The deportation of peoples to the USSR: causes, conditions, results and consequences. Deportation of the peoples of the USSR to Kazakhstan

History does not always bring mankind great discoveries and happy moments. Irreversible events often occur in the world that forever destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Such was the deportation of peoples to the USSR. Causes, conditions, results and consequences now remain an open question that worries historians and causes controversy and clarification. Nevertheless, this tragedy cannot be regarded as a positive event in the history of mankind. Why? We will deal with this issue further.

The concept

The deportation of peoples to the USSR is an event that stirred the country in the thirties of the last century. Political repressions of this scale have not been carried out before, so for people it was a shock. The main feature of deportation is that the process itself was outside the scope of legal proceedings. The masses of people, disregarding mutual determination, were moved to different habitats, which were unusual for everyone, far from their home, and sometimes dangerous.

Historical reference

Historically, the deportation of peoples to the USSR broke the lives of ten nationalities. Among them were Germans and Koreans, there were also Chechens, Kalmyks and other residents who, with all this, also lost their national autonomy.

People lost everything that they had: home, family, relatives, work and money. They were forcibly taken out and put in terrible conditions, in which only the most persistent survived. To this day, it is not known exactly which peoples of the USSR were deported, since their numbers were huge. Ethnic groups, social strata and ethno-confessional population fell into this “repressive meat grinder”. Soviet citizens survived the terrible events of the 30s, and later of the Second World War.

This cruelty disturbed the peace of the Poles, Ukrainians, Russians, Moldavians, Bulgarians, Armenians, Turks and other ethnic groups. They could call this event a violation of human rights only in 1991. Then the law recognized that there was a place to deport peoples to the USSR, and the repressed people were subjected to genocide, slander, forced resettlement, terror and other violations.

Reasons for Injustice

Why did the deportation of peoples to the USSR begin? The reasons are usually interpreted in the light of the beginning of World War II. So to speak, it was the terrible events of the 40s that became the basis for the eviction of objectionable peoples. But those who delve deeply into these events will realize that this is not the main reason. After all, the deportation of peoples to the USSR began long before the military tragedy.

Why did the Soviet government mercilessly send its population to death? There is still debate about this. It is officially accepted that betrayal was the reason for the deportation of peoples to the USSR to begin. The reason was the help of representatives of these nations to Hitler, as well as their active actions against the Red Army.

A striking example of injustice in repressions of nationalities can be considered the history of Chechens and Ingush. Their forced eviction was hidden, but the real reasons were not disclosed. People were forced to believe that tactical exercises would be held in their homeland. According to many historians, nevertheless, the problem of such cruel treatment of these peoples was their struggle for national independence and the opposition to the terror of Soviet power.

A similar situation occurred with the Koreans. They began to be evicted due to espionage in favor of Japan, which allegedly involved representatives of this nationality. But if you look at those events in more detail, a political motive for repression emerges. Thus, thanks to the eviction of Koreans, the USSR demonstrated its willingness to cooperate with China, opposing Japan and, in general, its political position in the Far East.

In general, it is worth noting that the deportation of peoples to the USSR briefly showed the attitude of the authorities towards the political situation throughout the world. If earlier they tried to liquidate only peoples eager for independence, then during the war they, thanks to the eviction of nations, pleased the allies.

First wave

The first example of violent events was found back in 1918. Then, for seven years, the Soviet government tried to evict the White Guard Cossacks and those who had large land plots. The first experimental were the Cossacks of the Terek region. Besides the fact that they had to go to other places, to the Donbass and the North Caucasus, their native region was transferred to other future victims, Ingush and Chechens.

Of course, the deportation of peoples to the USSR could not end in anything good. Historiography shows that in 1921 even Russian residents were evicted from their Semirechensk region when they were forcibly evicted from Turkestan.

The following events took place already in the 30s. In Leningrad, a mass arrest of Estonians, Latvians, Poles, Germans, Finns and Lithuanians began. It was followed by the eviction of Finnish Ingermanlanders. A couple of years later, the families of Poles and Germans who settled in Ukraine were repressed.

War

The deportation of the peoples of the USSR during the war was more active and brutal. At that time, a huge number of nations were evicted, including Kurds, Crimean gypsies, Pontic Greeks, Nogais, etc. All of them were repressed because of collaboration. Due to the alleged cooperation of these nationalities with the aggressor country and its allies, people lost their autonomy, homes and families. The deportation of peoples to the USSR, the table of which has historically been replenished with new nations, has ruined the lives of more than 60 nationalities. The table shows the ethnic groups that suffered the most.

As history shows, there could be many reasons for this behavior of the Soviet Union. These are conflicts between a country and nations, this is Stalin's personal whim, geopolitical considerations, various kinds of prejudices, etc. Let us try to examine how the deportation of certain peoples of the USSR took place and how repressions affected the fate of people.

Chechens and Ingush

So, as historical documents show, this people was evicted due to tactical exercises. This was due to the fact that the presence of gangs in the mountains was assumed. On the one hand, this state of affairs was justified. In the mountains, then it was possible to observe gangster elements trying to overthrow Soviet power. On the other hand, these forces were so few that they could not do anything.

Nevertheless, since 1944, people began to be transported to Central Asia and Kazakhstan. As usual, during the resettlement, many people died. Those who survived were left just in the steppe. Students who were supposed to support livestock and other households were sent to the lands abandoned by Chechens and Ingush.

It is worth noting that researchers have repeatedly asserted that accusations of Chechens' support for Germans are not justified. This is due to the fact that not a single German soldier was seen in this republic, and cooperation and joining the ranks of fascist detachments could not occur, since there was no mobilization in this area.

As mentioned earlier, Chechens and Ingush fell under the “hot hand” only because they had always fought for their independence and tried to oppose the Soviet regime.

Germans

Probably, it is obvious that the first to be repressed during World War II were the Germans. Already in 1941 a decree was issued, according to which, it was necessary to "destroy" the Autonomous Republic of the Volga region, which was inhabited by this nation. In just two days, a mass of people was sent to Siberia, Kazakhstan, Altai and the Urals. Their number reached 360 thousand people.

The reason for such repressions was the emergence of information about future espionage and sabotage, which were supposed to begin immediately after Hitler sent a signal. However, as history and the documents found show, there was no reason to believe that these events would occur. These rumors were just an excuse to evict the German people.

Those Germans who were mobilized into the army were recalled from there. Men over the age of 17 were called up to work columns the very next year. There they worked hard at the plant, logging and mines. The same fate befell those peoples whose historical homelands were allies of Hitler. After the war, the expelled, they tried to return home, but in 1947 they were again deported.

Karachaevtsy

The Karachays suffered from repression in 1943. At the beginning of World War II, their number was a little more than 70 thousand people. For a whole year their territory was in the grip of German occupation. But after their release, people still could not find peace.

In 1943 they were accused of collaborating with German troops, which the Karachais helped, showed the way and shelter from the Red Army. To expel this nation to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, it was necessary to use the military, with a total of 53 thousand. As a result, more than 69 thousand Karachais were taken out of their native land. During the transportation, 600 people died. Half of the repressed consisted of children under 16 years old.

Those who at that time served in the Red Army were deported after demobilization in 1944.

Kalmyks

Kalmykov overtook the same trouble as the Karachais. At the end of 1943, a decree was issued that provided for the eviction of this nation. The reason for their expulsion was opposition to the government of the USSR, refusal of assistance from the Red Army in the national conflict. The main event in these repressions was Operation Ulus, conducted by the Soviet military.

At the first stage, more than 93 thousand Kalmyks were eliminated. Among them were 700 bandits and those who actively collaborated with the Germans. A month later, another 1,000 people were evicted. More than 50% of Kalmyks settled in the Tyumen region. Due to the fact that deportation took place in December / January, many residents died during transportation.

Those who introduced this nation, which had already served for the benefit of the Red Army, were called from the fronts and educational institutions. Moreover, at first they were distributed in different military districts, and after they were fired from service. And still there is historical information that the Kalmyks still remained in the army and served the USSR.

Crimean Tatars

Over time, the Red Army launched a counterattack, followed by the liberation of regions and cities. However, Stalin did not calm down and continued to evict nation after nation from their native lands. So, after the expulsion of the Germans from the Crimean lands, the repression of the Tatars began.

According to the documents found, it turned out that the reason for the resettlement lies in desertion. According to Beria, more than 20 thousand people of this nationality became traitors to the Red Army. Part of the Crimean Tatars decided to move to Germany. The other part remained in the Crimea. Here they were arrested, and during the search they found a huge amount of weapons.

The USSR at that time was afraid of the influence of Turkey on this situation. It was there that many Tatars lived before the war, and some of them remained there until then. Therefore, family ties could disturb the peace of civilians, and the presence of weapons would lead to uprisings and other unrest. These doubts of the Soviet government were also connected with the fact that Germany tried in every possible way to persuade Turkey to join the alliance.

The deportation lasted about two days. For repression, the Soviet government sent 32 thousand soldiers. Crimean Tatars were obliged to collect their things in a few minutes and go to the station. If a person did not want to leave home or could not walk, he was shot. As usual, many of the repressed died on the way due to lack of food, medical care and difficult conditions.

The deportation of the peoples of the USSR during the Second World War took place monthly. The repression also affected Azerbaijanis who lived in Georgia. They were sent to Borchalinsky district and Karayazsky. The result of this tragedy was that only 31 families remained in the area. Armenians were evicted from their native lands in 1944. In the same year, Meskhetian Turks, Greeks, Turks and Kurds were repressed.

Tragedy results

As a result, the deportation of peoples to the USSR led to terrible results that remained forever in the heart of every resident of the repressed nation. As historical information indicates, the number of Germans who underwent forced resettlement reached almost 950 thousand people. The total number of deported Chechens, Balkars, Ingush and Karachays amounted to 608 thousand. Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Greeks and Armenians were deported in the amount of 228 thousand.

To take root in the new territory, the settlers had to endure many difficulties. Mortality among these nationalities has increased several times, during the years of deportation an average of one fourth of the nation perished.

It is also worth noting the attitude of residents towards the deportees. Some perceived this event with understand, while others, on the contrary, considered the repressed outcasts and despised them. This state of affairs led to aggression on the part of the victims of these events. So, many were opposed to the Soviet regime and tried to organize unrest in society.

Brutal consequences

Naturally, the deportation of peoples to the USSR was a terrible tragedy. The causes, conditions, results and consequences were negative. A lot of effort was put into repression, instead of fighting the fascists. A huge amount of equipment and the military was engaged in deportation, although they were not enough at the front. Statistics show that more than 220 thousand soldiers worked on the resettlement. Almost 100 thousand employees of various law enforcement agencies collaborated with them.

In addition, the repression frightened the rest of the nationalities, who were confident that they would soon come for them. So, Estonians, Ukrainians and Karelians could fall under the “hot hand”. The Kyrgyz also feared the loss of their native land, as there were rumors that all the indigenous people would be replaced by immigrants.

The deportation of the peoples of the USSR and its consequences led to the fact that all the frameworks of nationality were completely erased. Due to the fact that immigrants fell into an unfamiliar environment, the indigenous people mixed with the repressed. Eliminated national-territorial formations. Repressions left a huge imprint on the lifestyle of immigrants, on their culture and traditions.

The deportation of the peoples of the USSR and its consequences led to the fact that now many peoples are fighting among themselves, they are not able to divide the land. It is important to understand that many of the reasons for this process were not justified. It cannot be argued that the Soviet government made fair decisions that would help during the Second World War. Some nations paid for their opposition to power, while the Germans fell victim to revenge because of Hitler and his aggression.

Replenishment of Kazakhstan

Astana, too, at one time became a place that "sheltered" immigrants. The deportation of the peoples of the USSR to Kazakhstan began long before the war. A huge number of deportees arrived on the territory of the republic, as far back as 1931 there were about 190 thousand of them. Six years later, immigrants arrived here again, there were already almost twice as many, 360 thousand. So Kazakhstan has become a place of residence for victims of repression.

Many of those who came here for permanent residence got a job as workers in industrial enterprises and state farms. They had to live in barracks, yurts and improvised open-air buildings.

Ukrainians came here back in the 19th century. In the pre-war time, there were even more of them. After the war, the number of Ukrainians was more than 100 thousand inhabitants. Among the deportees were families of kulaks and OUN members. By the beginning of the 50s, those who had been released from KarLAG also began to arrive in Kazakhstan.

Korean deportees, who were brought from the Far East in 1937, also went here. The Poles arrived in Kazakhstan, who were sent here because of the threat of a world war, just in time for the end of the 1930s. With the beginning of World War II, even more representatives of this nation arrived in Astana.

After the war, a huge number of immigrants continued to migrate to this area. The deportation of the peoples of the USSR to Kazakhstan led to the fact that all nationalities living on the territory of the Soviet Union ended up on the territory of this republic. Already in 1946, another 100 thousand victims of repression increased, which in total amounted to about 500 thousand deportees.

Many of the resettled people tried to leave their new life, which was considered an escape and a violation of criminal law. Once every three days they had to inform the NKVD of any important events that would concern the numbers.

The main purpose of resettlement was considered to be eternal residence in a foreign territory. To fulfill such a plan, the Soviet government tried to impose severe sanctions on violators. If someone tried to escape from the territory of the settlement, he was prescribed up to twenty years of hard labor.

The helpers of these people also awaited retribution - imprisonment for up to 5 years. The main task of the Soviet government was to limit the repressed in the desire and attempts to get to their homeland.

According to recent studies, over one million immigrants arrived in Kazakhstan for the entire period of deportation. Already in the mid-50s, 2 million strangers lived here.

For what?

For several years, the deportation of peoples to the USSR has passed. Photos of those events to this day reflect the rigidity of power. The fates of people were crippled, but time was not good. Each of them dreamed of returning home to restore the former order of life. People tried to find their home, their family and their happiness.

The Soviet Union tried to eliminate not just entire nations, but also their lands, languages, cultures and traditions. If a person takes all this, then he will become an obedient slave to totalitarian politics. Deported people received severe mental and physical injuries. They were starving and sick, they were trying to find their home and peace.

After Stalin's death, the situation began to change, a rehabilitation policy was being pursued in relation to the settlers, but it was already impossible to establish the fate of people. Their fate and lives were irrevocably distorted and destroyed.