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. Crisis/conflicts-History/Status -there have been several major uprisings of the Bashkirs against Russian influence and control over the last 3 centuries. There are several national heroes who led the resistance against Russian domination and assimiliation. -influx of Russian settlers into B-stan (after Emancipation of Serfs 1861) undermined the position of the indigenous Bashkorts -Bashkortostan is one of a handful of former Soviet-controlled regions which now has considerably more autonomy than most other regions of Russia today. This is a reflection of the Bashkir desire to preserve some sense of their own heritage, and also a reflection of the Federation’s understanding of the powerful feelings at work within Bashkir and Tatar ethnicity. |
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In 1574
Following
the collapse of the Kazan Khanate, Bashkiria voluntarily joined the
Moscovite Russian State. The Bashkirs approached Tsar Ivan the
Terrible with a request to construct a fortress to protect the land. This
fortress was constructed on the high east bank of the Aghidel river. The
fortress was called "Ufa", most probably, derived from ancient Turkish "ufak",
meaning "small".
As time went on, Ufa turned from a service class-inhabited fortress into political administrative and business centre of the area. The town hall as a body of self-administration emerged here. After the Peasant revolt of 1773-75 Ufa`s status of a fortress diminished and in 1802 Ufa became the principal town of the province. The republic is one of the largest industrial centres thanks to the availability of valuable minerals, raw materials. This land is fabulously rich in natural resources. The include among other things: iron-ore, copper, gold, zinc, lead, aluminium, chromium, brown coal, natural gas, manganese and salt. However, the major wealth here is oil. In 1932 the first oil fountain burst forth, thus bringing life to various branches of industry and forming the foundation of the republic's economic potential. In 1941-42 more than 40 industrial enterprises were shifted to Ufa. During the war years Ufa became one of the major cities with a multi-industrial economy. In 1949 the Council of Ministers of the republic endorsed the Master Plan for Reconstruction and Development of the capital of Bashkortostan. That date may be considered as the starting point of the present-day Ufa. The city of today consists of a number of detached districts stretching from SW to NE for more than 30 miles occupying the area of approximately 180 sq. mi. The central and the longest (over 6 mi) street in Ufa - October Avenue - link the northern and the southern parts of the city. The city population is over 1,100,000 people. The largest ethnical groups include Russians (55,5%), Bashkirians (10,7%) and Tatars (27,9%). |
