Doğu Türkistan’da Güçler Savaşı: 1931 Kumul Ayaklanması

Abstract

Eastern Turkestan is an area that has witnessed a lot of occupations and rebellions from large to small scale throughout history. In 1911, the Qing Dynasty was overthrown as a consequence of domestic struggles in China, and Eastern Turkestan was impacted by this situation. After thisevent, the people in Eastern Turkestan were governed by a governor-general, and exposed to arbitrary changes since it was not controlled by a central authority. The Kumul rebellion, which started in 1931 during the period of Chin She-jen, began as a consequence of these changes by the governor-general who had seized power. Although the initial trigger of the rebellion was provoked by a Muslim girl’s seduction from a Chinese official, the rebellion over time, turned into a power struggle between a lot of groups that wanted to establish dominion over the region. These power struggles were not limited to the Kumul Region but spread to the Uighurs who were living in the southern regions, and resulted in the establishment of an Islamic state in Eastern Turkestan although it was called by an another name. For this reason, the Kumul Rebellion is an important example in terms of the balance of power which emerged in the region and from seeing what the mistakes in administrative practices could cause.