Exhibition of documents on the selfless work of soldiers from Uzbekistan during World War II. 1939-1945

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1265-1279

For citation

Isakova, Mukhayo S. (2025). Exhibition of documents on the selfless work of fighters from Uzbekistan during the Second World War 1939-1945, Herald of an Archivist, no. 4, pp. 1265-1279, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1265-1279

Isakova, Mukhayo S., Institute of History, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan

Exhibition of documents on the selfless work of soldiers from Uzbekistan during World War II. 1939-1945

Abstract

In October 1941, the State Defense Committee (GKO) of the USSR decided to form labor columns in the Central Asian Military District. In subsequent years, the need to expand the military industry and the increase in the number of defense enterprises led to the large-scale recruitment of civilians for construction and production work. Beginning in February 1942, the unemployed urban population was called up for labor service, and from the second half of 1942, all able-bodied individuals, including those with Group III disabilities, were subject to mobilization. Despite the expansion of production due to the evacuation of more than 150 factories and plants to the Uzbek SSR, where a severe labor shortage was also felt, 155,000 labor army soldiers were sent from the republic to other regions of the USSR. This article provides information on the collaboration between the archives of Uzbekistan and Russia in popularizing historical documents about the valor of the fighters in the labor armies. On May 14, 2025, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, the Glory Museum (Shon-sharaf) of the Victory Park Memorial Complex opened a joint archival exhibition on the theme "The Feat of the Labor Army Fighters from Uzbekistan During World War II." The primary goal of exhibiting archival sources was to introduce the general public to little-known documentary and visual materials related to the activities of the labor army soldiers. The presentation of new sources allowed the exhibition's curators to showcase not only their selfless labor but also illuminate the daily lives of Uzbeks during the war. The banner exhibition featured over 150 electronic copies of documents. The documentary basis for the joint exhibition was comprised of archival materials from the Perm State Archive of Social and Political History (PermGASPI), the National Archives of Uzbekistan (NAUz), the National Archives of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Documentation of Uzbekistan (NASTMDUz), as well as documents held in the collections of the Berezniki History and Art Museum and the National Archives of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents of Uzbekistan (NAKFFDUz). Following the exhibition, an action plan was signed to continue cooperation between the archives of Uzbekistan and Russia through the preparation and publication of a joint thematic collection of archival documents in 2026. Undoubtedly, such archival work will serve to popularize archival collections not only among researchers but also users. The scientific and practical significance of the exhibition lies in its aim to perpetuate the memory of those who sacrificed their lives to fight and made a worthy contribution to the victory over fascism.

Keywords

Archival exhibition, mobilization, soldiers, labor army, Uzbek SSR, defense enterprises, Molotov Oblast, Perm Krai, war, everyday history.

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References

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Neganov, S. V. (Ed.) (2021). The Feat of Workers' Columns, A Collection of Documents, Perm, Perm State Archive of Socio-Political History publ., 616 p.

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About authors

Isakova Mukhayo S., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Institute of History, Chief Researcher, Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, +998-90-931-39-07, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0009-0006-4483-325X

The article was received in the editorial office on 29.12.2024, recommended for publication on 20.09.2025.