Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008)

Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка (Ukrainian) Украинская Советская Социалистическая Республика (Russian) Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
← ← ← ← 1917–1991 →
Flag Coat of arms
Capital	Kharkiv (1917-1918 and 1919-1934) Kiev (1934-1991) [1]
Official language	Ukrainian and Russian
Established In the USSR:  - Since  - Until	25 December 1917 30 December 1922 24 August 1991
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	Ranked 3rd in the USSR 603,700 km² negligible
Population  - Total   - Density	Ranked 2nd in the USSR 51,706,746 (1989) 85.6/km²
Time zone	UTC + 3
Anthem	Anthem of Ukrainian SSR
Medals	Order of Lenin Four Hero cities

The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or the Ukrainian SSR was one of the founders of the Soviet Union and a republic that made up the former Soviet Union from its formation in 1922 to its abolishment in 1991.

[edit] Name

The first Bolshevik republic declared in December 1917 was called the Soviet Republic of Ukraine (Respublyka Rad Ukrayiny).

The third Bolshevik republic of December 1919 was known as the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. Its Ukrainian initials were УРСС (URSS).

In 1937, the republic's name changed again, according to the newly-adopted Soviet Constitution. It changed along with the names of all other Soviet republics, transposing the second ("socialist") and third ("soviet" or "radyans'ka") words. From 1937 to 1991, Ukraine was officially known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, or UkSSR.

The official names in Ukrainian and Russian were:

• Ukrainian: Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка (УРСР), Ukrayins’ka Radyans’ka Sotsialistychna Respublika (URSR)
• Russian: Украинская Советская Социалистическая Республика (УССР), Ukrainskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika (USSR)

[edit] History

After the break-up of the Russian Empire, several factions sought to create an independent Ukrainian state, alternately cooperating and struggling against each other. Bolsheviks and Mensheviks in Ukraine first participated in the formation of the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), which initially declared autonomy in 1917, and then independence in 1918.

Ukrainian SSR in 1933, after the Peace of Riga and the consolidation of USSR. Note the rose border line showing the Soviet claims over the former Russian guberniya of Bessarabia.

Ukrainian SSR at early 1939, in borders before September 17 1939.

“Western Ukraine” and Ukrainian SSR at 1939/1940 winter USSR map. Bessarabia noted as occupied by Romania.

Ukrainian SSR in 1940, after the Soviet acquisitions in Poland and Romania and before the German invasion of Soviet Union. Lacks the Transcarpathia and Crimea compared to modern Ukraine;includes portion of what became northern Moldova.

The Bolsheviks favoured federation with Russia, but lacking broad popular support within central Ukraine, although they were supported in the industrial centres of eastern Ukraine. The Bolsheviks convened a separate congress and declared the first Soviet Republic of Ukraine on 25 December 1917. Warfare ensued against the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR) and a series of its alliances, including the anarchists and neo-haydamak bands. After the failed first stage of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Central Powers captured almost all Ukrainian territory and the Bolsheviks were pushed out of Ukraine altogether. Their government dissolved for two separate periods, lasting for several months, eventually reforming on 20 November 1918, and 21 December 1919). Eventually, with the support of the Red Army and local Anarchists, the Ukrainian SSR ended up controlling much of Ukrainian territory after the Polish-Soviet Peace of Riga.

On 30 December 1922, along with the Russian, Byelorussian, and Transcaucasian republics, the Ukrainian SSR was one of the founding members of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

In 1932 the Soviet government inflicted one of the largest national catastrophes in modern history of the Ukrainian nation. A man-made famine known as the Holodomor caused a direct loss of human life estimated between 2.6 million^[2][3] to 10 million.^[4]

In September 1939 the Soviet Union invaded Poland, and added Galician lands inhabited by Ukrainians to the territory of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1945, these lands were permanently annexed, and the Transcarpathia region was added as well, by treaty with the post-war administration of Czechoslovakia.

After World War II some amendments to the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR were accepted, which allowed it to act as a separate subject of international law in some cases and to a certain extent, remaining a part of the Soviet Union at the same time. In particular, these amendments allowed the Ukrainian SSR to become one of founding members of the United Nations (UN) together with the Soviet Union and the Byelorussian SSR. This was part of a deal with the United States to ensure a degree of balance in the General Assembly, which, the USSR opined, was unbalanced in favor of the Western Bloc. In its capacity as a member of the UN, the Ukrainian SSR was an elected member of the United Nations Security Council in 1948-1949 and 1984-1985.

The Ukrainian SSR was also the site of the Chornobyl disaster in 1986, when a reactor at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant melted down and exploded, subjecting countless multitudes to radiological effects.

The Ukrainian SSR was officially renamed Ukraine on 24 August 1991. It declared its intention of leaving the Soviet Union the same day, and on 25 December 1991 became fully independent following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Soviet poster in Ukrainian:The unbreakable union of the workers, peasants and intelligentsia is the social base of the USSR.

[edit] Leaders of the Ukrainian SSR

Terms of the leaders of the Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Ukraine, and de facto leaders of the republic:

[edit] Administrative divisions

History of Ukraine

This article is part of a series

Ancient History Trypillian–Cucuteni culture Yamna culture Catacomb culture Cimmeria Taurica Scythia Sarmatia Zarubintsy culture Chernyakhov culture Hunnic Empire

Middle Ages Early East Slavs Onoghuria White Croatia Rus' Khaganate Khazars Kievan Rus' Galicia–Volhynia Cumania Mongol invasion of Rus' Golden Horde Principality of Moldavia Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Cossacks Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Zaporozhian Host Khmelnytsky Uprising The Ruin Cossack Hetmanate Left bank Sloboda Ukraine Right bank Danube

Early Modern Period Russian Empire Little Russia New Russia Habsburg Monarchy Kingdom of Galicia Bukovina Carpathian Ruthenia

Early Twentieth Century Ukraine during World War I Ukraine after the Revolution Ukrainian Civil War Ukrainian People's Republic West Ukrainian National Republic

Soviet Era Ukrainian SSR Holodomor Ukraine in World War II Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Chernobyl

Modern Ukraine Orange Revolution

Topics Name of Ukraine Historical regions Christianity in Ukraine

Ukraine Portal  v • d • e

The administrative divisions of the Ukrainian SSR changed numerous times throughout its 74-year history. The most common administrative division was the oblast (province) of which there were 25 upon the UkSSR's abolishment in 1991. Most of the UkSSR's oblasts still exist as oblasts of independent Ukraine while one changed its status to an autonomous republic. (see map).

Upon the Ukrainian SSR's formation to 1934, the republic's capital was the city of Kharkiv (Rus. Kharkov) located in the east of the republic. In 1934, the capital moved from Kharkiv to Kiev, which remains the capital of Ukraine today.

Other administrative divisions of the Ukrainian SSR included the two Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics which existed during different time periods. The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic existed from 1924-1940 until it was upgraded to that of a constituent Soviet republic in 1940.

The other ASSR was the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic which was formed in 1991 from the former Crimean Oblast, which was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR from the Russian SFSR in 1954. After Ukrainian independence, the Crimean ASSR was renamed the Crimean Autonomous Republic.

[edit] Oblasts

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Look up ukrainian soviet socialist republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "Governments of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic". Government portal. http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control%5Cen%5Cpublish%5Carticle?art_id=1334334&cat_id=1290711. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
• "Constitution of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic" (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 1978. http://gska2.rada.gov.ua/site/const/istoriya/1978.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 

v • d • e Eastern Bloc Annexed as, or into, SSRs Estonia · Latvia · Lithuania · Eastern Poland · Eastern Finland · Moldavia Satellite states People's Republic of Hungary · People's Republic of Poland · Czechoslovak Socialist Republic · Romanian People's Republic/Socialist Republic of Romania · East Germany · People's Republic of Albania (to 1961) · People's Republic of Bulgaria · Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (to 1948) Annexing SSRs Russian SFSR · Ukrainian SSR · Byelorussian SSR Related organizations Cominform · COMECON · Warsaw Pact · WFTU · WFDY Revolts and opposition Uprising of 1953 in East Germany · Poznań 1956 protests · Hungarian Revolution of 1956 · Prague Spring and Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia · Solidarity Cold War events Marshall Plan · Berlin Blockade · Tito-Stalin split · Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 · Berlin Wall Crisis of 1961 Conditions Eastern Bloc emigration and defection · Eastern Bloc information dissemination · Eastern Bloc politics · Eastern Bloc economies · Telephone tapping in the Eastern Bloc · List of Eastern Bloc defectors Decline Revolutions of 1989 · Fall of the Berlin Wall  · Singing Revolution · Collapse of the Soviet Union · Dissolution of Czechoslovakia · January 1991 events in Lithuania · January 1991 events in Latvia