Jadidism was an enlightenment and national-revival movement that arose in Turkestan, Bukhara and Khiva in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Jadids saw enlightenment — new schools, the press, theatre and books — as the main way for the nation to escape backwardness and colonial rule. They laid the foundations of the modern Uzbek literary language, modern education, the national press and theatre, and later put forward the idea of autonomy for Turkestan. Their legacy is highly valued in Uzbekistan today, since the roots of the idea of independence go back to them. Exams ask about the Jadids’ aims, leading figures and works, their activity in schools and the press, and key dates.
§1. Origins and causes
“Jadid” is Arabic for “new”; “usul-i jadid” means “the new method” — teaching literacy by the phonetic (sound) method. In the old schools children spent years spelling out letters; the new method taught reading in a few months.
The movement’s founder was the Crimean Tatar Ismail Gasprinsky: in 1883 he began publishing the newspaper “Terjuman” (“The Translator”) in Bakhchysarai and promoted new-method schools; in 1893 he visited Bukhara and Samarkand, trying to persuade the emir to open a new school.
The first new-method schools in Turkestan opened at the end of the 19th century.
Causes:
Colonial oppression and the lack of rights of the local population.
The economic and cultural backwardness of society and the failure of the old schools to meet modern needs.
Reform ideas abroad: renewal movements in Turkey, Tatarstan, Azerbaijan and Egypt; some easing of press restrictions during the Russian revolution of 1905–1907.
Closer contact with the outside world through the railway and trade.
§2. Aims and programme
The Jadid programme developed in stages:
Educational stage: awakening the nation through new-method schools, textbooks, the press and theatre; teaching secular subjects (arithmetic, geography, history, natural science); sending gifted young people to study abroad (Turkey, Germany).
Social stage: education for women, campaigns against extravagance (lavish weddings and funerals), development of the native language.
Political stage (from 1917): autonomy for Turkestan — self-government within Russia with equal local participation in power; ultimately full independence.
Means: societies such as “Turon”, “Barakat” and “Kumak”, libraries, charity and printing presses.
The Jadid motto: saving the nation through enlightenment
§3. Leading figures and their works
Mahmudkhoja Behbudiy (1875–1919, Samarkand) led the Turkestan Jadids. His drama “Padarkush” (“The Patricide”) was the first Uzbek play: written in 1911, published in 1913 and staged in 1914. In it ignorance leads a son to murder his father. He published the journal “Oyina” (“The Mirror”, 1913–1915), the newspaper “Samarqand” (1913) and textbooks. In 1919 he was executed at Karshi by the Bukharan emir’s men.
Munavvar Qori Abdurashidkhonov (Tashkent) organised new-method schools, wrote the primers “Adib-i Avval” and “Adib-i Soni” and edited the newspaper “Khurshid” (1906).
Abdulla Avloniy (Tashkent) wrote “Turkiy Guliston yokhud Akhloq” (“The Turkic Rose Garden, or Morals”, 1913), a famous work on upbringing (“For us, upbringing is a question of life or death, salvation or ruin, happiness or disaster”); he ran the newspaper “Shuhrat” and the “Turon” society and theatre troupe.
Abdurauf Fitrat (Bukhara) wrote “The Debate” and “Tales of an Indian Traveller”; he was the ideologue of the Young Bukharans and later a linguist and playwright.
Ishoqkhon Ibrat (Turakurgan) opened a printing press and wrote “Lughat-i Sitta Alsina” (a six-language dictionary), “Jami’ al-Khutut” (a history of scripts) and “The History of Fergana”.
Jadids in literature: Abdulla Qodiriy, Cholpon, Hamza, Sufizoda and Tavallo.
§4. School, press and theatre
School: new-method schools used the phonetic method, a class-and-lesson system, desks, maps and globes; they taught arithmetic, geography, history and the native language. The Jadids wrote their own textbooks. Press:
1906 — “Taraqqiy” (“Progress”, editor Ismail Obidov) — the first privately owned Uzbek-language newspaper
Then came “Khurshid” (1906), “Shuhrat” and “Tujjor” (1907), “Samarqand” (1913), “Sadoi Turkiston” and “Sadoi Farg‘ona” (1914), and the journal “Oyina” (1913).
The tsarist administration soon closed many papers, but new ones appeared in their place.
Theatre: the Jadids called theatre an “ibratkhona” — a “house of instruction”.
1914 — “Padarkush” staged (Samarkand, Tashkent); in Tashkent, the “Turon” troupe
Takings from performances went to schools and poor pupils.
§5. The Jadids of Bukhara and Khiva
The Young Bukharans were the Jadids of the Emirate of Bukhara, led by Fitrat and Fayzulla Khojaev. They demanded reforms from the emir and were persecuted after the failure of Kolesov’s campaign in 1918; when the emir was overthrown in 1920 and the Bukharan People’s Soviet Republic formed, they joined its government.
The Young Khivans were the Jadids of the Khanate of Khiva (Palvanniyaz Haji Yusupov and others); they took part in creating the Khorezm People’s Soviet Republic in 1920.
In the emirate and khanate the new schools met resistance from fanatical clergy and rulers.
§6. Political activity and the fate of the Jadids
After the February Revolution of 1917 the Jadids founded the organisation “Shuro-i Islomiya” and entered political struggle.
November 1917 — the Turkestan Autonomy was proclaimed in Kokand; Jadids (Mustafa Chokay, Ubaydulla Khojaev and others) were active in it
In February 1918 the Bolsheviks drowned the autonomy in blood.
Under Soviet rule the Jadids at first worked in education and culture, but in the 1920s–1930s they were repressed as “nationalists” and “enemies of the people”: Munavvar Qori was shot in 1931, Fitrat, Cholpon and Qodiriy in 1938.
In the years of independence the Jadids were rehabilitated and their legacy is being studied anew; the Memorial Museum of Victims of Repression in Tashkent is dedicated to those who died.
Cause and effect: the Jadids’ ideas of national identity and independence clashed with the centralising policy of the Soviet system — and so they were destroyed.
Worked example
“Match: 1) Gasprinsky; 2) Behbudiy; 3) Avloniy; 4) Ismail Obidov. a) The Turkic Rose Garden, or Morals; b) Terjuman; c) Taraqqiy; d) Padarkush.”
Gasprinsky — the newspaper “Terjuman” in Crimea: 1–b.
Behbudiy — the first Uzbek play: 2–d.
Avloniy — the work on upbringing: 3–a.
Ismail Obidov — the first private Uzbek newspaper: 4–c.
Answer: 1–b, 2–d, 3–a, 4–c.
Worked example
Chronology: “Order: the staging of Padarkush; the launch of Terjuman; the newspaper Taraqqiy; the writing of Padarkush.”
“Terjuman” — 1883.
“Taraqqiy” — 1906.
“Padarkush” written — 1911 (published 1913).
Staged — 1914.
Answer: Terjuman → Taraqqiy → Padarkush written → staged.
Worked example
Source analysis: “For us, upbringing is a question of life or death, salvation or ruin, happiness or disaster.” Whose words are these, and which Jadid idea do they express?
The quotation is about upbringing and comes from “The Turkic Rose Garden, or Morals”, published in 1913.
Its author is Abdulla Avloniy.
The meaning: the nation’s future depends on the upbringing and education of the young.
Answer: Avloniy; the Jadid idea of saving the nation through enlightenment and upbringing.
Check yourself
What does “usul-i jadid” mean?
Who founded Jadidism?
Who published the journal “Oyina”?
Which was the first private Uzbek-language newspaper?
Who led the Tashkent Jadids?
In what year was “Padarkush” staged?
What were the Jadids of Bukhara called?
Who wrote “The Turkic Rose Garden, or Morals”?
Common mistakes
Naming Fitrat as the author of “Padarkush” (it was Behbudiy).
Mixing up the “Padarkush” dates: written 1911, published 1913, staged 1914.
Seeing the Jadids only as religious reformers: they championed reform of education, the press, theatre and politics.
Saying “Terjuman” was published in Turkestan (it came out in Crimea, in Bakhchysarai).
Swapping the editors of “Taraqqiy” and “Khurshid”: “Taraqqiy” — Ismail Obidov, “Khurshid” — Munavvar Qori.
Saying the Turkestan Autonomy was proclaimed in Tashkent: it was proclaimed in Kokand in November 1917 and crushed in February 1918.