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First Crimean Regional Government (1918)

The First Crimean Regional Government (June 5 — November 14, 1918) was a coalition government of the Crimean Peninsula headed by General Suleyman Sulkevych, established during the German occupation of Crimea during World War I.

Overview

After the expulsion of the Bolsheviks from Crimea in the spring of 1918, the German command (General R. Kosh) on June 5, 1918, commissioned General Suleyman Sulkevych to form a regional government. The First Crimean Regional Government was officially announced on June 21, 1918. Prime Minister Sulkevych also assumed the posts of Minister of Foreign, Internal, Military, and Naval Affairs. The government faced internal political contradictions between the Tatar-German pro-independence bloc and the Cadet pro-russian wing, as well as foreign policy pressure from Hetman Skoropadsky's Ukrainian State.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Formation and composition: The government united representatives of three nationalities (Tatars, Germans, russians), but was divided into two opposing political camps:
  • Pro-independence ("German") group: Suleyman Sulkevych, Dzafer Sejdamet, Arslan Akhmatovych, who sought to build an independent Crimean Tatar state.
  • Pro-russian (Cadet) group: V. Tatishchev, S. Gorchakov, V. Nalbandov, who considered Crimea's independence temporary and sought the restoration of a "united russia".
  • Domestic and national policy: S. Sulkevych initiated the involvement of broad social strata, the restoration of state institutions, decentralization, and the eradication of interethnic tension. He appealed to the Kurultai to appoint a State Secretary for Crimean Tatar Affairs.
  • Relations with Ukraine: Relations with the Ukrainian State went from tension and economic blockade to negotiations in Kyiv (September–October 1918) and the preparation of a draft agreement on the autonomous status of Crimea within Ukraine.
  • Crisis and resignation: On September 11, 1918, a government crisis broke out (resignation of the Cadet ministers). After the withdrawal of German troops in November 1918, the government found itself without external support and, under pressure from municipal dumas (in particular the Simferopol Duma), resigned on November 14, 1918, yielding power to the Second Crimean Regional Government of S. Krym.