Bashkiria opens with a scenic excursion into history showing the imperial colonization and exploitation of "ordinary people" by kulaks (rich landowners), priests and officials. In contrast to the "horrors of the past", examples from the present describe Soviet achievements and the "dawn" of the republics. Anostchenko resorts to the official scheme of history as the linear development from the dark past to the bright present, combining written scenes and documentaries.
