The Bolsheviks and the national question, 1917-1923
This thesis examines the formulation and execution of policies towards the various nationalities of the Soviet Republics from the October revolution of 1917 until the formation of the Soviet Union in 1923. Most of the Russian and Western literature on this question focuses on the process of the reincorporation of the non-Russian regions of the former empire into the new Bolshevik-led state. Accordingly, there is a general assumption that the purpose of Bolshevik national policy was to gain the short-term support of the national minorities in the struggle to win the civil war. By examining the material newly released from the Soviet archives in addition to the material previously available, I have concluded that the goal of Bolshevik nationality policies was to ~raise the cultural level~ of the non-Russians and to eliminate the inequalities arising from economic and historical conditions. The central policies pursued were: the creation of formally independent or autonomous republics and regions; the maintenance, as far as was practicable, of the ethnic homogeneity of these territorial national units by means of rearranged borders and movements of population; the development of a cadre of national communist
Smith, Jeremy Robert Charnock
Russian revolution; Soviet state
The Bolsheviks and the national question, 1917-1923. This thesis examines the formulation and execution of policies towards the various nationalities of the Soviet Republics from the October revolution of 1917 until the formation of the Soviet Union in 1923. Most of the Russian and Western literature on this question focuses on the process of the reincorporation of the non-Russian regions of the former empire into the new Bolshevik-led state. Accordingly, there is a general assumption that the purpose of Bolshevik national policy was to gain the short-term support of the national minorities in the struggle to win the civil war. By examining the material newly released from the Soviet archives in addition to the material previously available, I have concluded that the goal of Bolshevik nationality policies was to ~raise the cultural level~ of the non-Russians and to eliminate the inequalities arising from economic and historical conditions. The central policies pursued were: the creation of formally independent or autonomous republics and regions; the maintenance, as far as was practicable, of the ethnic homogeneity of these territorial national units by means of rearranged borders and movements of population; the development of a cadre of national communist
national question examines formulation execution policy_towards various nationality soviet formation soviet_union russian western literature question focus process non russian region former empire new bolshevik led state accordingly general assumption purpose bolshevik national_policy gain short_term support national minority struggle win civil_war examine material newly release soviet archive addition material previously available conclude goal bolshevik nationality policy raise cultural level non russians eliminate inequality arise economic historical condition central policy pursue creation formally independent autonomous republic region maintenance far ethnic homogeneity territorial national unit mean border movement population development national communist