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Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1921–1945)

The Crimean ASSR was an autonomous republic within the russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (RSFSR), established in 1921. According to an article in the newspaper Dilo (1925), republished in Krymska Svitlytsia (2016), Crimea's autonomous status within russia served as a screen for "Tatarization" (korenizatsiya) and the actual denationalization of the Crimean population in favor of russian culture, despite Ukrainians and Tatars constituting the majority of the local population.

Overview

The 1925 article analyzes the ethnic composition and the actual distribution of power in the Crimean Republic. The author notes that Crimea is a separate autonomous republic, but not within Ukraine (to which it belongs ethnographically, economically, and ethnically), but within the russian federation. Under the guise of granting the Tatar language full civic rights ("horozhanstvo") — in mosques, schools, auls, regional government bodies, and at congresses of soviets — further denationalization of the population occurs in favor of russian culture, primarily affecting Ukrainians. Meanwhile, the russian language de facto remains dominant, and power in the republic belongs to russians.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • National composition (pre-revolutionary and interwar): before the revolution, Ukrainians and russians constituted the majority, with Ukrainians holding a relative majority; after wars, revolution, famine, and epidemics, Tatars gained a relative majority (23% of the total), while the remainder consisted of Ukrainians, russians, Germans, Jews, Greeks, Bulgarians, Czechs, and others.
  • Autonomy within russia: Crimea was an autonomous republic within the RSFSR (by analogy with other "indigenous/alien" ["inorodni"] republics of the federation), which, according to the author, led to its "Tatarization" (korenizatsiya).
  • Formal "Tatar" leadership: the head of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of Crimea was Veli Ibraimov, and the head of the Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom) was Deren-Ayerli; however, the state apparatus of the republic was staffed predominantly by russians and Jews.
  • Real center of power — RCP(b): according to data as of May 1, the Crimean regional organization of the RCP(b) had 5,700 members — 67.7% russians, 9.8% Jews, 6.2% Ukrainians, and only 5.9% Tatars (the nominal "state nation"). Thus, russians effectively held power.
  • Thesis on connection with Ukraine: the author argues that as long as Crimea belonged to russia, Ukrainians and Tatars would play no significant role in governance; only the annexation/integration of Crimea into Ukraine would give the Ukrainian language a proper place in state and cultural life.

Contradictions and Open Questions

  • Original language: the article is presented in the original 1925 language (spelling of the emigré press of that time), including archaic terms ("Zhydy", "tuboltsi" [natives]) and asterisked notes; these forms were preserved as quotations rather than modern usage norms.
  • Source as a reprint: the material is a reprint from the newspaper Dilo (Lviv, 1925, No. 200), published by Krymska Svitlytsia (2016, No. 51) as a historical parallel; no specific author is indicated in the reprint.