Isn't it Ironic?

I should be working on the rough draft of a 15-page paper that's due in my Soviet history course tomorrow, but I just can't focus. I'm hoping by writing a little bit about it on here that I can inspire myself to get through the last 7 or 8 pages I need to write by 9:40 tomorrow morning.

. . . I hope.

So what's the paper on?

The Influence of Mirza Sultan-Galiev on the Fate of Central Asia.

It sounds riveting, I know.

Mirza Sultan-Galiev (above) was a leading Bolshevik during the Russian Revolution and the highest-ranking Communist of Muslim Central Asian descent. This gave him a pretty unique perspective on events--which ultimately led to his downfall at the hands of Josef Stalin.

Sultan-Galiev wanted what was best for his people: a pan-Turkic semi-autonomous state within the Soviet Union that would cater to their interests and culture. He was a moderate and an idealist in a world of fanatics and pragmatists.

Fearful that Sultan-Galiev's idea would come to pass, Stalin accused him of colluding with terrorists (false charges) and had him removed from the party and sent to the labor camps. Furthermore, in his paranoia, Stalin committed to the opposite of what Sultan-Galiev had suggested: he divided Central Asia into the "-stans" with which we are familiar today, creating cultural and national divisions that had previously been abstract or non-existent.

So, in sum, because Sultan-Galiev was such a vocal advocate for the unification of his people, he is at least in part responsible for the reactionary policy of Josef Stalin that has insured--almost without a doubt--that a pan-Turkic republic will never exist.

Ergo the title.

Now wasn't that fun? Didn't you enjoy reading that?

Oh well, look at the bright side: even if you didn't, at least you now have a useless piece of Soviet trivia you can throw around to sound smart. :)