Autonomous republics and oblasts of the Soviet Union
Administrative units within the Soviet Union
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An autonomous republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, styled Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR, Russian: автономная советская социалистическая республика, АССР, romanized: avtonomnaya sovetskaya sotsialisticheskaya respublika), was a type of administrative unit created for certain ethnic groups to be the titular nations of. The ASSRs had a status lower than the constituent union republics of the USSR, but higher than the autonomous oblasts and the autonomous okrugs.
The level of political, administrative and cultural autonomy ASSRs enjoyed within the USSR varied with time—it was most substantial in the 1920s (Korenizatsiya), in the 1950s after the death of Joseph Stalin, and in the Brezhnev Era (1964–82).[1] In the Russian SFSR, for example, the various chairmen of the governments of the ASSRs were officially members of the Government of the Russian SFSR.
Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union were administrative units created for a number of smaller nations, which were given autonomy within the fifteen republics of the USSR.
History
Art. 11 of the 1918 Constitution of the RSFSR stated that autonomous regional unions "distinguished by their distinctive way of life and ethnic composition" may be formed. With explicit reference to the article,[2] the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR passed a decree on October 19, 1918 to establish the Labour Commune of Volga Germans,[3] a precursor to the future autonomous republics and oblasts. The Karelian Labor Commune was later established in 1920. The labor commune as a type of administrative division did not receive further consolidation of legal status due to the transformation of both of them into ASSRs in 1923.
While the 1924 Constitution of the Soviet Union simply mentioned the existence of autonomous republics and oblasts, the 1925 Constitution of the RSFSR codified them as part of the power structure. The 1936 Constitution of the Soviet Union would follow suit while also listing all existing autonomous units in Art. 22 to 29. The 1977 Constitution of the Soviet Union renamed national okrugs to autonomous okrugs and defined them alongside the autonomous oblasts, albeit without listing each of them.
Unlike for the union republics, the Constitution did not spcify a right to disaffiliate from the Union for autonomous units. On April 3, 1990, a law was passed which stated that when a union republic was voting to leave the Soviet Union, autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts, and autonomous okrugs had the right, by means of a referendum, to independently resolve whether they would stay in the USSR or leave with the seceding union republic, as well as broader rights to raise the issue of their state-legal status.[4] On April 26, 1990, a law was passed where autonomous republics were considered "constituent entities of the federation, the USSR". [5]
Russian SFSR
The 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR recognized sixteen autonomous republics and five autonomous oblasts within the RSFSR. The autonomous oblasts were subordinated to the krais; this clause was removed in the December 15, 1990, revision, when it was specified that the autonomous oblasts were to be directly subordinated to the Russian SFSR.
As most autonomous republics and oblasts declared self-promotion to Soviet Socialist Republics during the parade of sovereignties, Art. 71 and 72 of the constitution were amended on May 24, 1991 to recognize its autonomous republics as SSRs;[6][7] it was further amended on July 3 to promote four of its five autonomous oblasts to SSRs.[8][9] These divisions then became republics of Russia while the Jewish Autonomous Oblast retained its status in Russia.
Autonomous republics in 1978
Most autonomous republics existed as autonomous oblasts before promotion.
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Autonomous oblasts in 1978
| Name | Capital | Established | Krai | Post-Soviet federal subjects of Russia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe Autonomous Oblast | Maykop | 1922[i] | Krasnodar Krai |  Adygea |
| Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast | Gorno-Altaysk | 1922[j] | Altai Krai |  Altai |
| Jewish Autonomous Oblast | Birobidzhan | 1934 | Khabarovsk Krai |  Jewish Autonomous Oblast |
| Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast | Cherkessk | 1922[k] | Stavropol Krai |  Karachay-Cherkessia |
| Khakas Autonomous Oblast | Abakan | 1930 | Krasnoyarsk Krai |  Khakassia |
Early divisions
Other autonomous republics also existed within the RSFSR at earlier points of the Soviet history:
| Predecessor name | Predecessor established | Emblem | Autonomous republic name | Flag | Capital | Titular nationality | Autonomous republic established | Dissolved | Area (km2) | Soviet successors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/a |  |
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | _copy.svg) |
Simferopol | Crimean Tatars | 1921 | 1945 | 26,860 | Crimean Oblast | |
| N/a | Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | .svg) |
Vladikavkaz | Balkars, Chechens, Ingush, Kabardians, Karachays, Ossetians, Terek Cossacks | 1921 | 1924 | 74,000 | Karachay-Cherkess AO Kabardino-Balkarian AO Chechen AO North Ossetian AO Ingush AO | ||
| Turkestan Soviet Federative Republic | 1918 |  |
Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |  |
Tashkent | Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Turkmens | 1920 | 1924 |  Uzbek SSR Turkmen SSRTajik ASSR Kara-Kirghiz AO Karakalpak AO | |
| Labour Commune of Volga Germans | 1918 |  |
Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |  |
Engels[l] | Soviet Germans | 1923 | 1941 | 27,400 | Saratov Oblast Stalingrad Oblast |
These autonomous oblasts existed at earlier points of the Soviet history before they were merged:
| Name | Capital | Years of membership | Soviet successor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Oblast | Chita | 1921–1923[m] | Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |
| Mongol-Buryat Autonomous Oblast | Irkutsk | 1922–1923 | |
| Chechen Autonomous Oblast | Grozny | 1922–1934 | Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Oblast |
| Ingush Autonomous Oblast | Vladikavkaz | 1924–1934 | |
| Cherkess Autonomous Oblast | Cherkessk | 1928–1957[n] | Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast |
| Karachay Autonomous Oblast | Karachayevsk | 1926–1943 |
Ukrainian SSR
Crimea Oblast was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR jurisdiction on 19 February 1954 and promoted to the ASSR status following a referendum held on January 20, 1991 (now the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Republic of Crimea, territory disputed between Ukraine and the Russian Federation).
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of membership |
Capital | Titular nationality | Area (km2) | Post-Soviet successors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
,_Emblem_of_Ukraine_(1991–1992).svg) |
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | .svg) |
1991 | Simferopol | Crimean Tatars | 26,860 |  Autonomous Republic of Crimea |
Moldavian Autonomous Oblast was established in 1924 under Ukrainian SSR and became an autonomous republic (Moldavian ASSR) only months after its formation, a union republic (Moldavian SSR) in 1940, and now the independent Moldova. However, de facto, almost all areas of the original oblast are controlled either by Ukraine or by Transnistria.
South Caucasus
One autonomous republic and both of the two autonomous oblasts in the South Caucasus region became self-declared break-away states during the dissolution of the Soviet Union:
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Capital | Official languages | Established | Independence | Area (km2) | Soviet Socialist Republic | Post-Soviet subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) |
Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |  |
Sukhumi | Abkhazian, Georgian, Russian | 1931[o] | 1992 | 8,600 |  Georgian SSR |
 Abkhazia |
 |
Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |  |
Batumi | Georgian, Russian | 1921 | - | 2,880 |  Adjara(  Georgia) | |
| - | Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast | - | Stepanakert | 1923 | 1991 |  Azerbaijan SSR |
 Artsakh | ||
 |
Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |  |
Nakhichevan | Azerbaijani, Russian | 1921 | 1990 | 5,500 |  Nakhchivan( Azerbaijan) | |
| - | South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast | - | Tskhinvali | 1922 | 1990 | Georgian SSR |
 South Ossetia |
Central Asia
| Autonomous oblast name | Emblem | Autonomous republic name | Flag | Capital | Official languages | Autonomous oblast established | Autonomous republic established | Area (km2) | Soviet Socialist Republic | Post-Soviet subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast |  |
Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |  |
Nukus | Karakalpak (1956-1980s), Russian | 1925 | 1932 | 165,000 | Kazakh ASSR (1925-1930) Russian SFSR (1930-1936) Uzbek SSR (1936-1991) |
 Karakalpakstan(  Uzbekistan) |
| Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast | N/a | Khorog | 1925 | N/a |  Tajik SSR |
Gorno-Badakhshan (  Tajikistan) | ||||
Divisions promoted to union republics
Some divisions existed at earlier points of the Soviet history were promoted into full union republics of the Soviet Union.
| Autonomous oblast name | Autonomous oblast established | Emblem | Autonomous republic name | Flag | Capital | Titular nationality | Autonomous republic established | Union Republics status | Population | Area (km2) | Soviet Socialist Republic | Soviet successor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/a | .svg) |
Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic | .svg) |
Alma-Ata | Kazakhs | 1920[p] | 1936 | 6,503,000 (1926) |
2,960,000 | Russian SFSR |
 Kazakh SSR | |
| Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast | 1924[q] | Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic | .svg) |
Frunze | Kyrgyz | 1926 | 1936 | 993,000 (1926) |
196,129 |  Kirghiz SSR | ||
| Moldavian Autonomous Oblast | 1924 | .png) |
Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | .svg) |
Tiraspol | Moldovans | 1924 | 1940 | 599,150 (1939) |
8,288 |  Ukrainian SSR |
 Moldavian SSR |
| N/a |  |
Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | .svg) |
Dushanbe | Tajiks | 1924 | 1929 | 740,000 (1924) |
Uzbek SSR |
Tajik SSR | ||
Karelian ASSR was promoted to the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic in 1940 but demoted back in 1956.
See also
Notes
- 1923–1958: Buryat-Mongol ASSR
- Dissolved in 1944.
- 1921–1922: Kabardin Autonomous Oblast
- 1944-1957: Kabardin ASSR
- Dissolved in 1943.
- Promoted to a union republic as Karelo-Finnish SSR from 1940 to 1956.
- 1920–1932: Votyak Autonomous Oblast
- 1922-1928: Adyghe (Cherkess) AO
- 1922-1948: Oyrot AO
- Split in 1926 and reestablished in 1957.
- Under Far Eastern Republic before 1923.
- 1926–1928: Cherkess National Okrug
- 1921-1931: SSR Abkhazia
- 1920-1925: Kirghiz ASSR
- 1924–1925:Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast