Magaza Masanchi

Magaza Masanchi
Born	1886 Russian Empire
Died	1937
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Unit	Dungan Cavalry Regiment
Commands held	Commander of the Dungan Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars	Russian Civil War

Magaza Masanchi (Dungan: Магәзы Масанчын) or Magaza Masanchin (Dungan: Магәзы Масанчын) was a Dungan Communist revolutionary commander and Statesman in the Soviet Union.^[1] He participated in the Russian Revolution on the Bolshevik side. Karakunuz in Kazakhstan was renamed Masanchi after him. He was executed during the Great Purge.

Contents 1 Early Years 2 Career and leadership 3 Death 4 Family 5 References 6 External links

Early Years

Masanchi was from Alma-Ata and his father worked on a farm.^[2][3] His father sent him to Almaty for secondary education in 1902, then to Tashkent in 1905, where he began to learn Marxism. Later he joined the Communist Party of Russia in 1918 as a Bolshevik.

Masanchi took part in World War I as a member of the Russian Imperial Army. After the Tsar was overthrown he went to Tashkent.^[4]

Career and leadership

During the Russian Civil War the Communists were interested in seeking the support of the non Russian Central Asians. Dungans were invited to join the Red Army.^[5]

Dungans urban residents joined the Red Army after serving in the Tsarist forces when going back to Bishkek, fighting for the Soviets in Semirech'ye. At the beginning, many Dungan peasants were apathetic to both sides in the Civil War. However, after the White Russians made alliance with the Uzbeks, whose relationship is tense with the Dungans, almost all Dungans decided to support the Bolsheviks, except some Dungan clerics who insisted on Islamism.

Following the orders of Lenin, Masanchi sake on organising Red Army in Middle Asia. On 14 February, 1920, he founded the Dungan Cavalry Regiment, a large majority of Dungan young men joined this division to resist the invasion from White Russians and Uzbek rebels. The Dungan Cavalry Regiment, by the command of Masanchi, launched several key battles, including the Battle of Semirechye (Семиреченская), the Battle of Orenburg(Оренбу́рг), and the battle of Ferghana (Ферганская). On 28 May, 1922, Basmachi army was annihilated. According to the reports of Soviet newspapers, the Uighurs in Ferghana Valley welcomed Dungan army with intensive respect, for the Basmachi army abused women and children in their villages.

After civil war, Masanchi held high position in the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, later in Kazakhstan government. He was also a member of the Soviet secret police.^[6]

Death

Masanchi was executed in the Great Purge on 30 April, 1938.^[7] He was rehabilitated in 1965.

Family

Masanchi's wife, Jena, was Jewish. They had a son.

References

External links

• 苏俄三年內戰時期的東干（回族）英雄馬三成
• [1]

Persondata
Name	Masanchi, Magaza
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1886
Place of birth	Russian Empire
Date of death	1937
Place of death