For almost a quarter century, Sharaf Rashidov led the Communist Party of Uzbekistan. During his stay in power, this Central Asian republic experienced a real flourishing, its economy and culture developed rapidly. But at the same time, an all-encompassing corrupt administrative command system was created with a unique Uzbek flavor, at the head of which was Rashidov.
Origin and childhood
Where did Sharaf Rashidov begin his life? His biography began in 1917 in the city of Jizzakh. It is usually reported that he was born into a peasant family. But among the illiterate residents of the town of Jizzakh, which at that time looked more like a village, the Rashidov family stood out for their desire for education: all five of her children, including Sharaf, studied at the local seven-year school. But it was the middle of the 20s, the Basmachi gangs walked around the country, the authority of Islam, the local mullah was unquestioned. But apparently, it was not in vain that the Bolsheviks made their revolution, even if in such a dense wilderness people were drawn to knowledge.
Youth and years of study
After the seven-year period, Sharaf Rashidov goes to the pedagogical college. One and a half years of teaching the profession of teacher, and at the age of 18 he becomes a teacher in high school. There are not enough teachers in the countryside, it would seem, teach for your pleasure, get married and live like everyone else, but a tall handsome guy dreams of more. He leaves for Samarkand and enters the philological faculty of the State University.
In his student years, Sharaf Rashidov occasionally writes poetry, writes short stories. He takes them to the regional newspaper "Lenin's Way." After a while, he is accepted into the staff of the main print edition of Samarkand. But journalistic activities have to be interrupted with the outbreak of war.
Participation in the Second World War
In November 1941, after an accelerated training course at the Frunze Infantry School, the younger political instructor Sharaf Rashidov was sent to the Kalinin Front. He never spoke about his military past. Today you can already understand why. After all, what is the Kalinin Front? This is, first of all, the fighting for the liquidation of the Rzhevsky ledge, a two-year-old monstrous meat grinder, in which up to a million Soviet soldiers died, and the goal was never achieved.
Political instructor Rashidov Sharaf Rashidovich was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, was wounded, and in 1943 was commissioned as unsuitable for further service.
Party career
The 26-year-old retired political instructor returns to his native Samarkand newspaper. In the late 40s, he was a journalist with a name trying to find himself in literary work, but his poems and stories were little known. He begins to be promoted intensively along the party line. First, he becomes chairman of the Union of Writers of Uzbekistan. Of course, this was a nomenclature position. Appointment to it meant having confidence in Rashidov in the circles of the Uzbek and allied leadership.
Soon, the 33-year-old writer becomes chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Uzbekistan. In the former USSR, no one at such an early age held such a high post in the structures of power.
In March 1959, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan Sabir Kamalov was dismissed. By that time, Rashidov was already familiar with Nikita Khrushchev and managed to please him. Therefore, on the recommendation from Moscow to the post of head of the republic, the bureau of the Central Committee of the Uzbek Communist Party elects him.
As head of Uzbekistan
Sharaf Rashidov, whose activities initially took place under the vigilant control of the union leadership and personally Nikita Khrushchev, was considered a humanitarian who was not connected with the traditional Uzbek clans that had grown out of the leading layers of various sectors of the economy, trade and civil service. Rashidov really began to pursue a balanced personnel policy, he did not surround himself, following the example of his predecessors, with relatives and countrymen, he tried to select people for leadership work on business qualities. Despite the seeming simplicity and obviousness of these principles, then in Central Asia it was new.
Rashidov as the face of the Soviet East
The young (he was barely 42 years old), educated, outwardly attractive leader of the Soviet Muslim republic favorably differed from many of his colleagues - party bureaucrats. This was appreciated in Moscow. Artem Mikoyan, a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, whose task was to establish ties with the countries of the East, always invited Rashidov to his foreign trips to India, Iran, Iraq. There, Sharaf Rashidovich, who knew all the intricacies of the eastern politeness perfectly, was at home. In response to Tashkent, foreign state and public delegations frequented.
In the fall of 1965, a border conflict broke out between India and Pakistan, which quickly grew into a full-scale war in which aircraft and tanks were widely used. None of the Western states succeeded in setting the warring parties at the negotiating table. Only Rashidov could do this, having organized a meeting in Tashkent of the leaders of the two countries, which ended with the signing of the Tashkent Declaration, which put an end to this war. Although A.N. Kosygin formally participated in the negotiations on behalf of the USSR, it was clear to everyone that it was the leader of Uzbekistan who made the main contribution to the organization of the meeting.
Rashidov and Brezhnev
Sharaf Rashidovich had a particularly warm relationship with Leonid Brezhnev, who liked to come to Tashkent and did not forget to note the merits of his Uzbek party colleague with another award. Rashidov tried not to muddle his face in front of the Secretary General, because the amount of financing of many republican projects depended on Brezhnev’s attitude. And for the financing from the center among the Soviet republics there was a real struggle. The main competitor of Uzbekistan in this contest was Kazakhstan, whose leader Kunaev was friends with Brezhnev since the time of the virgin saga.
Rashidov sought money from Moscow for the construction of new cities. During his leadership, Uchkuduk, Navoi, Zarafshan appeared in the republic. New factories and mining and processing enterprises in Uzbekistan were launched almost annually.
Under Rashidov, the republic became gold mining. The world's largest mine, Muruntau, was constructed for open pit gold mining. Today, Muruntau gold (more than 60 tons per year) is the basis for the financial stability of this country.
Rashidov Sharaf Rashidovich paid special attention to Tashkent. He sought to turn the capital of Uzbekistan into one of the most beautiful cities in the East. Fountains were arranged in the center of the city every 10-15 meters, a variety of green spaces was amazing. It was Sharaf Rashidov who knocked out the funds for creating all this grandeur from the union center. A photo of his period in the early 80s is shown below.
White gold
But of course, cotton growing remained the basis of the Uzbek economy in the Soviet period. The country in the 70s and early 80s needed a huge supply of this culture. Textile enterprises and defense factories were simply suffocating from its shortage, so cotton crops were constantly expanding, and the annual harvesting campaign turned into a republic-wide rush.
The union leadership constantly pressured Rashidov, demanding an increase in cotton picking. Moreover, often no objective circumstances such as crop failure, bad weather, etc. were taken into account. Under constant threat of punishment for disrupting cotton supply plans and not wanting to lose power and influence, the Uzbek elite led by Rashidov developed a whole system of registration and falsification of reports. She allowed for any, even not very good harvest, to report to the center on the successful implementation of plans, receive appropriate incentives, awards and require new funding for republican projects.
The key point of this system was the stage of delivery of raw cotton by producers to various wholesale bases supplying enterprises in the European part of the country. As soon as cotton wagons started arriving on them, the delegations “decided” along with them from Uzbekistan, who brought the money for the directors of the bases, and those already agreed with consumer enterprises that the latter should not make noise if instead of first-class raw materials second grade or outright cotton waste.
Where did this money come from? In the USSR there was only one of their sources - trading enterprises. All of them were liable to tribute, and in return received scarce goods, which at that time were in abundance in Uzbekistan - their deliveries were an award to Rashidov for “fulfilling” cotton supply plans. So the vicious circle of deception, bribes, corruption, permeating the entire structure of the then Uzbek society, was closed.
Cotton business
Yuri Andropov, who came to power after Brezhnev’s death in 1982, decided to put an end to the “cotton mafia”. At the beginning of 1983, an investigation team was sent to Uzbekistan from Moscow, which began the arrests of the heads of regional trade enterprises, undermining the source of financing for the entire corruption system. Huge values were seized.
Rashidov realized that this year it would not be possible to attribute the missing volumes of cotton. He frantically rushed about throughout the republic during the summer and autumn of 1983, persuading local leaders to find reserves for the supply of white gold, but only 20% of the 3 million tons promised to Andropov at the beginning of the year were collected. Realizing that only shameful resignation and criminal prosecution awaited him, on October 31, 1983 Rashidov, as the former chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council Y. Nasriddinov claims in his memoirs, shot himself.
