The article discusses the paradoxical policy of the Soviet government in the 80–90s of the twentieth century in relation to the creative intelligentsia. The author also pointed out that the problem of the threat of loss of national identity was acute at various meetings and congresses of the Kazakh creative intelligentsia before perestroika, during the thaw and stagnation. It is known that with the deepening crisis in society and the escalation of social and ethnic tension in 1986, an uprising of Kazakh students in Almaty followed. This December uprising, which shocked the world, proved that a new generation with a high level of national identity, measured by the honor of the people, came to the Kazakh land. The article also analyzes the views and actions of the young generation, especially the Kazakh youth studying in Moscow, who gave a worthy answer to the political system. And also the actions of Mukhtar Shakhanov did not go unnoticed.