Dinmukhamed Kunayev

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Dinmukhamed Akhmedovich Kunayev (Kazakh: Дінмұхаммед Ахмедұлы Қонаев; Russian: Динмухаммед Ахмедович Кунаев) 12 January 1912 (O.S. 31 December 1911) in Verny, now Almaty - 22 August 1993) was a Kazakh Soviet Communist political figure.^[1]

Kunayev, the son of a Kazakh clerk, grew up in a middle-income family. He graduated from the Institute of Non-Ferrous and Fine Metallurgy in Moscow in 1936, which enabled him to become a machine operator. By 1939 he had become engineer-in-chief of the Pribalkhashatroi mine, and joined the Communist Party, a condition of the position.^[1]

Kunayev was deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR from 1942 to 1954. In 1947, 1951, 1955 and 1959 he also was a deputy in the Kazakh SSR Supreme Soviet. He became secretary-general of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR in 1960 for two years, and returned in 1964 for twenty-two more years.^[2] He was an alternate member of the Politburo from 1967, and a full member from 1971 to 1987. A Brezhnev loyalist, he was removed from office under pressure from Mikhail Gorbachev, who accused him of corruption.^[3][2] On December 16, 1986 Soviet Politburo replaced him with Gennady Kolbin, an ethnic Chuvash who had never lived in the Kazakh SSR before. This provoked street riots in Almaty, which were the first signs of ethnic strife during Gorbachev's tenure.^[4] In modern Kazakhstan this revolt is called Zheltoksan meaning December in Kazakh.

Kunayev was awarded the Gold Star of Hero of Socialist Labour three times.^[3] He spent the last years of his life in charitable activity, establlishing the 'Dinmukhamed Kunayev Foundation', one of whose purposes was the support of political reform in Kazakhstan.^[5]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Vronskaya, Jeanne (August 24, 1993) "Obituary: Dinmukhamed Kunayev" The Independent London, Gazette Section p. 18;
2. ^ ^{a b} Drexel, John (1991) "Kunayev, Dinmukhamed Akhmedovich (1912- )" The Facts on File Encyclopedia of the Twentieth Century Facts on File, New York, ISBN 0816024618 ;
3. ^ ^{a b} "Memorial plaque put up in Alma-Ata for ex-communist boss" ITAR-TASS news agency: BBC Summary of World Broadcasts British Broadcasting Company (16 January 1995);
4. ^ "Kazakh Reformist Party for Renaming Town after Soviet-era Leader" Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire British Broadcasting Company (23 August 2004);
5. ^ Ardayev, Vladimir (Izvestia staff) (24 August 1993) "Dinmukhamed Kunayev Dies" The Current Digest of the Soviet Press 45(34): p. 28