THE NATIONAL COMPOSITION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ADVOCATES IN UZBEKISTAN AND ITS CHANGES DURING 1941–1945 (BASED ON THE DOCUMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVE OF UZBEKISTAN)

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Abstract

This article examines the national composition of lawyers in Uzbekistan during the period of the Second World War, the changes that occurred within the legal profession during these years, and the policy pursued by the Soviet government in this sphere, on the basis of archival documents preserved in the National Archive of Uzbekistan. Particular attention is devoted to the transformation of the social and ethnic structure of the legal community under wartime conditions, including the effects of evacuation processes, mobilization to the front, staff shortages, and the increasing role of centrally directed Soviet administrative policies. The study also analyzes the activities of republican and local judicial institutions, the functioning of bar associations, and the recruitment and redistribution of legal personnel during the war years. In addition, the article explores the relationship between state ideology and the legal profession, revealing how political control and nationality policy influenced the composition and professional opportunities of lawyers in Uzbekistan. By drawing upon previously underutilized archival materials, the research highlights both the continuity and the changes in the Soviet legal system during wartime and demonstrates the broader socio-political processes that affected the legal sphere in Uzbekistan between 1941 and 1945.