THE ROLE OF THE NEWSPAPER ERKIN-TOO IN SOCIETY DURING THE EARLY YEARS OF SOVIET POWER

Abstract

Relevance. The establishment of Kyrgyz Soviet statehood in 1924 necessitated the development of a national press in the native language. The first issue of the newspaper Erkin-Too, published on November 7, 1924, marked a significant milestone in the socio-political and cultural life of Kyrgyzstan.

In August 1927, the newspaper was renamed Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan. A distinctive feature of Erkin-Too was its use of three different writing systems within a relatively short historical period. Initially published in the Kyrgyz language using the Arabic script, the newspaper transitioned fully to the Latin alphabet in 1930 and subsequently adopted the Cyrillic script in the early 1940s.

The newspaper functioned as an important instrument for consolidating Soviet power, promoting socialist economic and cultural policies, and addressing widespread illiteracy among the population. Furthermore, Erkin-Too made a substantial contribution to the development of journalism and Kyrgyz literature in the republic. This article examines the role and significance of Erkin-Too in Kyrgyz society during the period 1924-1940.