Latest / The Story of Uzbekistan: Silk Road Kingdoms and Soviet Legacy — Fexingo History
The Cotton Crusade: How Uzbekistan Became a Soviet Cotton Colony
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic transformation of Central Asia under Soviet rule, focusing on Uzbekistan's forced shift to monoculture cotton farming. They trace the story from the 1920s land reforms through the construction of the Ferghana Canal and the vast irrigation networks that turned the Hungry Steppe into farmland. Lucas explains how Moscow's cotton quota system—dubbed the 'white gold' plan—led to environmental catastrophe, including the shrinking of the Aral Sea and widespread soil salinization. They discuss the role of collectivization, the…
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