In December 2017, marks 95 years since the founding of the USSR, a state that has existed for almost 69 years. During the Soviet Union, the unanimous and voluntary entry of the fraternal republics into the USSR was emphasized. After its collapse, this part of our history is presented in textbooks in a different way. Some researchers argue that one of the main reasons for the collapse of the Union in 1991 was autonomy. This opinion is not without reason. Let's find out why.
The formation of independent republics
After the Bolsheviks came to power, they immediately adopted several important decrees, including the Declaration, which provided the peoples of Russia with the right to create independent states. This right was used by the Finns, Latvians, Poles, Ukrainians, Estonians and other peoples who were formerly subjects of the Russian Empire and now have gained independence.
At the beginning of 1918, the Third Congress of Soviets legislated the federal principle with broad autonomy for those peoples who wish to remain part of the RSFSR. This approach, on the one hand, deprived the nationalist movements on the outskirts of the former empire of the main reason for continuing the struggle, and, on the other hand, it struck at the great-power idea, which was cultivated in Russia until October 1917.
Nevertheless, during the Civil War, several young Soviet republics joined their armed forces, finances, communications system and transport for joint defense and the subsequent restoration of the national economy. In the beginning of the 1920s, the future of such a military-economic union caused great debate. In general, three options for unification were proposed: confederation, federation, and autonomy. This became one of the state tasks that needed to be resolved soon.
Federation of Lenin
The leaders of some Soviet republics, wishing to maintain independence, proposed the creation of a confederation, where there would be no single state governing bodies. But V.I. Lenin, who enjoyed great authority in the Soviet government, criticized the idea of confederation, believing that in such a state there would be too weak links between the national republics.
However, Lenin did not agree with Stalin’s proposal, according to which, autonomy is an association of the Soviet republics within the Russian Federation with the rights of autonomous (independent and equal) participants. Lenin was a supporter of the federal structure of the Soviet Union. In fact, he came up with this name for the future state.
The Federation, Lenin believed, is the most acceptable form of association for a multinational country. Such a state-political system would provide for the equal rights of all republics, including the right to secede from the Soviet Union. The federation should not have a place for excessive centralism and great-power chauvinism.
Stalin's autonomy plan
In 1922, Stalin served as People's Commissar of the RSFSR for nationalities. He also headed the party-state commission, which developed a draft law, known in history as the "plan of autonomy."
According to the bill, three Soviet republics - Belarus, Ukraine and the Transcaucasian Federation (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia) - were to become autonomies within the Russian Federation.
In fact, Stalin proposed creating a unitary state with uniform bodies of supreme power and a legal system for all republics. In other words, the central leadership was to play a decisive role in all spheres of life of the Union republics, which actually lost their internal sovereignty.
USSR formation
On December 30, 1922, delegations of the Soviet republics signed the Union Treaty and the Declaration proclaiming the formation of the USSR. These documents indicated that only issues of foreign trade and politics, defense, communications and finance would be the responsibility of central government bodies. The decision of the remaining cases remained in the competence of the republican authorities.
Thus, the foundation of the USSR was based on the Leninist principles of sovereignty and equality, however, as time has shown, only formally. In reality, the rights of the union republics were gradually curtailed, and the state itself became unitary. Very soon, the Stalinist autonomy of the USSR began to be implemented.
What is the result?
The causes of some ethnic conflicts that arose at the turn of the 80s and 90s in the USSR and after its collapse in the post-Soviet space should be sought in the Soviet era.
Of course, these principles cannot be blamed only on the principles of autonomy, laid down by the party leadership as the basis of state-national policy. Before the revolution, things in this area were no better. Nevertheless, the infringement of the sovereign rights of the republics could not pass without a trace.
The period of Soviet history, when preparations were underway for the creation of the USSR, have so far been little studied, like Stalin's autonomy. This leads to conflicting assessments of contemporary political relations between the formerly former union republics and, in any case, does not contribute to the peaceful resolution of existing interethnic conflicts.