From 16th to 17th century, the Kazakh Khanate ruled and expanded its territories to eastern Cumania (modern-day West Kazakhstan), to most of Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan and the Syr Darya river with military confrontation as far as Astrakhan and Khorasan Province, which are now in Russia and Iran, respectively.
In the 1870s–80s, schools in Kazakhstan massively started to open, which developed elite, future Kazakh members of the Alash party.
In 1916, after conscription of Muslims into the military for service in the Eastern Front during World War I, Kazakhs and Kyrgyzs rose up against the Russian government, with uprisings until February 1917.
The state was proclaimed during the Second All-Kazakh Congress held at Orenburg from 5–13 December 1917 OS (18–26 NS), with a provisional government being established under the oversight of Alikhan Bukeikhanov.
In 1920, he fled the Russian Red Army for self-imposed exile in China, where he was recognised by the Chinese as Kazakhstan's legitimate ruler.