Some Pages of the Biography of T. Dzholdoshev from 1927 to 1937

Joldoshev became the head of the Academic Center under the People's Commissariat of Education of the Kyrgyz ASSR. Here began his creative collaboration with the philologist and poet Kasym Tynystanov. Together they participated in the work on preparing a new Kyrgyz alphabet based on Latin, replacing the old Arabic one. Together they promoted popular education — the school and political-educational network, theater, and artistic literature.

From June 1929 to February 1931, Joldoshev served as the responsible secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Kyrgyz ASSR and was elected a member of the Presidium of the Kyrgyz Central Executive Committee. From 1930 to 1935, he was an unchanging member of the Kyrgyz Regional Committee of the Party. From February 1931 to December 1932, Joldoshev worked as the chairman of the Collective Farm Center of the Kyrgyz ASSR. Before him, this position was held by B. Isakeev.

Literally a few days after his appointment as chairman of the Collective Farm Center, Joldoshev was forced to speak at the III Congress of the Councils of Kyrgyzstan, held in February 1931, with a report "On Collective Farm Construction."

Of course, this report cannot be evidence of his views on collectivization in the Stalinist manner. Too little time had passed for him to acclimatize to an unusual position. And yet, what did Joldoshev say in his speech?

Official clichés were pronounced, stating that "collectivization is the only correct path of development," that "the alternative path is the path of capitalist development," and "collectivization is the only way to rid ourselves of poverty, darkness, and exploitation." Then Joldoshev provided data on the level of collectivization — across the republic — 29%, in the Chui Valley — 58%, in the Karakol district — 33%, in the Naryn canton — 40.6%, in Talas — 36.4%, in the Osh district — 14.1%. "Southern comrades," he said, "should draw the appropriate conclusions from this." This warning primarily referred to E. Esenamanov and O. Tynaev.

In Joldoshev's report, a plan for collectivization was proposed: by the end of 1931, it was necessary to achieve 42%, and measures were outlined to eliminate the excesses that had occurred during collective farm construction. He criticized the position of the head of the rural department of the Kyrgyz Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), Tynaev, who claimed that the collective farms in Kyrgyzstan had a consumerist, parasitic nature, and made an unsuccessful attempt to prove the opposite.

For example, Joldoshev stated that collective farms produced 30% of marketable grain and that labor productivity in collective farms was higher than in individual households. The report also contained a call to more broadly involve middle peasants, poor peasants, and laborers in collective farms, and to resolutely fight against class-alien elements, cleansing them from the collective farms.

Meanwhile, Joldoshev called for abandoning the indiscriminate practice of fighting against clan-based collective farms. "In my opinion," he said, "if a particular collective farm is organized based on territorial-economic criteria, if the collective farm consists of one large clan, if class struggle is taking place in this collective farm, if this collective farm has cleansed itself of the elements of the bai-manap, then it cannot be said that this collective farm is built on a clan principle at all.

The primary form of collective farm construction in the report was universally recognized as the agricultural artel. This was a mistaken step, as the local conditions, especially in the livestock zone, were most suitable for TOZs (collective farms based on labor cooperation).

The report was presented in the traditional official spirit of the time. An inflated assessment of the initial results of collectivization, unfounded statements instead of serious analysis of the situation, attempts to attribute all miscalculations to the opposition of "class-alien elements," a keen desire to avoid unpleasant questions for collectivization — all this coexisted with constructive criticism of certain departments and institutions, individuals, along with correct conclusions and proposals.

The Case of Joldoshev and the "Counter-Revolutionary Organization"

Perhaps Joldoshev sincerely believed in what he was saying. It is unlikely that a young, not very experienced person would have thought to doubt the Stalinist model of collectivization. Most likely, like millions of others, he believed in the myth of the "only correct path." Today, there is almost no one who could tell what Joldoshev thought about collectivization in the Stalinist manner. Judging by the official documents produced by Joldoshev, it seems that he was an advocate of accelerated collectivization. However, it should be noted that at that time, any leader was placed in conditions where he often had to speak and defend what his heart did not agree with.

In short, by the time Joldoshev left his position, the level of collectivization in Kyrgyzstan had reached 64.8%.

At the III Congress of the Councils of Kyrgyzstan, Joldoshev headed the work of the commission preparing the draft resolution "On Collective Farm Construction." Its basis was laid by theses developed by the speaker himself. After making some changes and additions, the draft resolution was approved by the congress as the law of the Kyrgyz ASSR.

In January 1933, Joldoshev received his last and, perhaps, most suitable appointment — he became the People's Commissar of Education of the Kyrgyz ASSR. At the IV Congress of the Councils of Kyrgyzstan in January 1935, he again presented a report "On the Tasks of Cultural Construction," heading the commission preparing the draft resolution on the report. In this report, Joldoshev appears before us as an active initiator of the construction of theaters, museums, clubs, philharmonics, universities, technical schools, training of Kyrgyz intelligentsia, development of art and press in the republic. Kyrgyzstan introduced universal primary education, hundreds of new schools for children, kindergartens, and many orphanages were opened. By 1934, there were already 3 universities, 22 technical schools, a workers' faculty, 2 research institutes, and 3 stationary theaters — Kyrgyz, Russian, and Uzbek, etc.

According to eyewitnesses, Joldoshev was a soft, friendly, sociable, and very polite person, which attracted many people to him.

And here is another bitter page. By the decision of the bureau of the Kyrgyz Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) on September 21, 1935, in connection with the report of the commission on the so-called case of the "counter-revolutionary organization" (O. Bulekbaev, O. Igamberdiev, and others), Joldoshev was removed from the post of People's Commissar of Education, and the party committee was instructed to consider the issue of his membership in the party. On October 16, 1935, he was arrested.

Career Ladder of T. Joldoshev