Part of the great Mongol empire, present-day Uzbekistan was incorporated into the Russian Empire between 1865 and 1876. Russification of the area was superficial, and it was not until Soviet rule that significant Slav immigration occurred. A further influx of Slavs into Uzbekistan occurred during Stalin's program of forced collectivization.
* 1923û1941 Language changed four times, from Arabic alphabet to Latin, then based on Iranized Tashkent, and finally replaced by Cyrillic.
* 1924 Basmachi rebels who resisted Soviet rule crushed. Uzbek SSR founded (which, until 1929, included the Tajik ASSR).
* 1925 Repressive campaign against Islamic religion. All Muslim schools and mosques forced to close. Retains autonomous status.
* 1936 Karakalpak ASSR (formerly part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) incorporated into the Uzbek SSR.
* 1937 Akmal Ikramov, first secretary of the Uzbek Communist Party (CPUZ), and Prime Minister Faizulla Khodzhaev, purged by Stalin.
* 1941û1945 Industry and Slavs evacuated to Uzbekistan from war zone in eastern USSR during World War II. Leads to considerable economic growth.
* 1959 Sharaf Rashidov becomes first secretary of CPUZ. Retains position until 1983.
* 1983 Yuri Andropov becomes President in Moscow. Begins campaign to root out corruption in government. CPUZ specially targeted. Massive corruption scandal uncovered in cotton procurement industry. The USSR's largest anti-corruption purge results in the replacement of 40 out of 65 party secretaries. In effect, an entirely new generation of Central Asian officials installed. Uzbekistan's managerial elite now the youngest in the USSR.
* 1989 First non-communist political movement, Unity Party ("Birlik"), formed but not officially registered. June: clashes between Meskhetian Turks and indigenous Uzbek population of Fergana Valley in eastern Uzbekistan; more than 100 dead. October: Birlik campaign leads to Uzbek being declared the official language.
* 1990 March: Islam Karimov becomes executive president of the new Uzbek Supreme Soviet. Sovereignty declared. Further interethnic fighting in Fergana Valley. 320 killed.
* 1991 31 August: independence proclaimed. September: Republic of Uzbekistan adopted as official name. October: Uzbekistan signs treaty establishing economic community with seven other former Soviet republics. November: Communist Party of Uzbekistan restructured as the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (PDPU). Karimov remains its leader. December: Karimov confirmed in post of president with 86% of total votes. Uzbekistan joins the CIS.
* 1992 Price liberalization provokes student riots in Tashkent. New post-Soviet constitution adopted along Western democratic lines. All religious parties banned. September: Uzbekistan sends troops to Tajikistan to suppress violence and strengthens border controls.
