined them in 1921 and was killed in battle in 1922. The Red Army combined military force with concessions on religion and land, and the movement was largely defeated by the early 1930s. The word basmachi, meaning bandit, was a Soviet label that is contested today.
Before and after
- 12 December 1915Birth of Frank Sinatra
- 19 December 1915Birth of Édith Piaf
- 1916General relativity
- 1916Establishment of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- from 1916 to 1934Basmachi movement
- 1916Construction of Josep Tarradellas Airport Barcelona-El Prat
- 1916Construction of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
- from 5 February 1916 to 15 April 1916Trebizond Campaign
- 7 March 1916Founding of BMW
More in Wars, politics & history
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- from 7 July 1937 to 9 September 1945Second Sino-Japanese War
- from 30 November 1939 to 13 March 1940Winter War
- from 22 June 1941 to 7 May 1945Eastern Front
- from 22 June 1941 to 5 December 1941Operation Barbarossa
- 7 December 1941Attack on Pearl Harbor
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.