Özet:

Central Asia is a strategically important region due to its geopolitical and geoeconomic factors. Throughout history, many great powers have competed to dominate the region. In the 19th century, Central Asia was the center of the Great Game rivalry between England and Tsarist Russia. In the 20th century, it was the center of the Cold War rivalry between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States. Central Asia is known as the heart of Eurasia due to its historical significance. The region was under the protection of Tsarist Russia until 1917. After the Bolshevik Revolution led by Lenin, Tsarist Russia was dismantled and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was established. During the initial period, Bolshevik leaders pursued libertarian policies by delivering anti-imperialist speeches to attract the Central Asian region into their sphere of influence. However, there was a shift in policy direction during the process, and Russification policies were implemented to create the ideal type of homo sovieticus (Soviet man) in the region. These policies involved interventions in the religious, linguistic, and economic domains of the Central Asian states. The 'divide-divide-rule' logic brought ethnic motifs to the forefront among the Central Asian states and aimed to promote Russian culture in the region. The main focus of this study is to examine the Soviet Union's Central Asia policy. The policies will be discussed in three areas: language, religion, and economics. Although this study focuses on Central Asia and uses the literature review method, it also includes a case study on the impact of the Soviet Union in the region and its results. The main objective of the study is to analyze the Russian influences on the language, religion, and economy of Central Asia during the Soviet Union period. It was concluded from this study that the ultimate goal of the Soviet Union in its Central Asia policy was to create a homo sovieticus.

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