doi:10.18503/2658-3186-2026-10-3-54-60
Abstract. The article examines the political and historical content of the concept of “principled unprincipledness,” which was used by Zhusup (Yusup) Abdrakhmanov, a statesman in Soviet Kyrgyzstan, when assessing the intra party struggle and management practices in the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the USSR in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The relevance of the study is determined by the need for a more accurate interpretation of Zh. Abdrakhmanov’s diary and journalistic legacy as a source on the history of the formation of Kyrgyz Soviet statehood and the political culture of the early Soviet period. The aim of the article is to identify how criticism of unprincipled behavior related to Zh. Abdrakhmanov’s ideas about the state interest, the responsibility of a leader, and the permissible limits of party discipline. The article distinguishes between historical sources and research literature on the topic, provides a brief external critique of the diary as a personal source, clarifies the context in which the formula “principled unprincipledness” is used, and expands the comparative context by examining the practices of regional leaders in other Soviet republics. It has been shown that the formula “principled unprincipledness” was not only a rhetorical oxymoron but also, a tool for political diagnostics: with its help, Zh. Abdrakhmanov described the gap between the declared party principles and the practice of administrative pressure, campaign style management, and personal gain.
Keywords: Zhusup Abdrakhmanov, Yusup Abdrakhmanov, Kyrgyz ASSR, political culture, diary, intra-party struggle, Right Opposition, Trotskyism, korenizatsiya, Soviet statehood
Information about the authors
Rysgul B. Zhumalieva, Acting Associate Professor, Department of the State Language, K. Karasaev Bishkek State University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Venera B. Zhumalieva, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Acting Associate Professor, Department of Pedagogical and Humanitarian Disciplines, M. R. Rakhimova Institute of Further Professional Education, I. Arabaev Kyrgyz State University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
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For citation: Zhumalieva R. B., Zhumalieva V. B. Zhusup (Yusup) Abdrakhmanov and the Problem of “Principled Unprincipledness” in the Political Culture of the 1920s-1930s., Gumanitarno-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya = Humanitarian and pedagogical Research, 2026, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 54–60. (In Russ.). doi:10.18503/2658-3186-2026-10-3-54-60.