Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics
An Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR, Template:Langx) 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.<ref name="Cornell">Cornell, Svante E., Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus – Case in Georgia Template:Webarchive. Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Report No. 61. p. 89-90. University of Uppsala, Template:ISBN.</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Azerbaijan SSR
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of membership |
Capital | Official languages | Area (km2) | Template:Nowrap subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Coat of Arms of Nakhichevan ASSR.png | Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | File:Flag of Nakhichevan ASSR.svg | 1921–1990 | Nakhichevan | Azerbaijani, Russian | 5,500 | Template:Nowrap |
Georgian SSR
| Emblem | Name | Flag | Years of membership |
Capital | Official languages | Area (km2) | Template:Nowrap subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Emblem of the Abkhaz ASSR (1978–1992).svg | Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | File:Flag of the Abkhaz ASSR.svg | 1931–1992Template:Efn | Sukhumi | Abkhazian, Georgian, Russian | 8,600 | Template:Flag |
| File:Emblem of the Adjar ASSR.svg | Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | File:Flag of Adjarian ASSR.svg | 1921–1991 | Batumi | Georgian, Russian | 2,880 | Template:Flag |
.svg){kind=link}
Russian SFSR
The 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR recognized sixteen autonomous republics within the RSFSR:
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
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 RSFSR at earlier points of the Soviet history:
_copy.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
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 SSR.svg | Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | File:Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1949–1991).svg | 1991 | Simferopol | Crimean Tatars | 26,860 | Template:Flagicon image Autonomous Republic of Crimea |
.svg){kind=link}
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) | Template:Nowrap subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Emblem of Karakalpak ASSR.svg | Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | File:Flag of Karakalpak ASSR.svg | 1932–1992Template:Efn | Nukus | Karakalpak (1956-1980s), Russian | 165,000 | Template:Nobr |
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.
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
Karelian ASSR was promoted to Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic in 1940 but demoted back in 1956.
See also
- Emblems of the Autonomous Soviet Republics
- Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union
- 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
References
Template:Autonomous republics of the Soviet Union Template:Soviet Union topics