Support HistoryMaps

Settings

Dark Mode

Voice Narration

3D Map

MapStyle
HistoryMaps Last Updated: 02/01/2025

© 2025 HM


AI History Chatbot

Ask Herodotus

Play Audio

Instructions: How it Works


Enter your Question / Request and hit enter or click the submit button. You can ask or request in any language. Here are some examples:


  • Quiz me on the American Revolution.
  • Suggest some books on the Ottoman Empire.
  • What were the causes of the Thirty Year's War?
  • Tell me something interesting about the Han Dynasty.
  • Give me the phases of the Hundred Years’ War.
herodotus-image

Do you have a question about History?


ask herodotus

History of Turkmenistan

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

© Anonymous

History of Turkmenistan

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

1924 Oct 27 - 1991 Oct 27
Turkmenistan
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic © Anonymous

On October 27, 1924, the Turkestan ASSR was dissolved, and Turkmenistan was restructured as the Turkmen SSR, a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. This reorganization marked the formation of Turkmenistan's modern borders. The new government briefly renamed the capital, Ashgabat, to Poltoratsk in honor of a local revolutionary, though the original name was reinstated in 1927. In February 1925, the Communist Party of Turkmenistan held its first congress in the city, symbolizing the integration of Turkmenistan into the Soviet political framework.


Under Soviet rule, Ashgabat experienced significant industrialization and urban growth. However, this progress was severely interrupted by the devastating earthquake of October 1948. Measuring a surface wave magnitude of 7.3, the quake caused catastrophic damage, with estimates of casualties ranging from 10,000 to 110,000, and some local reports suggesting that two-thirds of the city’s population of 176,000 perished.


The 1950s brought major infrastructure developments, most notably the construction of the 1,375-kilometer-long Qaraqum Canal. Drawing water from the Amu Darya River, the canal transformed large swaths of arid land into fields suitable for cotton cultivation, solidifying Turkmenistan’s role in Soviet agricultural production. However, the project came at a steep ecological cost, significantly reducing the flow of water to the Aral Sea and contributing to one of the worst environmental disasters of the 20th century.


Despite its abundant oil and gas reserves, including the discovery of the massive Dawletabad gas field in the 1960s, Turkmenistan remained one of the less economically developed Soviet republics. Its economy was primarily agrarian, dominated by cotton production and the export of raw materials. This reliance on a narrow economic base left the region underdeveloped in comparison to other parts of the Soviet Union, even as its natural resource wealth underscored its strategic importance.

Page Last Updated: 12/30/2024

Support HistoryMaps

There are several ways to support the HistoryMaps Project.

Shop Now
Donate
Say Thanks