Lecture by Konstantin Kozlov: «The Leaders and Kazakhstan»

For over two centuries, most of Kazakhstan was part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union - a complex and controversial chapter of history. To this day, historians and public figures fiercely debate its impact, as well as the nature of Russian-Kazakh relations and the mutual influence of their cultures and customs.

In this lecture, we’ll focus on how Russian and Soviet rulers viewed and treated the Kazakh lands. Their attitudes were far from uniform - as varied as the leaders themselves.

Some had no idea where this mysterious new territory even was,
While for others, Kazakhstan played a decisive - sometimes even tragic - role in their careers and lives.

Who among Russia and the USSR’s leaders truly cared for Kazakhstan - and who barely tolerated it?
Who showed genuine interest, and who remained indifferent?

Which revolutionary figure once came to the city of Verny on tour… as an actor?
Under whose leadership did Kazakhs finally stop being officially called «Kirgiz»?
What developments in Almaty and Kazakhstan emerged thanks to the friendship between Dinmukhamed Kunaev and Leonid Brezhnev?

What caused the tension between Kunaev and Mikhail Gorbachev?
And how did Boris Yeltsin’s visit to Almaty almost become his last?