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.
Unlike the union republics, the autonomous republics only had the right to disaffiliate themselves from the USSR when the union republic containing them did so; there was thus a right also to choose to remain a part of the USSR notwithstanding the departure of the seceding republic. According to the constitution of the USSR, where 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.[2]
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 numerous ASSRs declared sovereignty and 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;[3][4] it was further amended on July 3 to promote four of its five autonomous oblasts to SSRs.[5][6] These divisions then became republics of Russia while the Jewish Autonomous Oblast retained its autonomous oblast status in Russia.
Autonomous republics in 1978
Most autonomous republics existed as autonomous oblasts before promotion.
Autonomous oblasts in 1978
Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast self-declared to be an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on 25 October 1990, but it was not recognized as one by either the Russian SFSR or the Union.[7]
| Name | Capital | Established | Krai | Post-Soviet federal subjects of Russia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe Autonomous Oblast | Maykop | 1922 | Krasnodar Krai |  Adygea
|
| Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast | Gorno-Altaysk | 1922 | Altai Krai |  Altai
|
| Jewish Autonomous Oblast | Birobidzhan | 1934 | Khabarovsk Krai |  Jewish Autonomous Oblast
|
| Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast | Cherkessk | 1922[g] | 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:
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Capital | Titular nationality | Years of membership |
Population | Area (km2) | Soviet successors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | 
|
Simferopol | Crimean Tatars | 1921–1945 | 1,126,000 (1939) |
26,860 | Crimean Oblast |
| Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic |  |
Vladikavkaz | Balkars, Chechens, Ingush, Kabardians, Karachays, Ossetians, Terek Cossacks | 1921–1924 | 1,286,000 (1921) |
74,000 | Karachay-Cherkess AO Kabardino-Balkarian AO Chechen AO North Ossetian AO Ingush AO | |
|
Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | 
|
Tashkent | Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Turkmens | 1918–1924 | 5,221,963 (1920) |
 Uzbek SSR Turkmen SSRTajik ASSR Kara-Kirghiz AO Karakalpak AO | |
|
Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | 
|
Engels | Soviet Germans | 1923–1941 | 606,532 (1939) |
27,400 | Saratov Oblast Stalingrad Oblast |
These autonomous oblasts existed at earlier points of the Soviet history before they were either merged:
| Name | Capital | Years of membership | Soviet successor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chechen Autonomous Oblast | Grozny | 1922–1934 | Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Oblast |
| Ingush Autonomous Oblast | Vladikavkaz | 1924–1934 | |
| Cherkess Autonomous Oblast | Cherkessk | 1926–1957[h] | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | 
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | 
|
Sukhumi | Abkhazian, Georgian, Russian | 1931[i] | 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 | – | – | – | Khorog | 1925 | – |  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 | Emblem | Autonomous republic name | Flag | Capital | Titular nationality | Autonomous oblast established | Autonomous republic established | Union Republics status | Population | Area (km2) | Soviet Socialist Republic | Soviet successor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 
|
Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic | 
|
Alma-Ata | Kazakhs | – | 1920[j] | 1936 | 6,503,000 (1926) |
2,960,000 | Russian SFSR
|
 Kazakh SSR
|
| Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast | Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic | 
|
Frunze | Kyrgyz | 1924[k] | 1926 | 1936 | 993,000 (1926) |
196,129 |  Kirghiz SSR
| ||
| Moldavian Autonomous Oblast | 
|
Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | 
|
Tiraspol | Moldovans | 1924 | 1924 | 1940 | 599,150 (1939) |
8,288 |  Ukrainian SSR
|
 Moldavian SSR
|
| – | 
|
Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | 
|
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
- Emblems of the Autonomous Soviet Republics
- Autonomous okrugs of the Soviet Union
- National delimitation in the Soviet Union
- Republics of Russia
- Subdivisions of the Soviet Union
- Autonomous regions of China
Notes
- ^ 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 t0 1956.
- ^ 1920–1932:Votyak Autonomous Oblast
- ^ Split in 1926 and reestablished in 1957.
- ^ 1926–1928:Cherkess National Okrug
- ^ 1921-1931: SSR Abkhazia
- ^ 1920-1925: Kirghiz ASSR
- ^ 1924–1925:Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast
References
- ^ Cornell, Svante E., Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus – Case in Georgia Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine. Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Report No. 61. p. 89-90. University of Uppsala, ISBN 91-506-1600-5.
- ^ “СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК. ЗАКОН О порядке решения вопросов, связанных с выходом союзной республики из СССР” (in Russian). Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Закон РСФСР от 24 мая 1991 года «Об изменениях и дополнениях Конституции (Основного Закона) РСФСР»
- ^ Конституция РСФСР в редакции от 24 мая 1991 г.
- ^ Закон РСФСР от 3 июля 1991 г.”Об изменениях и дополнениях Конституции (Основного Закона) РСФСР в связи с преобразованием автономных областей в Советские Социалистические Республики в составе РСФСР”
- ^ Конституция РСФСР в редакции от 3 июля 1991 г.
- ^ “Russian S.F.S.R. Administrative Divisions”. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
