Parade of sovereignties

Declarations of sovereignty by Soviet republics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The parade of sovereignties (Russian: Парад суверенитетов, romanized: Parad suverenitetov) was a series of declarations of sovereignty of various degrees by the republics of the Soviet Union and autonomous units within the republics (autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and autonomous okrugs) from 1988 to 1991.[1] The declarations stated the priority of the constituent republic power in its territory over the central power, which led to the War of Laws between the center and the republics. The process followed the loosened power grip of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as a result of demokratizatsiya and perestroika policies under Mikhail Gorbachev. Despite the efforts of Gorbachev to preserve the union under a new treaty in the form of the Union of Sovereign States, many constituents soon declared their full independence. The process resulted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[2]

The massive secessionist event has served as a testbench for various theories of secession.[3][4]

Union Republics

The first top-level Soviet republic to declare state sovereignty was the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic on 16 November 1988. The other 14 Soviet republics would adopt similar declarations of state sovereignty within two years and one month of that, with the approval of Gorbachev’s government in Moscow. However, it would be the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic that was the first to declare its full independence on 11 March 1990, after candidates endorsed by the opposition movement Sąjūdis had won an absolute majority of seats in the Supreme Soviet of Lithuania in the parliamentary elections of 24 February 1990. This went further than Gorbachev’s government had intended, and Moscow imposed an economic blockade on Lithuania to pressure it into revoking its declaration of independence.[5]

The independence of the Baltic republics was recognized by the State Council of the USSR on September 6, 1991.[6] The rest of the republics continued to formally remain part of the USSR until the adoption by the Council of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of a declaration on the termination of its existence on December 26, 1991.

More information Union republic, Sovereignty proclaimed ...
Union republic Sovereignty proclaimed Renamed Independence proclaimed United Nations admission
 Estonian SSR 16 November 1988[7] since 8 May 1990:
Republic of Estonia[8]		 8 May 1990[8] 17 September 1991
 Lithuanian SSR 26 May 1989[9] since 11 March 1990:
Republic of Lithuania[10]		 11 March 1990
 Latvian SSR 28 July 1989[11][12] since 4 May 1990:
Republic of Latvia[13]		 4 May 1990
 Azerbaijan SSR 23 September 1989[14] since 5 February 1991:
Republic of Azerbaijan[15]		 18 October 1991[16] 2 March 1992
Georgian SSR 9 March 1990[17][18][19] since 14 November 1990:
Republic of Georgia[20]		 9 April 1991 31 July 1992
Russian SFSR 12 June 1990[21] since 25 December 1991:
Russian Federation[22]		 12 December 1991[a] 24 December 1991[b][23]
Uzbek SSR 20 June 1990[24] since 31 August 1991:
Republic of Uzbekistan[25]		 1 September 1991[25] 2 March 1992
 Moldavian SSR 23 June 1990[26] since 23 May 1991:
Republic of Moldova[27]		 27 August 1991
Ukrainian SSR 16 July 1990[28] since 24 August 1991:
Ukraine		 24 August 1991 24 October 1945[c]
Byelorussian SSR 27 July 1990[30] since 19 September 1991:
Republic of Belarus[31]		 25 August 1991 24 October 1945[d]
Turkmen SSR 22 August 1990[33] since 27 October 1991:
Turkmenistan[34]		 27 October 1991[34] 2 March 1992
Armenian SSR 23 August 1990 since 23 August 1990:
Republic of Armenia[10]		 21 September 1991
Tajik SSR 24 August 1990[35] since 31 August 1991:
Republic of Tajikistan[36][full citation needed]		 9 September 1991[37]
Kazakh SSR 25 October 1990[38] since 10 December 1991:
Republic of Kazakhstan[39]		 16 December 1991[40]
Kirghiz SSR 15 December 1990[41] since 5 February 1991:
Republic of Kyrgyzstan[42]		 31 August 1991[43]
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Autonomous units

Map of the types of the subdivisions as of 1983, with autonomous republics shown in orange, autonomous oblasts in blue, and autonomous okrugs in pink.

The first lower-level subdivision to declare independence was the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on January 19, 1990, predating that of Lithuania by weeks.[44]

Following the proposal of New Union Treaty by Gorbachev during the Communist Party Congress in July 1990, most of autonomous republics expressed the desire to be a party to the new treaty and declared sovereignty. The effort was ultimately futile due to the August Coup.

Russian SFSR

As most autonomous republics and oblasts self-declared promotion to Soviet Socialist Republics, Art. 71 and 72 of the Constitution of the RSFSR were amended on May 24, 1991 to recognize its autonomous republics as SSRs;[45][46] it was further amended on July 3 to promote all its autonomous oblasts other than the Jewish Autonomous Oblast to SSRs.[47][48]

All of them other than Tatarstan and the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic (Nokhchi-cho) in the defunct Checheno-Ingushetia agreed to sign the Treaty of Federation on 31 March 1992 and became republics of Russia.[49] The self-proclaimed Yamalo-Nenets Republic gave up the claim and resumed the status of an autonomous okrug.[50]

More information Autonomous unit, Sovereignty proclaimed ...
Autonomous unit Sovereignty proclaimed Reintegration Federal subjects of Russia
North Ossetian ASSR 20 July 1990[51] 31 March 1992 North Ossetia
Karelian ASSR 9 August 1990[52] Karelia
Komi ASSR 29 August 1990[53] Komi
Tatar ASSR 30 August 1990[54] 15 February 1994[55] Tatarstan
Udmurt ASSR 20 September 1990[56] 31 March 1992 Udmurtia
Yakut ASSR 27 September 1990[57] Sakha
Buryat ASSR 8 October 1990[58] Buryatia
Bashkir ASSR 11 October 1990 Bashkortostan
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug 16 October 1990[59] Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Kalmyk ASSR 18 October 1990[60] Kalmykia
Mari ASSR 22 October 1990[61] Mari El
Chuvash ASSR 24 October 1990[62] Chuvashia
Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast 25 October 1990[63] Altai
Checheno-Ingush ASSR 27 November 1990[64] 23 March 2003 Chechnya
10 December 1992 Ingushetia
Tuvan ASSR 12 December 1990[65] 31 March 1992 Tuva
Kabardino-Balkarian ASSR 30 January 1991[66] Kabardino-Balkaria
Adyghe Autonomous Oblast[e] 28 June 1991[68] Adygea
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While the Mordovian ASSR and Dagestan ASSR self-declared promotion to SSRs on 7 December 1990[69] and 13 May 1991[70] respectively, they did not proclaim state sovereignty.

On August 15, 1990, the Khakas Autonomous Oblast adopted a resolution to transform the region into an ASSR and submitted a corresponding petition to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.[71][72]

On November 30, 1990, the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast self-declared promotion to an SSR. From 1990 to 1991, there were attempts to split the region on an ethnic basis as the congresses of representatives of local nationalities proclaimed the Karachay Republic, the Republic of Cherkessia, the Abazin Republic, and the Upper Kuban Cossack Republic. In March 1992, a referendum was held in which the majority of the population spoke out against the division. Karachay-Cherkessia signed the Treaty of Federation on 31 March 1992.[73][74]

Other republics

All autonomous units outside the Russian SFSR other than Adjarian ASSR declared sovereignty at some point. While some were reintegrated into the post-Soviet republic they were in peacefully relatively soon after, most in the South Caucasus region turned into long-time breakaways states.

More information Autonomous unit, Republic ...
Autonomous unit Republic Sovereignty proclaimed Reintegration Post-Soviet entities
Nakhichevan ASSR Azerbaijan SSR 19 January 1990[f][44] 17 November 1990[75][76] Nakhchivan ( Azerbaijan)
Abkhaz ASSR Georgian SSR 25 August 1990[77] - Abkhazia
South Ossetian AO 20 September 1990[78] South Ossetia
Karakalpak ASSR Uzbek SSR 14 December 1990[79] 9 January 1993[79] Karakalpakstan ( Uzbekistan)
Nagorno-Karabakh AO Azerbaijan SSR 2 September 1991[80] 1 January 2024 Nagorno-Karabakh until 2024
Crimean ASSR Ukrainian SSR 4 September 1991[g][81] 30 June 1992[81] Crimea ( Ukraine)
Gorno-Badakhshan AO Tajik SSR 10 April 1992[h][82] 27 June 1997 Gorno-Badakhshan ( Tajikistan)
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Other entities

Some regions inside Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic proclaimed republics within the Soviet Union that were not recognized. They declared independence from the Moldavian SSR and became de facto independent states upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

More information Entity, Proclaimed ...
Entity Proclaimed Sovereignty proclaimed Reintegration Post-Soviet entities
Gagauz Republic 12 November 1989[i][83] - 14 January 1995[84] Gagauzia ( Moldova)
Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR 2 September 1990[85] 8 December 1990[86] - Transnistria
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Notes

  1. [a]
    Implicit.
  2. [b]
    As the successor to the Soviet Union itself.
  3. [c]
    Name change on 24 August 1991.[29]
  4. [d]
    Name change on 19 September 1991.[32]
  5. [e]
    Self-proclaimed Adyghe SSR since 5 October 1990.[67]
  6. [f]
    Independence from the Soviet Union.
  7. [g]
    As a part of Ukraine, which had declared independence from the Soviet Union.
  8. [h]
    As Autonomous Republic of Badakhshan within Tajikistan after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
  9. [i]
    Gagauz ASSR before 19 August 1990.

References

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