Independence is the main asset of any state. Different peoples achieve independence in different ways, through revolutions, wars, and national liberation movements. For Kazakhstan, the events of December 1986 marked the beginning of the people’s desire for sovereignty and self-determination. On October 25, 1990, the Kazakh SSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the republic, which played an important role on the path to independence of Kazakhstan. In 1991, on December 16, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted the Constitutional Law “On the State Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan”. This year we celebrate the 33rd anniversary of Independence Day, the formation of a sovereign state called the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s independence became possible as a result of the collapse of the USSR, of which our republic was a part for 74 years. Until recently, the leadership of Kazakhstan fought for the preservation of the Soviet Union, making efforts to adopt a new treaty on the creation of a renewed union state. However, nothing came of it. The political and economic crisis in the USSR in the late 80s and early 90s reached its peak. The decrepit and incapacitated Soviet state machine, inherited by the last leader of the country, the architect of perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev, glitched after glitch.
The perestroika put forward at the April 1985 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, which brought about glasnost and, to a certain extent, democratization of public life, did not have a significant impact on improving the living conditions of the Soviet people. The USSR was experiencing a severe systemic crisis. And in such a difficult situation, since the early 1990s, political movements for independence and secession from the USSR began to emerge in the republics. The Union Republics adopted declarations of sovereignty, establishing the supremacy of their laws. This process has firmly established itself as a “parade of sovereignties.”
The attempts to use force made by the Soviet leadership in Tbilisi (1989), Baku (1990) and Vilnius (1991) had the opposite result: the protests multiplied and became more widespread. The dramatic events of those years became a bitter but important experience for us. Realizing the reasons for the rapid fall of a once great power and analyzing the tactical mistakes of the allied leadership, we learned important lessons from what was happening. They helped in the fight against difficulties, and Kazakhstan had a lot of them,” the first President N.A.Nazarbayev wrote in his book “The Era of Independence” [1, 24].
Political reforms in the USSR in the late 80s and early 90s, the proclamation of a course towards the creation of Soviet parliamentarism, the convening of a new supreme authority – the Congress of People’s Deputies, the introduction of the institute of the President of the USSR, the formation of a multiparty system – led to the democratization of society and made inevitable the aggravation of a seemingly long-ago “resolved” national issue. Forced internationalization without taking into account national interests has led to serious miscalculations in national policy.
On May 18, 1989, Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to adopt a Declaration of Sovereignty. By the summer of 1991, most of the Union republics of the USSR had adopted laws on sovereignty, which forced the union leadership to accelerate the development of a new Union Treaty. The signing of such an agreement meant not only the preservation of a single state, but also the transition to its real federal structure. On March 17, 1991, a referendum was held on the question: to be or not to be the USSR and what it should be like. The majority voted for the preservation of the USSR. The Baltic republics, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia did not participate in the voting.
In September, the Extraordinary Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR recognized the independence of the Baltic republics.
The leaders of seven republics – Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan – have announced their intention to create a new interstate entity, the Union of Sovereign States (UCC). But that didn’t happen. On December 8, 1991, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha near Brest, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed an agreement on the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States. It stated that the USSR, as a subject of international law, was ceasing to exist. December 21, 1991 In Almaty, the leaders of 11 states (except Georgia) signed a Declaration on the final termination of the existence of the USSR and the formation of the CIS – the Commonwealth of Independent States.
On December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation from the post of President of the USSR. Thus, 1991 was marked by epochal events: the failed coup attempt, the liquidation of the CPSU, and the collapse of the empire called the USSR.
Thus, by the end of 1991, Kazakhstan had developed a favorable political environment for gaining its independence, the August 1991 coup, the collapse of the USSR, the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the formation of the former Soviet republics as independent states accelerated the adoption of the Law on Kazakhstan’s Independence.
After the August coup in Kazakhstan, the Communist Party was dissolved, and the republic became virtually independent. The President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, could not prevent the centrifugal tendencies, and every day his power weakened more and more. In order to make his power more legitimate, N.A.Nazarbayev went on a major democratization of the political system and announced the holding of national presidential elections. On December 1, 1991, the first national presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan, and on December 10, Kazakhstan ceased to be socialist. On this day, the Law “On Changing the name of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic” was adopted, which approved the new name – the Republic of Kazakhstan.
On December 16, 1991, the Law “On the State Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan” declared Kazakhstan an independent state with an independent system of government bodies, an independent economic system, its own armed forces and a single citizenship. From this moment, a new era begins in the life of Kazakhstan – the era of independent development, which makes it possible to fully realize the interests and aspirations of the peoples inhabiting our country [2, 263].
On March 2, 1992, the Republic of Kazakhstan was the first among the new States of the former Soviet Republics to be admitted to the United Nations and became a member of many reputable international and regional organizations. An important step in the process of strengthening Kazakhstan’s sovereignty was the legislative approval of its national symbols: the State Coat of Arms. Flag and Anthem
The country’s legal framework was its first Constitution, adopted on January 28, 1993 by the VIII session of the Supreme Council of the Republic. It was The basic law of the newly independent state. It defined long-term goals and priorities of social development, fixed the political basis for the unification of the Kazakh and all other peoples, whose homeland is multinational Kazakhstan. At the same time, the 1993 Constitution was based on the model of a parliamentary republic. While consolidating Kazakhstan’s independence, the 1993 Constitution reflected the complexity and inconsistency of the first years of its consolidation.
Current The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan was adopted on August 30, 1995 in a nationwide referendum. It clearly defines the functions of each branch of government, they are independent of each other. Since the adoption of this Constitution, amendments and additions have been made to it six times: in 1998, 2007, 2011, 2017, 2019 and 2022. On May 5, 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the holding of a referendum on the next amendments to the Constitution. According to the president, the purpose of the amendments is the transition to “a new state model, a new format of interaction between the state and society,” and the transition “from a super-presidential form of government to a presidential republic with an influential parliament and an accountable government.” The Working Group has prepared amendments to 33 articles. The referendum was held on June 5, 2022 with a positive result of 77%. As a result, the Constitutional Council has now been transformed into the Constitutional Court. The Mazhilis of Parliament is elected according to a mixed electoral system, the quota from the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan has been abolished in the Mazhilis, and the parliamentary quota nominated by the President has been reduced in the Senate. Articles about the first president of Kazakhstan have also been removed. To Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The Kazakh people came to independence after two and a half centuries of struggle. During this period, the Kazakh people rose up about 400 times to fight against the tsarist colonialists and the command and administrative system of the totalitarian regime. Fighting for independence, the Kazakh people suffered from hunger, languished in concentration camps, were expelled from their country, and lost their best representatives.
The proclamation of the state independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan became the greatest event in the life of the Kazakh people. Kazakhstan has become an equal member of the world community. The Kazakh people got rid of the danger of extinction as a nation. Conditions were created for the revival and development of culture, traditions, language, for the formation and development of the national intelligentsia. Kazakhs, who were forced to leave the country during the rule of the Bolsheviks, were given the opportunity to return to their historical homeland.
“The independence of the state is not just a declaration. Building true Independence is about hard work every day, a well–thought-out and consistent policy. We will survive as a nation in a global world only by having a strong and independent state. We must firmly adhere to this enduring truth. “Independence is above all!” – these words should become our motto,” emphasizes the President of the country K.Zh.Tokaev [3].
According to the Head of State, thirty years of Independence can be divided into three decades. Each of these periods has its own special historical significance. He designated the first decade of Independence as the time of laying the foundation of a new Kazakhstan. During this period, state symbols were approved and an effective system of government was formed. The national currency has been introduced. The Armed Forces have been created. The Basic Law of the country has been adopted. Diplomatic relations have been established with foreign countries. Kazakhstan has become a member of reputable international organizations.
The second decade is a period of expanding the horizons of our statehood. Over the years, the country’s position has significantly strengthened and its economic potential has grown. We have legally established all land borders. We have implemented the Cultural Heritage program and rethought our history. The new capital, built on the banks of the Yesil River, has become a national symbol. Major infrastructure projects have been launched, such as the construction of the Western Europe–Western China international corridor.
In the third decade, we have reached even greater heights in our development. We have finally resolved all issues related to the state border. The Strategy “Kazakhstan-2050” was adopted, which outlined the goal of joining the thirty developed countries of the world. Large-scale programs have been implemented in various fields, including the program of accelerated industrial and innovative development, Nurly Zhol, and 100 Concrete Steps. Along with political and economic reforms, we paid special attention to spiritual modernization. The main goals of the fourth decade are a strong state and a competitive nation, K.K.Tokayev notes. To do this, we need to continue political and economic reforms and the process of modernizing public consciousness, to form a qualitatively new national identity adapted to the challenges of the time [3].
Independent Kazakhstan was founded as a democratic and rule-of-law state. As Kazakhstan became a sovereign state, multiparty system and the creation of public associations became a natural phenomenon of social development. The mass media were freed from ideological control and censorship.
Kazakhstan’s independence was also of great international importance. A new democratic state has emerged at the junction of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Soon Kazakhstan was recognized as an independent state by many leading countries of the world. Since March 1992, the Republic of Kazakhstan has become a full Member of the United Nations. The Republic has assumed obligations to strictly comply with the Charter of the Organization.
Kazakhstan consistently pursues a strategic course towards in–depth and effective participation in existing integration structures – the UN, the CIS, the EAEU, the SCO, the CSTO, the OSCE, the CICA, the ECO; develops bilateral cooperation with the countries of Europe and Asia, America. This gives freedom for maneuver and opens up opportunities for integration into global economic and political relations.
The activities of Kazakhstani representatives in UN organizations are expanding. Kazakhstan has become a member of the Committee on Information, the Committee of the UN General Assembly on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and closely cooperates with the UN International Council on Drug Control. Kazakhstan’s accession to the main monetary and financial organizations is crucial: the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the WTO, etc. The importance of membership in regional organizations is emphasized by the republic’s participation in the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the European Energy Party, etc.
Today we are particularly proud to note that in 2010 Kazakhstan became the first CIS state to head the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) international organization. 11 years later, the next Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the OSCE member states was held in our capital, which adopted a document of special historical importance – the Astana Declaration.
One of the most significant and large-scale events was the holding of the international specialized exhibition EXPO in 2017. Kazakhstan became the first CIS country to host it. 115 countries and 22 international organizations participated in the exhibition. It was visited by about four million people, of whom half a million came from other countries. The theme of the exhibition was green energy.
It is worth noting that Kazakhstan’s peacekeeping and anti-nuclear activities received well-deserved recognition in 2017. Then the state became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council until 2019.
The Astana International Financial Center, located in the EXPO exhibition complex, has been operating since July 2018. The center has become a financial gateway for attracting investment capital.
Over the years of independence, Astana has hosted seven congresses of leaders of world and traditional religions. More than 100 delegations from 50 countries took part in the work of the VII Congress of these Leaders. Among the participants of the congress are Pope Francis, the Supreme Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad Al-Tayeb, the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak Joseph, Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem and many others.
This is undoubtedly our real success. And it is not for nothing that our capital is located in the geographical center of the Eurasian continent, from where roads begin to all four directions of the world. Similarly, the whole of Kazakhstan is open to the best accumulated by human civilization. Independence of Kazakhstan was the dream of our ancestors. They saw it in openness of judgment, freedom of conscious actions. For our contemporaries, the independence of our country consists of the individual rights and freedoms of each and every one of the 20 million citizens.
List of used literature:
1. Nazarbayev N.A. The era of independence. – Astana, 2017. – 508 p.
2. Kuzembayuly A., Abil E. The history of Kazakhstan. Textbook for universities. Kostanay. – 2006. 350 p.
3. Tokaev K.K. “Independence above all”. Kazakhstanskaya Pravda for January 6, 2021.