Jump to content

Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Karelian ASSR)
Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Карельская Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика
Karjalan autonominen sosialistinen neuvostotasavalta
ASSR of the Russian SFSR
1923–1940
1956–1991

Location of Karelian ASSR within RSFSR and Soviet Union (1956-1991)
CapitalPetrozavodsk
Area
 • Coordinates61°47′00″N 34°21′00″E / 61.783333°N 34.35°E / 61.783333; 34.35
 
• 1989
180,500 km2 (69,700 sq mi)
Population 
• 1989
790,150
Government
 • TypeAutonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Chairman 
• 1923–1935 (first)
Edvard Gylling
• 1990–1991 (last)
Viktor Stepanov
History 
• Established
25 July 1923
31 March 1940
• Demotion to ASSR
6 July 1956
• Sovereignty declared
9 August 1990
13 November 1991
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
1923: Karelian Labor Commune
1956: Karelo-Finnish SSR
1940: Karelo-Finnish SSR
1990:
Republic of Karelia

The Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic,[a] Karelian ASSR[b] for short, sometimes referred to as Soviet Karelia, East Karelia or simply Karelia, was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR within the Soviet Union, with its capital in Petrozavodsk. It existed from 25 July 1923 to 31 March 1940 and again from 6 July 1956 to 13 November 1991. It was succeeded by the Republic of Karelia.

History

[edit]

Originally called the Autonomous Karelian Soviet Socialist Republic (AKSSR; Finnish: Autonominen Karjalan sosialistinen neuvostotasavalta, Russian: Автономная Карельская Социалистическая Советская Республика) until 1936, the Karelian ASSR was formed as a part of the Russian SFSR by the Resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) of June 27, 1923 and by the Decree of the VTsIK and the Council of People's Commissars of July 25, 1923 from the Karelian Labor Commune.[1] In 1927, the ASSR was divided into districts,[2] which replaced the old volosts.

Prior to the Great Purge and World War II, the leaders of the Karelian ASSR (most of which were socialist Finnish immigrants) were applying a significant policy of indigenization over the ASSR. This was mainly taken care of by the long-time leader of the Karelian ASSR, Edvard Gylling. Finnish was used as the primary language for education and administration, with Russian in second. It's believed that Gylling, a Finnish socialist, wished to create his own Red Finland in Soviet Karelia following the defeat of the Reds in the Finnish Civil War. Because of this, the Karelian ASSR was sometimes referred to as "the Gyllingian Empire" in Finnish propaganda.[3]

However, with the Great Purge and the Finnish Operation of the NKVD, Gylling, among the rest of the Finnish leadership, was removed in 1935 and later executed. Consequently, any indigenization process and effort faded away, giving way to Russification instead. Gylling was replaced by Tver Karelian Pavel Bushuev, who soon also got framed and then purged. Pjotr Soljakov, a Russian politician, replaced Bushuev, and he served as the chairman of the Karelian ASSR until it ceased to exist in 1940.

In 1938, the Kandalakshsky District was transferred from the Karelian ASSR to the Murmansk Oblast.

From 1940 to 1956, territory annexed from Finland (which had briefly constituted a puppet Finnish Democratic Republic) was incorporated with the Karelian ASSR to form the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic, which had the status of a union republic in the federal structure of the Soviet Union. However, by this time, only a small portion of the population of this region was of Karelian or Finnish ethnic background.[nb 1] The K-FSSR was also de facto fully under Moscow's control. Some later historians believe that this unorthodox upgrade was likely a "convenient means for facilitating the possible incorporation of additional Finnish territory"[6] (or all of Finland[7]) or "at least a way to keep Finland continuously under the gun".[7] The K-FSSR was also conflicted with the Soviet Constitution, as its population never reached a million, and as stated earlier, neither Karelians or Finns formed a majority in it.

On July 16, 1956, it was downgraded from a union republic to an autonomous republic, and retroceded to the Russian SFSR. Due to the ethnic composition, it was also decided in 1958 to abolish the compulsory study of the Finnish language within the KASSR.[8] Finnish retained its status as an official language, however, but its influence and use had now shrunk to a very minor point in comparison to earlier times.

The last territorial change of the Karelian ASSR happened in 1987, when the locality of Poyakonda was transferred to the Murmansk Oblast.

Beginning on August 9, 1990, the Karelian ASSR declared state sovereignty and was renamed to the Karelian Soviet Socialist Republic.[c] The Karelian SSR was renamed to the Republic of Karelia on November 13, 1991, and remains a federal subject of Russia.

Administration

[edit]
Stamp "50 years of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" Mail USSR 1970

Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ In the Soviet Census of 1939, Karelians were 23% of the population and Finns 2%;[4] by the census of 1959, Karelians were 13% and Finns 4%.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, p. 31
  2. ^ Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, p. 35
  3. ^ "Äänislinna 20 vuotta takaperin ja nyt". heninen.net. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  4. ^ Демоскоп. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1939 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам России: Карельская АССР
  5. ^ Демоскоп. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1959 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам России: Карельская АССР
  6. ^ Helin, Ronald Arthur (1961). Economic-geographic Reorientation in Western Finnish Karelia: A Result of the Finno-Soviet Boundary Demarcations of 1940 and 1944. National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council. p. 101.
  7. ^ a b Taagepera, Rein (1999). The Finno-Ugric Republics and the Russian State. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 109. ISBN 1-85065-293-7.
  8. ^ "Decree of the Council of Ministers of the KASSR". heninen.net. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  1. ^
    • Russian: Каре́льская Автоно́мная Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респу́блика, romanized: Karelskaya Avtonomnaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika
    • Finnish: Karjalan autonominen sosialistinen neuvostotasavalta
  2. ^
    • Russian: Каре́льская АССР, romanized: Karelskaya ASSR
    • Finnish: Karjalan ASNT
  3. ^
    • Russian: Каре́льская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респу́блика, romanized: Karelskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika
    • Finnish: Karjalan sosialistinen neuvostotasavalta

Sources

[edit]
  • Архивный отдел Администрации Мурманской области. Государственный Архив Мурманской области. (1995). Административно-территориальное деление Мурманской области (1920–1993 гг.). Справочник. Мурманск: Мурманское издательско-полиграфическое предприятие "Север".
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Karelian_Autonomous_Soviet_Socialist_Republic&oldid=1264279881"