History of Pan-Turkism and its Contemporary Supporters. Part 1. Key Milestones in the History of Pan-Turkism

The events in Kazakhstan in January 2022 have driven attention not only to the Islamists of the “Kazakh Jamaat”, but also to pan-Turkists in other countries and regions. To understand motivations of such actors, it is necessary to trace the history of two pan movements, pan-Turkism and Pan-Turanianism, from ancient roots to modern projections. Pan-Turkism emerged on the basis of the ideas of pan-Turanianism, which were designed to save the Ottoman Empire through eastward expansion into Turkic-speaking countries and regions. This led to Turkey’s entry into World War I and the Ottoman Empire collapse. During the Second World War, one could see in republican Turkey efforts to revive hopes for creating a “Great Turan”.