As the war came closer to conclusion, Soviet leaders thought that the Russians
had contributed the most to the victory, and the state ideology became
increasingly Russo-centric. The authors of the History of Kazakh SSR were harshly
criticized for praising anti-Russian heroes of the past.50 Tatar historians and
specialists of literature were especially hard hit by a campaign begun in 1944
against the embellishment of the Golden Horde and popularization of the epic
about Idegei, a hero of the Golden Horde who had besieged Moscow. The
compilation of the Outlines of the History of Tatar ASSR was delayed, apparently
because the editors did not know how or by whom the chapters should be
written under the new conditions. The prepared text of the Outlines of the History
of Bashkiria was also criticized for idealizing the ìfeudal pastî and denying