USSR was formed on the fragments of the former Russian Empire. It was one of the two centers of power and influence throughout the 20th century. It was the Union that inflicted a decisive defeat on fascist Germany, and its collapse became the most significant event of the second half of the last century. Which republics were part of the USSR, we will understand in the following article.
Problems of the national-state system on the eve of the emergence of the USSR
How many republics were there in the USSR? Different answers can be given to this question, because at the initial stage of the formation of the state, their number did not remain unchanged. To understand this in more detail, let's turn to history. By the end of the Civil War, the territory of our state was a rather motley complex of various national and state formations. Their legal status often depended on the military-political situation, the strength of local government institutions, and other factors. However, as the influence and power of the Bolsheviks increased, this issue became one of the main ones for the state and authorities. The leadership of the CPSU (b) did not have a consolidated opinion aboutthe future structure of the country. Most of the party members believed that the state should be built on the basis of unitary principles, without taking into account the national component, its other members cautiously spoke out for the self-determination of nations within the country. But the decisive word was for V. I. Lenin.
A difficult dilemma in the bowels of the CPSU(b)
The republics that were part of the USSR, according to Lenin, should have had a certain independence, but recognizing this issue as rather complicated, he saw the need for a special analysis of it. This question was entrusted to a well-known specialist in the Central Committee on the national question, I. V. Stalin. He was a consistent supporter of the autonomy of all the republics included in the new state formation. During the Civil War, the principle of federalism triumphed on the territory of the RSFSR, but the relations between the independent republics were regulated on the basis of special agreements. Another serious problem was the rather strong nationalist sentiment among the communists on the ground. This whole complex of disagreements had to be taken into account when forming a new state.
Start of work on the creation of a single state
By the beginning of 1922, about 185 peoples lived on the territory subject to the Soviets. To unite them, it was necessary to take into account everything, even the smallest nuances, but the process of creating the USSR was not only a decision from above, it was supported by the vast majority of the masses. EducationThe USSR also had a foreign policy reason - the need to unite in the face of clearly hostile states. To develop the principles for organizing the future country, a special commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee was created. In the depths of this structure, it was decided that the example of the existence of the RSFSR is the most acceptable option for the formation of a new state. However, this idea ran into strong opposition from members of the Commission of National Regions. Stalin was little inclined to criticize his position. It was decided to test the method in Transcaucasia. This area required special attention. A lot of national contradictions were concentrated here. In particular, Georgia has been able to effectively build its economy and foreign policy ties in the short period of its independence. Armenia and Azerbaijan were mutually suspicious of each other.
Differences between Stalin and Lenin on the formation of the USSR
The experiment ended with the creation of the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic as part of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. This is how they were to enter the new state. At the end of August 1922, a commission was formed in Moscow to implement the unification. According to the plan of "autonomization" I. V. Stalin, all constituent parts of the Union will have limited independence. At this point, Lenin intervened, he rejected Stalin's plan. According to his idea, the republics that were part of the USSR should be united on the basis of union treaties. In this edition, the draft was supported by the majority of the members of the plenum of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. HoweverGeorgia did not want to be part of a new state formation as part of the Transcaucasian Federation. She insisted on concluding a separate agreement with the Union, outside the TSFSR. But under pressure from the center, the Georgian communists were forced to agree to the original plan.
Establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
In December 1922, at the Congress of Soviets, the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as part of the RSFSR, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian Federation was announced. That's how many republics there were in the USSR at the time of its appearance. On the basis of the Treaty, the creation of a new state association was declared as a federation of full-fledged and independent countries with the right to exit and freely enter its composition. However, in fact, the exit procedure was not legally prescribed in any way, which, accordingly, made it very difficult. This time bomb, laid at the foundation of the state, showed itself with all its might at the time of the collapse of the USSR, because in the 90s the countries that were part of the Union could not, on legal and civilized grounds, withdraw from its composition, which led to bloody events. Foreign policy, trade, finance, defense, means of communication and communications were delegated in favor of the central bodies of the USSR.
Further expansion of the country of Soviets
The next stage in the formation of the state was the national-administrative division in Central Asia. On its territory there was a huge Turkestan Republic, as well as two tiny territories - Bukhara and Khorezm.republics. As a result of long discussions in the Central Committee, the Uzbek and Turkmen union republics were formed. The USSR subsequently separated the Tajik Republic from the former, part of the territory was transferred under the jurisdiction of Kazakhstan, which also became a union republic. The Kirghiz founded an autonomous republic within the RSFSR, but at the end of the twenties of the last century it was transformed into a union republic. And on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR, it was allocated to the Union Republic of Moldova. Thus, at the end of the second decade of the last century, the data on how many republics there were in the USSR changed significantly.
In the thirties, there was also a structural change in the composition of the Union. Since the Transcaucasian Federation was originally an unviable entity, this was taken into account in the new Constitution of the USSR. In 1936, it was disbanded, and Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, having concluded agreements with the center, received the status of union republics of the USSR.
The B altic States as part of the USSR
The next stage in the formation of the Union dates back to the end of the thirties of the last century. Then, due to the difficult foreign policy situation, our country had to agree with Germany, which pursued an aggressive policy in Europe. Western Ukraine and Belarus were then part of Poland, in order to reunite historically one people and secure their western borders, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was concluded between the USSR and Germany with a secret protocol. According to him, the territory of Eastern Europe departed into the sphere of influence of our country. Due to the extremely hostile attitudeBy decision of the leadership of the B altic states, units of the Red Army were introduced there, and legitimate governments were liquidated in the territories of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. And instead of them, the construction of a state system began, following the example of the USSR. These republics were given the status of Union. And it was possible to recalculate how many republics there were in the USSR immediately before the start of the war with Germany.
The collapse of the Soviet Union
How many republics were part of the USSR just before the collapse? At the end of the eighties, the USSR included:
- RSFSR;
- Ukrainian SSR;
- Belarusian SSR;
- Moldavian SSR;
- Kazakh SSR;
- Turkmen SSR;
- Tajik SSR;
- Uzbek SSR;
- Kyrgyz SSR;
- Lithuanian SSR;
- Latvian SSR;
- Estonian SSR;
- Georgian SSR;
- Armenian SSR;
- Azerbaijan SSR.
The economic crisis and national divisions, as well as weak leadership, led to the collapse of the Soviet state. During these events, 15 republics that were part of the USSR received full national sovereignty and formed their own states.
