Tadzhikistan

Tadzhikistan Under the sovereignty of the Russian Empire since 1868, after the 1917 Russian Revolutions it became part of the Turkestan Socialist Soviet Republic in 1918. As an Autonomous Soviet Republic within Uzbekistan from 1924, it joined the Soviet Union in 1925. In 1929 it became a full Soviet Republic, and a separate component of the USSR. Until the 1950s, the country was essentially ruled directly from Moscow. This led to relatively weak central control over the mountainous and inaccessible territory, and in many areas collectivization was never successfully introduced during Stalin's rule. By the same token, the country's economic development, standard of living, and rate of education (especially for women) remained extremely low.

Throughout Soviet rule, politics was dominated by tribal rivalries. This became even more marked with the country's independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union after the August coup of 1991. Superimposed on these tribal frictions were ethnic rivalries, especially with the large minority (24 per cent) of Uzbeks, as well as the educated Russian elite (7.6 per cent). Among many Tadzhiks, Islam was a key unifying factor, so that politics became dominated by the struggle between an Islamic opposition on the one hand and the former Communist leadership on the other. This tension erupted into civil war, which spilt over into neighbouring Afghanistan, where Tadzhiks formed the second largest ethnic group. In response, the country's formerly desolate economy thus plunged even further into chaos. It declined throughout the 1990s, with rampant inflation and high rates of unemployment. Despite this, the former Communist leadership under Imomali Rachmanov (since 1994) managed to remain in power, through widespread use of torture and executions, and with the help of a CIS ‘peace contingent’, containing around 25,000, mainly Russian, soldiers. A peace agreement between the warring factions was signed in 1997, and a constitutional amendment accepted in 1999. Two parliamentary chambers were created, and the President's term of office was extended to seven years. Rachmanov was re-elected in 1999, amidst allegations of electoral fraud and the continued curtailment of the political opposition. In 2001 economic and social stability was boosted when the War on Terrorism broke out in neighbouring Afghanistan. It provided for the return of Afghan refugees, and brought substantial capital inflows into the region from which Tadzhikistan also benefited.