THE POLICY OF COTTON MONOCULTURE: A REVIEW OF SELECTED 1986 ISSUES OF THE "QASHQADARYO HAQIQATI" NEWSPAPER

Abstract

This article analyzes the July and December 1986 issues of the "Qashqadaryo Haqiqati" newspaper (July 22; December 18, 20, and 30) as primary historical sources. The Soviet state's cotton monoculture policy constitutes a totalitarian agrarian policy that inflicted severe social, economic, and ecological consequences upon the republics of Central Asia — and upon Uzbekistan and its Qashqadaryo region in particular. The article systematically examines the crisis indicators in cotton farming reflected in the newspaper, including misuse of land, water shortages, forced labor practices, food insecurity, deterioration of social infrastructure, corruption, and the disintegration of families. Published against the backdrop of the emerging glasnost (openness) policy, these newspaper materials represent a rare critical voice in the Soviet press, confirming the tragic consequences of cotton monoculture through concrete figures and documented facts. The article is aimed at reinforcing the evidentiary foundation of the master's thesis through primary sources.