- Also see: Kazakhstan and Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.
The Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (until 1936 Kazak Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic; Russian: Казакская Автономная Социалистическая Советская Республика, Kazakskaya Avtonomnaya Socialisticheskaya Sovetskaya Respublika;[a] Kazakh: Қазақ Автономиялық Социалистік Советтік Республикасы, Qazaq Avtonomïyalıq Sotsialïstik Sovettik Respuwblïkası, قازاق اۆتونومئيالىق سوتسىالئستىك سوۆەتتىك زەسپۋبلئكاسى;[b] Kazakh Uniform Turkic Alphabet: Qazaq Aptonom Sotsijalistik Sovettik Respuʙlikasь[c]) was an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) existing from 1925 until 1936.
The Kazakh ASSR was originally created as the Kirghiz ASSR (not to be confused with Kirghiz ASSR of 1926–1936, a Central Asian territory which is now the independent state of Kyrgyzstan) on 26 August 1920, and was a part of the RSFSR.
The Kazak ASSR that succeeded the recently expanded Kirghiz ASSR included all of the territory making up the present-day Republic of Kazakhstan plus parts of Uzbekistan (the Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast), Turkmenistan (the north shore of Kara-Bogaz-Gol) and Russia (parts of what would become Orenburg Oblast). These territories were transferred from the Kazak ASSR over the following decade.
The administrative subdivisions of the ASSR changed several times in its history. In 1928 the guberniyas, administrative districts inherited from the Kirghiz ASSR were eliminated and replaced with 13 okrugs and raions. In 1932, the republic was divided into six new larger oblasts. These included:
- Aktyubinsk Oblast (capital: Aktyubinsk);
- Alma-Ata (capital: Alma-Ata);
- East Kazak Oblast (capital: Semipalatinsk);
- Karaganda Oblast (capital: Petropavlovsk);
- South Kazak Oblast (capital: Chimkent);
- West Kazak Oblast (capital: Uralsk).
On 31 January 1935, yet another territorial division was implemented which included the six oblasts listed above plus a new Karkaralinsk okrug.