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p In some Union Republics alongside the nation that forms the bulk of the population and from whom the republic concerned derives its name, there are other, less numerous peoples. Each of these peoples has its own specific features, such as way of life, culture and level of economic development.

p In consistently implementing the idea of self- determination, the government has granted these peoples the right to establish their own statehood systems in forms corresponding to their national and historical features. It was this policy that made autonomy vitally necessary in the Soviet Union and determined its purpose and tasks.

p Soviet autonomy is called upon to promote and strengthen Soviet statehood in conformity with the national features and the way of life of the peoples concerned, to promote and consolidate their administration (which functions in the native language), their economic organisations and organs of state power, which consist mainly of people well acquainted with the life and psychology of the local population, to stimulate the development of the press, schools, theatres and cultural and educational institutions that function in the native language.

p The Communist Party has always attached great significance to the creation of national states for the oppressed peoples of the old Russian empire.

p There are two forms of autonomy in the U.S.S.R., namely: state-political and administrative-political. The first is an Autonomous Republic, the second is either an Autonomous Region or a National Area.

p An Autonomous Republic is a Soviet socialist state incorporated in a Union Republic.

p Each Autonomous Republic has its own Constitution which takes specific features into account and is drawn up in conformity with the constitutions of the U.S.S.R. and of the Union Republic to which it belongs. The Constitution of an Autonomous Republic is adopted by its Supreme Soviet 60 and approved by the Supreme Soviet of the Union Republic concerned. An Autonomous Republic has its own higher organs of state power and state administration, and its territory may not be altered without its consent.

p It has its own citizenship. A citizen of an Autonomous Republic is a citizen of the Union Republic concerned and of the U.S.S.R. All citizens of the U.S.S.R. enjoy equal rights on the territory of an Autonomous Republic as do the citizens of the Autonomous Republic concerned. The Supreme Soviet of an Autonomous Republic exercises legislative power within the confines of its territory.

p Irrespective of the size of its population every Autonomous Republic has 11 deputies in the Soviet of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.

p The population of an Autonomous Republic elects its representatives to the Soviet of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. and to the Supreme Soviet of a Union Republic on the same footing as all citizens of the U.S.S.R., while in the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of a Union Republic an Autonomous Republic has one representative, who is a Vice-President of the Presidium. An Autonomous Republic thus has all the features of a state.

p The jurisdiction of an Autonomous Republic is defined in its Constitution.

p Altogether there are 20 Autonomous Republics in the U.S.S.R.

p The Russian Federation includes the Rashkirian, Buryat, Daghestan, Kabardinian-Balkar, Kalmyk, Karelian, Komi, Mari, Mordovian, North Ossetian, Tatar, Tuva, Udmurt, Checheno-Ingush, Chuvash and Yakut Autonomous Republics; Georgia includes the Abkhazian and Ajarian Autonomous Republics; Azerbaijan includes the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic; and Uzbekistan includes the Karakalpak Autonomous Republic.

p An Autonomous Region has a distinct national composition and its own way of life. It has a certain measure of economic integrity and forms part of a Union Republic or a territory as an autonomous administrative unit.

p As a rule, it is named after the nationality which had elected to become autonomous. Irrespective of the size of its population it elects five representatives to the Soviet of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.

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p Its organs of state power, slate administration and courts function in the native language.

p The boundaries of an Autonomous Region may not be altered by higher organs without its consent.

p The legal status of an Autonomous Region is defined by a corresponding statute which takes into account its national features. The Statute of an Autonomous Region is adopted by its Soviet of Working People’s Deputies and approved by the Supreme Soviet of the Union Republic to which it belongs.

p In the Russian Federation the Autonomous Regions are included in the composition of territories. But this in no way curtails their rights because as part of territories they receive all-round assistance from the administrativeterritorial divisions which are more advanced economically and culturally.

p There are eight Autonomous Regions in the U.S.S.R.

p The Adygei (Krasnodar Territory), Gorny Altai (Altai Territory), Jewish (Khabarovsk Territory), Karachai- Cherkess (Stavropol Territory) and Khakass (Krasnoyarsk Territory) Autonomous Regions are in the Russian Federation; the South Ossetian Autonomous Region is in Georgia; the Nagorny Karabakh Autonomous Region is in Azerbaijan; and Gorny Badakhshan Autonomous Region is in Tajikistan.

p A National Area is a form of national statehood formed by numerically small, formerly extremely backward nationalities living in the extreme North of the U.S.S.R. This form has the purpose of drawing these nationalities in socialist construction.

p In tsarist Russia these were culturally backward and politically oppressed tribes who were split up into separate clans and patriarchal families. They were almost totally illiterate. They had no written language nor schools. There were no hospitals and even the most elementary medical assistance was lacking. As a result, the Northern peoples were gradually dying out.

p National Areas were formed on territories inhabited by these peoples. This was further proof of the Soviet Government’s concern for every, even the smallest nationality.

p In the fraternal family of Soviet peoples the small Northern nationalities passed from the clan system and nomadic way of life to socialism and to advanced socialist culture.

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p By their substance and the tasks which they are successfully carrying out, the National Areas fully conform to their historical role as a subject of Soviet autonomy, which is a form of resolving the national question. This is borne out by their state and legal institutions.

p A National Area is a state formation within a region or territory and uniting one or several numerically small and historically and culturally kindred peoples. Its organ of state power is the Area Soviet of Working People’s Deputies.

p The organs of state power, state administration, schools, and public, political and educational institutions function in the language of the indigenous population.

p A National Area elects one deputy to the Soviet of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.

p There are 10 National Areas in the U.S.S.R. and all of them are in the R.S.F.S.R. They are the Agin Buryat (Chita Region), Komi-Permyak (Perm Region), Koryak ( Kamchatka Region), Chukotka (Magadan Region), Nenets (Archangelsk Region), Taimyr and Evenki (Krasnoyarsk Territory), Ust-Ordyn Buryat (Irkutsk Region), KhantyMansy and Yamalo-Nenets (Tyumen Region) Areas.

p The rights and the interests of all nationalities, including small national groups, inhabiting the U.S.S.R. are thus fully ensured.

p All the Autonomous Republics expanded their industries at a rapid pace. Thus, between 1913 and 1966 industrial output in Bashkiria rose 352 times, in Udmurtia 313 times, in Tataria 258 times, in the Chuvash Republic 192 times and in the Komi Republic 159 times.

p As regards the scale of the changes in other Autonomous Republics, the years that have passed since the establishment of Soviet rule are equal to centuries. For instance, pre-Revolution Karakalpakia did not go beyond the level of feudal development; today the Karakalpak Autonomous Republic is building communism together with all the other peoples of the U.S.S.R. Any one of its modern plants turns out much more produce than was manufactured by all the semi-primitive factories that had functioned on its territory in 1913. In 1963, Karakalpakia’s total industrial output was 150 times greater than in 1913. Cotton-growing, the principal branch of agriculture, has made gigantic headway. The economic growth of the republic is accompanied 63 by the growth of local personnel. Before the Revolution the population of Karakalpakia was almost 100 per cent illiterate. In 1964, it had 605 general education schools, six secondary special schools, a teacher’s training institute and a branch of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences.

p Once a poverty-stricken province of tsarist Russia, Bashkiria has become an important economic area and a major centre of the oil, chemical and engineering industries.

p Like the other fraternal peoples, the people of North Ossetia was oppressed by tsarist rule and exploited by landowners and capitalists. Since the Revolution North Ossetia has made great strides in economic and cultural development. Today it has over 100 large modern plants and several branches of modern industry, including engineering, electrical engineering and instrument-making and electronics industries. Its Electrozinc Plant is one of the biggest non-ferrous metallurgical enterprises in the Soviet Union, and it has a number of electronic industries. The Beslan maize processing complex is the largest of its kind in Europe. North Ossetian goods are shipped to all parts of the U.S.S.R. and exported to 27 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

p The culture of the Ossetian people has come into full bloom since the establishment of Soviet rule. Illiteracy has been completely wiped out here. One in every three persons employed in the economy has either a secondary or a higher education. There are 269 students per 10,000 of population, which is twice as many as there are in the U.S.A., six times more than in Britain and 24 times more than in Iran.

These changes in the material and cultural life of formerly backward and oppressed peoples demonstrate the progressive role played by the Soviet autonomy as a powerful state and legal means of uniting the Soviet peoples.