There is much written about the history of Central Asia – especially concerning the Great Silk Road, the network of trade routes which traversed the mountains and steppes between the mysterious Oriental Chinese Empire and Europe.  The Silk Road, however, began to fade in importance as sea routes between these two great centers of civilization developed.
There are other epochs of history which also have had a considerable impact upon the peoples and nations of Central Asia.  The Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan swept across the region – sweeping away all opposition in their campaign westwards installing the pax Mongolia.  It was from the Ferghana valley that one of India’s greatest dynasties, the Mughal dynasty, emerged.  Central Asia had a vital strategic role in the Great Game between two of the greatest empires of the nineteenth century – the British and Russian empires. 
 
A more recent historical epoch which has had a profound influence on modern Central Asia is the seventy years of the Soviet Union.
It was never a foregone conclusion that all the various parts of the former Tsarist Empire would be assumed into the new fledgling Soviet state and in the early years the Red Army had to conduct a considerable campaign to subdue many of bands that roamed the mountains of this far flung corner of the new country.  Stalin employed a number of techniques to assimilate and mold the peoples into a new multi-national society – including the re-settlement of whole populations; redrawing borders, creating new republics and (something for which he is probably best remembered) various forms of repression and compulsion (such as collectivization).
Despite negative aspects of the Soviet period, it was also accompanied, however, by a number of advantages.
For example, many of the Kyrgyz still feel a gratitude to the Bolshevik Revolution which saved them from facing the same fate as many of the tribes of the American West.  The events of 1916 had shown how ruthlessly the Tsarist forces dealt with dissent and rebellion.  
Perhaps, more importantly, the new power brought improvements in many social spheres such as: employment, health care and education.  
There are still many signs and symbols of this period of Soviet – or as some still occasional refer to it in comparison to their recently gained Independence, “in former times”.

Perhaps the most obvious are the magnificent public monuments and War Memorials – some, like Victory Square in Bishkek, are grandiose in scale and symbolism, whereas others are more sedate and subdued.  Some are traditional in style, whilst others represent original and interesting architectural design.
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels (the architects of Communism) and Vladimir Illych Lenin, (the architect of the Soviet Union) may never have actually visited Kyrgyzstan, but they have had a great effect on the development of the country – and this is also recognized in public memorials.  Sometimes the portraits of the three can be seen adorning buildings.  In a Bishkek park there is a statue of Marx and English sitting on a bench, deep in conversation, perhaps debating some obtuse point of dialectical materialism. 

Images of Lenin can be found in many places.  Whilst the statues of Lenin disappeared from the main squares in most capital cities of the former Soviet Union following the events of August 1991, in Bishkek, things were different.  Lenin’s statue, (depicting him in full flow delivering a speech exhorting the masses), stood in the central Ala Too Square of the capital for more than a decade following the demise of the Soviet Union.  When it was finally removed to make way for the statue of Erkindik, (the “Kyrgyz Statue of Liberty” – Erkindik means “Freedom” in Kyrgyz) the Statue was not disposed of but relocated to the nearby “Old Square”.
Lenin’s profile, portrait, bust or statue can still be found in prominent positions in many other places such as Osh, Djalal Abad and Naryn, and the main street in several towns still bear the name Ulitsa Lenina.   
There are many other monuments to personalities of the “former times”.  Even the statue of Dzerzhinsky – founder of the forerunner of the KGB – was relocated rather than disposed of.
 
Museums throughout the country have displays that reflect this period, from the small museum in Manas Airport, regional museums such as in Kochkor and Naryn, specialist museums such as the Frunze Museum in Bishkek (dedicated to the “local boy made good” – the doctor’s son who became a general in the revolutionary Red Army, leading the fight against the “Whites” in the civil war), but especially in the fine displays of the Historical Museum in Bishkek’s central square. 
Much of the Soviet influence is represented in different styles of architecture – from the grand designs of the Stalinist era such as the Opera and Ballet Theater in Bishkek, (in particular its magnificent gilding and painted ceiling) to the stylized rectangular apartment blocks found throughout the country, to the marble edifices built in the 1960’s, such as: The Russian and Kyrgyz Drama Theaters, Government House (the “White” House) and the Historical Museum.
Kyrgyzstan has been for important agricultural center with an emphasis on livestock production (especially sheep and horses).  The collectivization of the mid-twentieth century led to large collective farms with names such as “Red October” and “Komsomol” and although many of these still operate, much of the land is now turned over to small farmers.  One of the most important aspects of collectivization was that the once nomadic Kyrgyz became a settled people, living in towns and villages.  Nowadays, those towns and villages are growing in size – but many Kyrgyz still migrate into the mountains to tend their livestock in the freedom of the jailoo (high mountain pastures) for at least part of the year.
During the Second World War there was a huge migration of peoples and industry eastwards, away from the advancing armies of the Third Reich.  This led to the establishment of factories and new industries, many of which still provide work.  Perhaps, however, one aspect of this period was that it led to the representation of a wide variety of nationalities in the population of Kyrgyzstan.
Although much of the Soviet Heritage of Kyrgyzstan can be seen in the physical incarnations of monuments and buildings, the infrastructure (roads, rail, air – the hydroelectric dams along the Naryn River and so forth), there are more intangible aspects of the influence of this historical period in the development of this young country: the ethnic mix of the population; education and the intellectual life of the people; the catholic tastes of interest in music and the arts and so forth, and there are several examples of the Soviet heritage that are intangible.
One such example is the affinity with the colour red.  The Soviet Union is often associated in the Western mind with the colour red.  The flag was red bearing the crossed symbols of a hammer and sickle, representing industry and agriculture.  Red is a colour which has long symbolized courage and the blood of the revolutionaries.  Red was the colour associated with communism – and was featured everywhere, from Red Square, to the Red Army and collective farms with names like Red October.  Even the bridge in Boom Gorge on the road to Lake Issyk Kul was known as the Red Bridge (Krasniy Most).  Many examples of this affinity with the colour red remain and are still evident in contemporary Kyrgyzstan.  The modern Kyrgyz flag is also a crimson colour.  Krasniy Most has not changed its name.  Indeed the Kyrgyz have a strong affinity with the colour red – one source suggests that it is the favourite colour of the Kyrgyz – and it was the colour of the standard of the legendary hero, Manas.  
Another example is a strong inhherent sense of pride.  Collective farms and factories were recognized for their achievements and, for example, workers felt a great pride to be mebers of a “Millionaire Farm”.  The Soviet system encouraged this sense of pride by means of Gramota (Certicates of Honour) and honourific titles (such as “Respected Artist of the Soviet Union” or “Hero of the Socialist Labour”).  Both are still in use today in contemporary Kyrgyzstan.  The modern-day Kyrgyz is a proud man: proud of his country (which, according to one legend was destined to be God’s own dacha), proud of his history and proud of his culture. 

Maybe, he has a point.