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Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics
Type of administrative division of the Soviet Union
Type of administrative division of the Soviet Union
An Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR, ) was a type of administrative unit in the Soviet Union (USSR), 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.
In the Russian SFSR, for example, Chairmen of the Government of the ASSRs were officially members of the Government of the Russian SFSR. Unlike the union republics, the autonomous republics only had the right to disaffiliate themselves from the Union when the union republic containing them did so, as well as to choose to stay with the Union separately from them. The level of political, administrative and cultural autonomy they enjoyed varied with time—it was most substantial in the 1920s (Korenizatsiya), the 1950s after the death of Joseph Stalin, and in the Brezhnev Era.
According to the constitution of the USSR, in case of a union republic voting on leaving the Soviet Union, autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and autonomous okrugs had the right, by means of a referendum, to independently resolve whether they will stay in the USSR or leave with the seceding union republic, as well as to raise the issue of their state-legal status.
Azerbaijan SSR
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| membership | Capital | Official languages | Area (km2) | Post-Soviet subjects | ||||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Nakhichevan ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Nakhichevan ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1921–1990 | Nakhichevan | Azerbaijani, Russian | 5,500 | Nakhchivan |
Georgian SSR
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| membership | Capital | Official languages | Area (km2) | Post-Soviet subjects | ||||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Abkhaz ASSR (1978–1992).svg | 50px]] | Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Abkhaz ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1931–1992 | Sukhumi | Abkhazian, Georgian, Russian | 8,600 | Abkhazia |
| [[File:Emblem of the Adjar ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Adjarian ASSR.svg | 100px]] | 1921–1990 | Batumi | Georgian, Russian | 2,880 | Adjara |
Russian SFSR
The 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR recognized sixteen autonomous republics within the RSFSR:
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| membership | Capital | Official languages | Area (km2) | Post-Soviet republics of Russia | ||||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Bashkir ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Bashkir ASSR.svg | 100px]] | 1919–1992 | Ufa | Bashkir, Russian | 143,600 | Bashkortostan | |
| [[File:Emblem of the Buryat ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Buryat ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1923–1992 | Ulan-Ude | Buryat, Russian | 69,857 | Buryatia |
| [[File:Emblem of Checheno-Ingush ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Checheno-Ingush ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1936–1944 | ||||
| 1957–1993 | Grozny | Chechen, Ingush, Russian | 19,300 | Chechnya | ||||||
| Ingushetia | ||||||||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Chuvash ASSR.gif | 50px]] | Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR.svg | 100px]] | 1925–1992 | Cheboksary | Chuvash, Russian | 18,300 | Chuvashia | |
| [[File:Emblem of the Dagestan ASSR (1978-1991).svg | 50px]] | Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Dagestan ASSR.svg | 100px]] | 1921–1992 | Makhachkala | Aghul, Avar, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Kumyk, Lezgian, Lak, Nogai, Tabasaran, Tat, Russian | 50,300 | Dagestan | |
| [[File:Emblem of the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR (1957–1978).jpg | 50px]] | Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1936–1992 | Nalchik | Kabardian, Karachay-Balkar, Russian | 12,500 | Kabardino-Balkaria |
| [[File:Coat of arms of Kalmyk ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Kalmyk ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1935–1943 | ||||
| 1958–1992 | Elista | Kalmyk Oirat, Russian | 76,100 | Kalmykia | ||||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Karelian ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Karelian ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1923–1940 | ||||
| 1956–1991 | Petrozavodsk | Finnish (1956-1980s), Russian | 147,000 | Karelia | ||||||
| [[File:Coat of arms of Komi ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Komi ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1936–1992 | Syktyvkar | Komi, Russian | 415,900 | Komi Republic |
| [[File:Coat of arms of Mari ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Mari ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | Yoshkar-Ola | Mari (Meadow and Hill variants), Russian | 23,200 | Mari El | |
| [[File:Emblem of the Mordovian ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Mordovian ASSR.svg | 100px]] | 1934–1993 | Saransk | Erzya, Moksha, Russian | 26,200 | Mordovia | |
| [[File:Coat of arms of North Ossetian ASSR.svg | 50px]] | North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the North Ossetian ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1936–1993 | Ordzhonikidze | Ossetian, Russian | 8,000 | North Ossetia |
| [[File:Coat of arms of Tatarstan ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Tatar ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1920–1992 | Kazan | Tatar, Russian | 68,000 | Tatarstan |
| [[File:Emblem of the Tuvan ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Tuvan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Tuvan ASSR (1978-1992).svg | border | 100px]] | 1961–1992 | Kyzyl | Tuvan, Russian | 170,500 | Tuva |
| [[File:Emblem of Udmurt ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Udmurt ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1934–1992 | Izhevsk | Udmurt, Russian | 42,100 | Udmurtia |
| [[File:Emblem of the Yakut ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Yakut ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1922–1992 | Yakutsk | Yakut, Russian | 3,083,523 | Sakha Republic |
Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast (now Altai Republic), Adyghe Autonomous Oblast (now Republic of Adygea), Karachay–Cherkess Autonomous Oblast (now Karachay–Cherkess Republic) and Khakassian Autonomous Oblast (now Republic of Khakassia) were all promoted in status to that of an ASSR in 1991, in the last year of the Soviet Union. Only the Jewish Autonomous Oblast retained its autonomous oblast status in Russia.
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 | ||||||
| [[File:Coat of arms of Crimean ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Crimean ASSR (1939) copy.svg | 100px]] | Simferopol | Crimean Tatars | 1921–1945 | 1,126,000 | |
| (1939) | 26,860 | Crimean Oblast | |||||||
| Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1918–1925).svg | center | frameless | 114x114px]] | Vladikavkaz | Balkars, Chechens, Ingush, Kabardians, Karachays, Ossetians, Terek Cossacks | 1921–1924 | 1,286,000 | |
| (1921) | 74,000 | Karachay-Cherkess AO | |||||||
| [](kabardino-balkarian-autonomous-oblast) | |||||||||
| Chechen AO | |||||||||
| North Ossetian AO | |||||||||
| Ingush AO | |||||||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Turkestan ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Turkestan Autonomous SSR Flag.svg | 100px]] | Tashkent | Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Turkmens | 1918–1924 | 5,221,963 | |
| (1920) | Uzbek SSR | ||||||||
| Turkmen SSR | |||||||||
| Tajik ASSR | |||||||||
| Kara-Kirghiz AO | |||||||||
| Karakalpak AO | |||||||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Volga German ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Volga German ASSR.svg | 100px]] | Engels | Soviet Germans | 1923–1941 | 606,532 | |
| (1939) | 27,400 | Saratov Oblast | |||||||
| Stalingrad Oblast |
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).
Ukrainian SSR
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| membership | Capital | Titular nationality | Area (km2) | Post-Soviet successors | |||||
| [[File:Emblem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1949–1991), Emblem of Ukraine (1991–1992).svg | 50px]] | Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1949–1991).svg | 100px]] | 1991 | Simferopol | Crimean Tatars | 26,860 | Flag of Crimea.svg Autonomous Republic of Crimea |
The Crimean Oblast was granted ASSR status on 12 February 1991 following a referendum held in January 1991.
Uzbek SSR
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| membership | Capital | Official languages | Area (km2) | Post-Soviet subjects | ||||||
| [[File:Emblem of Karakalpak ASSR.svg | 50px]] | Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of Karakalpak ASSR.svg | border | 100px]] | 1932–1992 | Nukus | Karakalpak (1956-1980s), Russian | 165,000 |
ASSRs promoted to union republics
Some ASSRs existed at earlier points of the Soviet history were promoted into full union republics of the Soviet Union.
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Capital | Titular nationality | Years of | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| membership | Population | Area (km2) | Soviet Socialist Republic | Soviet successor | ||||
| [[File:Coat of arms of Kazakhstan (1927-1937).svg | 50px]] | Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic | [[File:Flag of The Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (1920-36).svg | 100px]] | Alma-Ata | Kazakhs | 1920–1936 | 6,503,000 |
| (1926) | 2,960,000 | Russian SFSR | Kazakh SSR | |||||
| Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic | [[File:Flag of the Kirghiz ASSR (1926–1936).svg | 100px]] | Frunze | Kyrgyz | 1926–1936 | 993,000 | ||
| (1926) | 196,129 | Kirghiz SSR | ||||||
| [[File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Moldavian_ASSR_(1927-1938).png | 50px]] | Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1925–1932).svg | 100px]] | Tiraspol | Moldovans | 1924–1940 | 599,150 |
| (1939) | 8,288 | |||||||
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Tajik ASSR.png | 50px]] | Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | [[File:Flag of the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1924–1929).svg | 100px]] | 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.
Notes
References
References
- Cornell, Svante E., [http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/publications/0419dissertation.pdf ''Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus – Case in Georgia''] {{webarchive. link. (2007-06-30 . 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".
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