The struggle against the British colonialists brought forward many staunch opponents of imperialism in India. Among them, a worthy place was taken by Muhamed Barakatulla. He was born in 1859 in Bhopal1 . As a student, he studied literature, then moved to London, where he began to engage in political activities directed against English rule in his homeland. Barakatullah was persecuted for this and was forced to leave England in 1907.2 He lived in the United States3 for a while, and then was invited to Japan to teach Oriental languages. In 1909-1914. He taught classes in Urdu and Persian at the University of Tokyo and published the Muslim Unity newspaper, which was both religiously one-sided and opposed British colonialism. After the outbreak of World War I, under pressure from London, Barakatullah was dismissed from the University of Tokyo and returned to the United States4 .

Like many other leaders of the national liberation movement of that time, Barakatullah's first goal was to liberate the motherland from the power of the imperialists, without particularly delving into class problems. He took an active part in the activities of patriotic societies of Indian emigrants, conducted propaganda and organizational work there, and gained credibility among his compatriots. When the expatriate Provisional Government of India was formed in Kabul in late 1915, a member of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League at the same time, Barakatullah became its Prime Minister .5 Indian patriots in the struggle against the British yoke vainly appealed to the governments of Turkey, Afghanistan, and Russia for support in different years, 6 and pinned their hopes on Germany, but to no avail.

The Great October Socialist Revolution created a new situation all over the world. It opened up new horizons and prospects for the national liberation movement. Barakatullah was living in Kabul at the time and was one of the closest advisers to the future Afghan King Amanullah Khan. The first decrees of the Soviet government, its appeal "To all working Muslims of Russia and the East" and the practical steps taken by the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR in foreign and domestic policy made a great impression on Barakatulla. "Fortunately for Afghanistan," he wrote, "a strong, humane, and noble government of Soviet Russia has now been formed in the north of us, which not only has no intention of seizing even one inch of foreign land, but, on the contrary, sets as its unwavering goal the liberation of all oppressed Asian peoples from the slavery of European predators." 7 . He strongly recommended that Amanullah Khan conclude an alliance with the RSFSR, seeing in this the key to a successful struggle against the colonialists. In the spring of 1919, as the personal representative of the Afghan Emir, Barakatullah arrived in Moscow to find out the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Soviet Russia. 8
The Communist Party and the Soviet Government gave a warm welcome to-

1 "Documents of the History of the Communist Party of India". New Delhi. 1971, p. 114.

2 See Izvestiya VTsIK, 1, 6, 8, V. 1919.

3 See "Kyzyl Army", 20. X. 1919 (in Tatar).

4 M. A. Persii. Revolutionaries of India in the Land of Soviets, 1918-1921. Moscow, 1973, p. 30.

5 G. Ya. Lyusternik. V. I. Lenin and some questions of the national liberation movement in India in 1918-1922. " Lenin and problems of the History of Asia (China, India)", L. 1970, p.68.

6 Ibid., p. 70.

7 "Izvestiya VTsIK", 8. V. 1919.

8 Ibid.

page 209

oil shale from a neighboring country. On May 7, 1919, V. I. Lenin received Barakatullah and talked with him about the situation in the East and about helping Afghanistan fight imperialism .9 After some time, Barakatulla wrote to Lenin, asking him to publish his article in the Soviet press in order "to win the hearts of Muslims to the side of Bolshevism." 10 For the same purpose, he offered his services in conducting literary and oral propaganda work among the Muslim population of the RSFSR ,as well as among former Turkish prisoners of war who were in Soviet Russia. 11 He also wanted to tell the Soviet people about the struggle of the peoples of Asia against imperialism, about the atrocities of the colonialists in the East. Lenin approved of Barakatulla's initiative and instructed the relevant departments to assist him. In a note addressed to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs G. V. Chicherin, he asked what had been done to help Barakatulla in publishing articles, as well as in other matters, and suggested that the People's Commissar provide the guest from India with reports, leaflets and maps of the division of the world by Britain and France into spheres of influence .12 In the autumn of 1919, Barakatulla went on a trip to the cities of the Volga region and the Urals. He visited Kazan, Ufa, Samara, Sterlitamak and other places 13 . The Soviet press covered his trip extensively. In Pravda, Zhizn Natsionalnykh, and a number of local periodicals, there is interesting information about Barakatulla's trip. Interesting are the documents and materials about it published in the organ of the Central Muslim Military Collegium (CMVK) under the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs - the newspaper "Kyzyl Army", published in the Tatar language. In particular, it contains information about Barakatullah's speeches in Moscow and Kazan, his appeals "To the Muslims of Russia", "Workers and women workers", "Scientists and Teachers", etc. These materials allow us to add new touches to the biography of the Indian fighter for national liberation, to trace the evolution of his worldview under the influence of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism and the socialist revolution in Russia.

Barakatulla's first meetings with the working people of our country took place in Moscow. On June 22, 1919 ," with a large gathering of Muslim workers and Red Army soldiers in Moscow, a rally was held on the theme "The Muslim world and Soviet Power." 14 Other speakers included Barakatulla. The rally was a great success. Slogans were proclaimed in honor of the union of the oppressed peoples of the East with the world proletariat and their joint struggle against international imperialism. From Moscow, Barakatulla went to Kazan and on October 17, 1919, together with the editor of the newspaper "Kyzyl Army" and responsible employees of the Central Exhibition and Exhibition Center, delivered a speech at the rally 15 . The organ of the Kazan Provincial Committee of the RCP(b) and the Soviet of Deputies, the newspaper Znamya Revolyutsii, regarded the speech as the clearest manifestation of the solidarity of the working masses of Russia with the peoples of the East fighting against imperialism, as a new and powerful blow to the internal and external counter - revolution... famous Eastern revolutionary figure Professor Barakatulla " 16 .

On October 20, Barakatulla left for Samara. A telegram from the Deputy Chairman of the Central Executive Committee to the Commissioner of the Turkestan Republic asked him to inform "when and where Barakatulla can meet Comrade Eliava "(Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee's Turkcomission); it also mentioned the time of departure of the Indian guest for Samara Barakatulla then traveled to Bashkiria, the first Soviet autonomous Republic within the RSFSR, established in early 1919. In November, in Sterlitamak, which at that time was the capital of Bashkiria, he took part in the First All-Bashkir Conference of the RCP (b). In his speech, Barakatulla familiarized those present with the situation in Afghanistan, India and Vysk-

9 See V. I. Lenin, PSS. Vol. 38, p. 548.

10 See V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 50, p. 489. It has not yet been possible to determine which article we are talking about or whether it was published. Among the articles published in the Soviet press, Barakatulla's most famous works are "Wilson against Lenin", "Bolshevik Ideas and the Islamic Republic", "Eastern Nationalists and Socialism", "All Muslims of Asia", "The Eastern Question", and the pamphlet "Bolshevism and Islam" (see M. A. Persits. Op. ed., p. 38).

11 M. A. Persits. Op. ed., p. 36.

12 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 50, p. 337.

13 M. A. Persits. Op. ed., p. 36.

14 Pravda, 25. VI. 1919.

15 "Life of Nationalities", 2. XI. 1919; Kyzyl Army", 20. X. 1919.

16 "Banner of the Revolution", 22. X. 1919.

17 TSGASA, f. 17, ol. 1, d. 130, l. 5.

page 210

He was responsible for strengthening the ties between the peoples of the East and Soviet Russia 18 . His speeches were listened to with great attention everywhere. Participants in rallies and meetings expressed fervent solidarity with the struggle of the peoples of the East for liberation, for the right to live without imperialist masters.

It is this spirit that permeated the decision of the First All-Bashkir Conference of the RCP (b) on the "Eastern question", where the main speakers were a member of the Bashkir Provincial Committee of the RCP(b), authorized by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee for" Bashkir Help " T. I. Sidelnikov and Barakatulla. The conference resolution emphasized the common interests of combating "predatory capitalists"... the communists of Soviet Bashkiria warmly supported the common desire of the working people of our country "to get closer to the working masses of the East, who see Soviet Russia as their natural defender and are going with an open soul... the conference welcomed the policy of the Communist Party and the Soviet Government "aimed at supporting the efforts of the peoples of the East to get rid of their oppressors." 19
Meetings and conversations with Soviet people did not go unnoticed for Barakatullah, who passionately sought ways to liberate India from oppression, expanded his political horizons, helped him get acquainted with how Lenin's ideas were implemented in practice in the RSFSR. Barakatulla was particularly interested in the changes that were taking place on the national outskirts of Russia. His stay in Central Asia, trips to the national regions of the Volga and Ural regions allowed him to see the first steps of previously oppressed peoples on the way to a new life. Meetings with employees of the bodies created by the Central Committee of the RCP(b) and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR to carry out Lenin's national policy in the regions of the Soviet East, in particular with employees of the Central Bureau of Communist Organizations of the Peoples of the East under the Central Committee of the RCP(b) and the CMVK, who were engaged in organizing his meetings with the population and speeches at rallies, were also useful for him.

The difficulties of the struggle against the old world, the civil war, the beginning of radical socio-economic transformations in Soviet Russia and the ardent enthusiasm of the working people for their implementation made an indelible impression on Barakatulla. This can be clearly seen in his oral and printed statements of that time, and there is a significant difference between the content of his first speeches in Soviet Russia and later ones. "I am neither a communist nor a socialist," he said on his arrival in Moscow in May 1919 ...my political program so far is to drive the British out of Asia. " 20 Then he began to talk more and more often about socialism, which "captured the minds of all mankind,"21 and tried to analyze some aspects of Soviet reality, comparing it with life in capitalist states. Special attention of the Indian guest was drawn to the first constitution of the RSFSR, its provision on the equality of civil rights of representatives of all nationalities, which Barakatulla considered "the most important and greatest... This provision is also found in the legislation of the capitalist states of Europe and America. However, freedom and equality there exist only on paper, they are practically absent in life", and in the RSFSR these principles "do not remain on paper, they are implemented in life" 22. Based on personal observations, he came to the conclusion that "socialism is the first and most direct road to human happiness... At the present time, when there are millions and millions of poor and crippled people, to improve their lives is to follow the path of socialism. " 23 He declared himself a supporter of the elimination of private property, because "it is the cause of all vices on Earth." 24
In his first speeches in Soviet Russia, Barakatulla did not yet address the specific paths that lead to socialism. He only noted that "socialism comes through revolution, "which" causes many difficulties at first."25 . Gradually, he began to make more frequent references to the working class, which he now considered "the foundation of society." 26 Very interesting in this

18 "News of the Ufa gubrevkom", 18. XI. 1919; "Formation of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic". Collection of documents and materials, Ufa, 1959, pp. 345, 892.

19 Archive of the Orenburg Regional Committee of the CPSU, f. 1, op. 1, d. 97, l. 7.

20 "Izvestiya VTsIK", 6. V. 1919.

21 "Kyzyl Army", 20. VII. 1919.

22 "Kyzyl Army", 20. X. 1919.

23 "Kyzyl Army", 20. VII. 1919.

24 M. A. Persits. Op. ed., p. 39.

25 "Kyzyl Army", 20. VII. 1919.

26 Ibid.

page 211

This is his appeal "To the workers and working women". First of all, the very fact of his appeal to workers ' representatives is remarkable: "Everything that is necessary for life and progress has hitherto been created by the hands of the workers, and then by them"; in order to "save the people from oppression, it is necessary to transfer power to the workers. This honor belongs to Lenin. Having overthrown the exploiters and all the rich, he handed over power to the workers and peasants who live by their own labor. " 27 In March - April 1920, Barakatullah put it even more concretely: "Just as sunlight, air and rain are the common property of all living beings, so let all other necessities and luxuries be the collective property of all members of society. And under the present conditions, this can only be accomplished through the dictatorship of the proletariat. And so Lenin and his comrades, unshakably convinced of the correctness of the principles just outlined, established throughout Russia the power of the workers, peasants and soldiers, that is, the power of those who create and protect the national wealth. Before this decisive program, all the old recipes for alleviating human suffering and eliminating social shortcomings immediately faded away. The peoples fighting for their liberation will hardly find a better road to freedom. " 28
However, it would be an exaggeration to assume that Barakatullah fully understood the ideas of scientific socialism. Even later, he remained no more than a participant in the national liberation movement, who switched to the position of equalizing socialism. But Barakatullah fervently wished to strengthen the friendship of the Soviet and Indian peoples. Addressing the national minorities of the RSFSR, he urged them to support the Soviet government and fight against the mercenaries of imperialism; " By doing so, you will help free not only Russia, but also the peoples of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.29 . Barakatulla's observations on the new life of the working people of our country were included in his pamphlet "Bolsheviks and Muslim Peoples", published in Tashkent. It was soon translated into many Eastern languages and played a role in spreading the truth about Lenin's national policy and Soviet reality in the Eastern countries, 30 which caused a new bout of bitterness among the British imperialists. 31
Barakatulla remained in the RSFSR until 192232 . For some time he lived in Tashkent, and in the second half of 1920 he made a trip to the Transcaspian region. The subsequent years of his life are poorly understood. Some information about his later life can be gleaned from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Nehru, who met Barakatullah in Berlin during his 1926 trip to Europe. Nehru emphasized his desire to " embrace new ideas and understand the modern world." "I was deeply saddened by the news of his passing," Nehru wrote after Barakatullah's death in 1927 in San Francisco .33
The long and arduous struggle that Barakatullah waged with other Indian patriots for the freedom and independence of his country was ultimately crowned with success. Barakatullah's thoughts on the development of socialist construction in Soviet Russia, his struggle against imperialism and for a strong friendship with the USSR remain relevant even today.

27 "Kyzyl Army", 27. X. 1919.

28 Cit. by: L. V. Mitrokhin. India on Lenin (V. I. Lenin in Indian Journalism and Memoirs of Indian contemporaries), Moscow, 1971, p. 79.

29 "Kyzyl Army", 15. VI. 1919.

30 K. A. Antonova, G. M. Bongard-Levin, and G. G. Kotovsky; History of India. Short Essay, Moscow, 1973, pp. 403-404.

31 The British bourgeois press, in connection with Barakatulla's stay in Soviet Russia, spread all sorts of slanderous rumors about him (Pravda, 6.VII. 1919).

32 "Documents of the History of the Communist Party of India", pp. 114 - 116.

33 J. Nehru. Autobiography, Moscow, 1955, pp. 169-170.

page 212

Permanent link to this publication: