THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES

ETHNIC & NATIONAL GROUPS OF THE SOVIET UNION  Slavic Peoples: Russians Ukrainians Belorussians Poles Bulgarians

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES ETHNIC & NATIONAL GROUPS OF THE SOVIET UNION  groups Chechens, Dagestanis Ingush, Karabadians Adygeys, Cherkess Abazins, Abkhazi, Avars Georgians Armenians Azerbaijiani Kurds

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES ETHNIC & NATIONAL GROUPS OF THE SOVIET UNION  Turkic & Central Asian Peoples: Tatars Kazakhs Kyrghyz Uzbeks Turkmen Bashkirs Chuvash Tajiks Kalmyks Many smaller groups

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES ETHNIC & NATIONAL GROUPS OF THE SOVIET UNION  Arctic & Far Eastern Peoples: Evenki & Evens (Tungus) Dolgan, Khan, Yukagir, Ket Chukchis, Nenets Buryat, Sakha (Yakuts) Dungan (Sino-Tibetan) Total 26 groups

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES ETHNIC & NATIONAL GROUPS OF THE SOVIET UNION  Baltic & Finno-Urgic Peoples: Lithuanians Latvians Karelians Estonians Finns Saami, Mari, Khanti Komi, Udmurts, Mansi Mordvians

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES ETHNIC & NATIONAL GROUPS OF THE SOVIET UNION Other European Peoples: Germans Jews Gypsies Moldovans Romanians

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES SOVIET NATIONALITIES POLICY  Status of National Groups in USSR  Only 15 had Union Republic Status  22 were Autonomous Republics  18 were territorial enclaves (Autonomous Oblasts & Autonomous Okrugs)

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES SOVIET NATIONALITIES POLICY  Marxist origins  Marxism = “internationalist movement”  Nationality not important, but class  Leninist Nationalities Policy  One of goals of socialism = integration of humanity  But recognized utility as support for socialism against repression

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES SOVIET NATIONALITIES POLICY  Policies of New Soviet state  Lenin now advocated federalism  1918: Guaranteed right to national self-determination  “Declaration of Rights of the Peoples of Russia”  “Appeal to all Laboring Muslims”

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES SOVIET NATIONALITIES POLICY  Policies of New Soviet state  First Constitution, 1918, created federated system  Treaty of Union, 1922 Divided functions between central & republic govt.  New Constitution, 1924: granted more political representation

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES SOVIET NATIONALITIES POLICY  Stalin’s Nationalities Policies  Central control over nationalities  Stalin Constitution, 1936, granted rights on paper  But Stalin’s actions actually limited national autonomy  Sblizhenie: drawing nationalities closer together – but under Russian domination USSR – Socialist Fatherland of Laborers of All Nations

THE SOVIET NATIONALITIES SOVIET NATIONALITIES POLICY  Stalin’s Nationalities Policies  Entire nationalities targeted as enemies of state  Included deportations of entire groups  Exploited Russian nationalism (chauvinism)  Portrayed Soviet Union as heir to Russian Empire