Evacuation of children during World War II to Uzbek families

Abstract

This article highlights the evacuation of orphaned children from different countries and their placement in the regions of the republic and the acceptance of children by their families. A particularly thorough historiographical review of the literature on the topic of study from the Soviet period is presented, and the works of leading theorists of the national question are studied. It shows the transformation of the national composition of the Uzbek SSR population as a result of deportations, the tolerance of Uzbek families toward evacuated and deported children, and the change in the ethnic composition due to the evacuation of children to Uzbek families. The article draws statistical data on the number of deported children and their acceptance into families. The article considers the issue of Uzbeks' tolerance towards the evacuated and deported children, providing numerous examples of this trait among the Uzbek people. Diagrams show the change in the national composition of the republic as a result of the shift of the USSR population to the east and south-east, as well as the settlement in the provinces of Uzbekistan. Examples from wartime life confirm the humanity, nobility, and love for children of Uzbeks. The conclusion of the article draws theoretical and practical conclusions on the topic of research. The article collected statistical and archival material, most of which is introduced for the first time in a scientific turnover, studied an extensive literature, both domestic and foreign. For the first time the article gives a contemporary assessment of the Soviet national policy, both theoretically and practically. The article reveals the process of evacuating children and caring for these children regionally and chronologically