Republic of Kazakhstan at the dawn of independence: socio-political aspect

Abstract

Today all over the world they recognize the state success of Kazakhstan. They are surprised at the dramatic changes achieved during the presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev. Foreign mass media and Russian experts are increasingly calling the Republic of Kazakhstan a «new leopard» in the center of Asia. The Central Asian leopard is a direct analogy with the «Asian tigers». Such a comparison of Kazakhstan with these statesleaders, skillfully combining advanced Western technology with traditional oriental values, is quite logical and appropriate. But many outside observers have at times a deceptive impression of Kazakhstan's easy victory. At the beginning of the democratic path, two decades ago, the situation in the newly independent Kazakhstan was extremely difficult. Thus, the Kazakh SSR occupied a modest twelfth place in the rating of the economic development of the union republics. The incompetent economy, the empty Soviet treasury and an undeveloped political system completed the bleak picture of a low modernization start.