Second East Turkestan Republic

East Turkestan Republic
شەرقىي تۈركىستان جۇمھۇرىيىتى (Uyghur)
1944–1946
Territorial extent of the Second East Turkestan Republic (red), encompassing the three districts of Ili, Tarbagatay and Altay
StatusSatellite state of the Soviet Union
CapitalGhulja
Common languagesUyghur (official, 1944–1945)
Religion
Islam (majority; official, 1945–1946)
GovernmentUnitary republic under an interim government
President 
• 1944–1946
Elihan Tore
Vice President 
• 1944–1946
Hakim Beg Khoja
Independence 
Historical eraWorld War II · Cold War
• Start of the Ili Rebellion
7 November 1944
• Independence declared
12 November 1944
27 June 1946
Population
• 1944 estimate
705,168
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Xinjiang Province, Republic of China
Ili District Council
Today part ofChina
East Turkestan Republic
Uyghur name
Uyghurشەرقىي تۈركىستان جۇمھۇرىيىتى
Transcriptions
Latin YëziqiSherqiy Türkistan Jumhuriyiti
Siril YëziqiШәрқий Түркистан Җумхурийити
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese東突厥斯坦共和國
Simplified Chinese东突厥斯坦共和国
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDōng Tūjuésītǎn Gònghéguó
Wade–GilesTung1 Tʻu1-chüeh2-si1-tʻan3 Kung4-he2-kuo2
Russian name
RussianВосточно-Туркестанская Республика
RomanizationVostochno-Turkestanskaya Respublika
Kazakh name
KazakhШығыс Түркістан Республикасы
Uzbek name
UzbekSharqiy Turkiston Jumhuriyati

The East Turkestan Republic (ETR) was a breakaway state that existed from 1944 to 1946, encompassing the three northernmost districts of Xinjiang Province, Republic of China: Ili, Tarbagatay (Tacheng) and Altay. It is often called the Second East Turkestan Republic to differentiate it from the First East Turkestan Republic (1933–1934) established exactly a decade earlier.

The ETR emerged from the Ili Rebellion in November 1944 and was initially backed by the Soviet Union. Over half of the ETR's population was Kazakh, but its government was ethnically diverse with a slight Uyghur majority. Its president was Elihan Tore, an Uzbek, while its vice president was Hakim Beg Khoja, a Uyghur. The Soviets' wartime alliance with the Republic of China (ROC) led to the cessation of aid. In June 1946, following peace negotiations between the leaders of the ETR and representatives from the ROC, the Coalition Government of Xinjiang Province was established in Dihua (present-day Ürümqi) and the ETR government was reformed as the Ili District Council, although the region retained its political independence.