HOME

TheInfoList



OR:


hy, ԽՍՀՄ ձեւավորման մասին պայմանագիր
az, SSRİ-nin formalaşması haqqında müqavilə
ka, ხელშეკრულება სსრკ-ს ფორმირების შესახებ , image = Cover of the 1922 Declaration and Treaty on the Formation of the USSR.jpg , image_width = 234px , caption = , type = Union treaty , date_drafted = , date_signed = 29 December 1922 , location_signed =
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, date_sealed = , date_effective = 30 December 1922 , condition_effective = , date_expiration = 8 December 1991

21 December 1991

26 December 1991
, signatories = *
Mikhail Frunze Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (russian: Михаил Васильевич Фрунзе; ro, Mihail Frunză; 2 February 1885 – 31 October 1925) was a Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Born in the modern-day ...
*
Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин ; 3 June 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych", was a Soviet politician and Old Bolshevik revolutionary. He served as head of st ...
*
Grigory Petrovsky Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky (russian: Григо́рий Ива́нович Петро́вский, uk, Григо́рій Іва́нович Петро́вський, translit=Hryhorii Ivanovych Petrovskyi) (3 February 1878 - 9 January 1958) wa ...
*
Aleksandr Chervyakov Alexander Grigoryevich Chervyakov (Aliaksandr Charviakou, be, Аляксандр Рыгоравіч Чарвякоў, ''Aliaksandr Ryhoravič Čarviakoŭ'' russian: Александр Григорьевич Червяков, ''Aleksandr Grigor'ev ...
*
Mikhail Tskhakaya Mikhail Grigoryevich Tskhakaya ( ka, მიხეილ გრიგოლის ძე ცხაკაია, russian: Михаил Григорьевич Цхакая; 4 May 1865 — 19 March 1950), also known as Barsov, was a Georgian revolution ...
, parties = * * * * , depositor = , languages =
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
, website = , wikisource = The Declaration and Treaty on the Formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (russian: Декларация и договор об образовании Союза Советских Социалистических Республик) officially created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly known as the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. It ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
'' legalised a
political union A political union is a type of polity, political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These administrative subdivision, smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal ...
of several
Soviet republics The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...
that had existed since 1919 and created a new federal government whose key functions were
centralised Centralisation or centralization (see spelling differences) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, framing strategy and policies become concentrated within a particu ...
in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. Its
legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...
consisted of the Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union and the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union (''TsIK''), while the
Council of People's Commissars The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...
composed the
executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...
. The Treaty, along with the Declaration of the Creation of the USSR was approved on 30 December 1922 by a conference of delegations from the
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, the
Transcaucasian SFSR , conventional_long_name = Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic , common_name = Transcaucasian SFSR , p1 = Armenian Soviet Socialist RepublicArmenian SSR , flag_p1 = Flag of SSRA ...
, the
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
and the
Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор ...
. The Treaty and the Declaration were confirmed by the
First All-Union Congress of Soviets The First All-Union Congress of Soviets was a congress of representatives of Soviets of workers, peasants and Red Army deputies, held on December 30, 1922 in Moscow. The congress was attended by 2215 delegates (1727 from the Russian Socialist Fed ...
and signed by heads of delegations
Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин ; 3 June 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych", was a Soviet politician and Old Bolshevik revolutionary. He served as head of st ...
,
Mikhail Tskhakaya Mikhail Grigoryevich Tskhakaya ( ka, მიხეილ გრიგოლის ძე ცხაკაია, russian: Михаил Григорьевич Цхакая; 4 May 1865 — 19 March 1950), also known as Barsov, was a Georgian revolution ...
, and
Grigory Petrovsky Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky (russian: Григо́рий Ива́нович Петро́вский, uk, Григо́рій Іва́нович Петро́вський, translit=Hryhorii Ivanovych Petrovskyi) (3 February 1878 - 9 January 1958) wa ...
,
Alexander Chervyakov Alexander Grigoryevich Chervyakov (Aliaksandr Charviakou, be, Аляксандр Рыгоравіч Чарвякоў, ''Aliaksandr Ryhoravič Čarviakoŭ'' russian: Александр Григорьевич Червяков, ''Aleksandr Grigor'ev ...
respectively on December 30, 1922. The treaty provided flexibility to admit new members. Therefore, by 1940 the Soviet Union grew from the founding four (or six, depending on whether 1922 or 1940 definitions are applied) republics to 15 republics. On 8 December 1991, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian presidents signed the
Belovezha Accords The Belovezh Accords ( be, Белавежскае пагадненне, link=no, russian: Беловежские соглашения, link=no, uk, Біловезькі угоди, link=no) are accords forming the agreement declaring that the ...
. The agreement declared the dissolution of the USSR by its founder states (denunciation of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR) and established the
Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
(CIS). On 10 December, the accord was ratified by the
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
and Belarusian parliaments. On 12 December, the agreement was ratified by the
Russian Parliament The Federal Assembly ( rus, Федера́льное Собра́ние, r=Federalnoye Sobraniye, p=fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnəjə sɐˈbranʲɪjə) is the national legislature of the Russian Federation, according to the Constitution of the Russian F ...
, therefore the Russian SFSR renounced the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR and ''
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' declared Russia's independence from the USSR. On 26 December 1991, the USSR was self-dissolved by the ''Council of the Republics'' of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, the first house of Soviet legislature (the second house, the ''
Council of the Union The Soviet of the Union (russian: Сове́т Сою́за - ''Sovet Soyuza'') was the lower chamber of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot ...
'', was without a
quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
).


Background

The treaty's text was prepared by a commission of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union,  – TsK KPSS was the executive leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, acting between sessions of Congress. According to party statutes, the committee direct ...
(at that time the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)). The treaty was a result of many internal political conflicts within the
Bolshevik Party " Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...
and governments inside the Union. Initially,
Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
did not see that Russia's
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
would end all foreign borders as such. That view was supported by
Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...
and his followers, who believed that Russia was only a first step in a future
world revolution World revolution is the Marxist concept of overthrowing capitalism in all countries through the conscious revolutionary action of the organized working class. For theorists, these revolutions will not necessarily occur simultaneously, but whe ...
. However, as the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
approached the edges of the former
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
and its borders (including the newly-created borders of areas that had declared independence after the October Revolution), it needed an excuse to cross them. One such method was a creation of an alternative government, a Soviet Republic, which would then take over authority as the Red Army ousted the existing government. That was the case with
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, Armenia and Azerbaijan and failed campaigns such as in the Baltic States and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. Alternatively, it would use the presence of a minority to undermine the standing army (such as the establishment
Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary
is an umbrella term for different
and Bashkir autonomies) and, where there was no national minority, a government based on geographical locale – Far Eastern Republic,
Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...
. However, the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
's ultimate failure in the
Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...
placed the Bolshevik world revolution plans on hold. Simultaneously, the growing figure of
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
pursued a different
agenda Agenda may refer to: Information management * Agenda (meeting), points to be discussed and acted upon, displayed as a list * Political agenda, the set of goals of an ideological group * Lotus Agenda, a DOS-based personal information manager * Pers ...
. Lenin himself saw the creation of national republics as a permanent feature in line with his ''
korenizatsiya Korenizatsiya ( rus, wikt:коренизация, коренизация, p=kərʲɪnʲɪˈzatsɨjə, , "indigenization") was an early policy of the Soviet Union for the integration of non-Russian nationalities into the governments of their speci ...
'' policies. In spring of 1922, Lenin suffered his first stroke, and Stalin, still being a
People's Commissar for Nationalities The People's Commissariat of Nationalities of the RSFSR (, ''Narodny komissariat po delam natsional'nostey RSFSR''), abbreviated NKNats () or Narkomnats (), an organisation functioning from 1917 to 1924 in the early Soviet period of Russian and Sov ...
, gained a new official chair as the
General Secretary of the Communist Party General Secretary or First Secretary is the official title of leaders of most communist parties. When a communist party is the ruling party in a Communist-led one-party state, the General Secretary is typically the country's ''de facto'' leader—th ...
. Stalin argued that, because the
Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
had now concluded and
war communism War communism or military communism (russian: Военный коммунизм, ''Voyennyy kommunizm'') was the economic and political system that existed in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1921. According to Soviet histo ...
had been replaced by the
New Economic Policy The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...
, it was necessary to reorganise the Bolshevik state into a single sovereign entity, so that its legal ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
'' framework would match its ''
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' condition. That process would require the liquidation of the many splinter Soviet governments and the restoration of supreme rule to Moscow. In January 1922,
Georgy Chicherin Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin (24 November 1872 – 7 July 1936), also spelled Tchitcherin, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and a Soviet politician who served as the first People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs in the Soviet government from ...
, the then
People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs The Ministry of External Relations (MER) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (russian: Министерство иностранных дел СССР) was founded on 6 July 1923. It had three names during its existence: People's Co ...
, sent an official inquiry to the authorities of the Russian SFSR about the possibility of representing the legal interests of other republics. Stalin took the position that the Russian SFSR should represent the other republics in the field of foreign policy (including at the
Genoa conference The Genoa Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of 34 nations held in Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922 that was planned by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George to resolve the major economic and political issues faci ...
in 1922), although there was no legal act that would grant it such powers. The first talks between the authorities of individual republics on the drafting of the treaty began in August 1922. The line went directly in conflict with both proponents of ''
korenizatsiya Korenizatsiya ( rus, wikt:коренизация, коренизация, p=kərʲɪnʲɪˈzatsɨjə, , "indigenization") was an early policy of the Soviet Union for the integration of non-Russian nationalities into the governments of their speci ...
'' and some of the local governments, most notably in Ukraine (where it was opposed by
Christian Rakovsky Christian Georgievich Rakovsky (russian: Христиа́н Гео́ргиевич Рако́вский; bg, Кръстьо Георги́ев Рако́вски; – September 11, 1941) was a Bulgarian-born socialist revolutionary, a Bolshevi ...
) and Georgia (where the dispute gave rise to the Georgian Affair). Thus, the treaty can be viewed as a compromise between the different groups within the Bolshevik camp to satisfy the aspirations of large minorities (the named examples of Georgia and Ukraine) and also to allow for potential expansion, as well. Byelorussia was the smallest republic, but its official languages included
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
and
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
in addition to Russian and Belarusian to undermine the authority of the neighbouring
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
and to use its sizeable Jewish minority, as well as the Belarusians and
Ukrainians in Poland Ukrainians in Poland have various legal statuses: ethnic minority, temporary and permanent residents, and refugees. According to the Polish census of 2011, the Ukrainian minority in Poland was composed of approximately 51,000 people (including ...
as a future
fifth column A fifth column is any group of people who undermine a larger group or nation from within, usually in favor of an enemy group or another nation. According to Harris Mylonas and Scott Radnitz, "fifth columns" are “domestic actors who work to un ...
. At the same time, it created a new centralised federal government in which key functions would clearly be in the hands of Moscow.


List of preceding treaties

* 30 September 1920, Military and Economical Union Treaty (Russian SFSR and Azerbaijan SSR). * 28 December 1920, Workers-Peasant Union Treaty (Russian SFSR and Ukrainian SSR). * 16 January 1921, Workers-Peasant Union Treaty (Russian SFSR and Belarusian SSR).


Content

The original document included a cover sheet, the declaration, the treaty (containing the preface and 26 articles) and the signatures of the delegations that signed it. In the cover sheet, the title ''Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'' was typed in
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
, French,
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, as well as the actual words ''Treaty on the Formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'' also in those four languages. It contained the original
state emblem of the Soviet Union The State Emblem of the Soviet Union; be, Дзяржаўны герб СССР; kk, ССРО мемлекеттік елтаңбасы; lt, TSRS Valstybinis herbas; lv, PSRS valsts ģerbonis; et, NSVL riigivapp} was adopted in 1923 and was ...
. The
declaration Declaration may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Declaration'' (book), a self-published electronic pamphlet by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri * ''The Declaration'' (novel), a 2008 children's novel by Gemma Malley Music ...
was written as a reflection on contemporary
international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...
and why the treaty was necessary. According to the narrative, there are now two distinct camps, an "exploiting"
capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
with
colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
,
chauvinism Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotis ...
and
social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...
and
ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
inequalities and a "free"
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
one with mutual trust, peace and international cooperation and solidarity. The former sought to destroy the latter, but because of the common good that the latter is based on, the former has failed. The declaration goes on and lists three factors as to why this Union is a necessary step. First of all, the aftermath of the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
left many of the republics' economies destroyed, and rebuilding in the new socialist fashion is proving difficult without closer economic cooperation. Secondly, foreign threats continue to loom over the socialist camp, and its sovereignty requires an alliance for defence. Finally, the ideological factor, that the Soviet rule is
internationalist Internationalist may refer to: * Internationalism (politics), a movement to increase cooperation across national borders * Liberal internationalism, a doctrine in international relations * Internationalist/Defencist Schism, socialists opposed to ...
in nature and pushes the working masses to unite in a single socialist family. These three factors justify in uniting in a single state that would guarantee prosperity, security and development. Finally the declaration then specifies that the resultant Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is one that is created on free will of the peoples, that its purpose follows the ideals of the
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
, that each and every socialist republic has the right to join and leave the Union at its own will, and hinting at the Soviet foreign policy of socialist
irredentism Irredentism is usually understood as a desire that one state annexes a territory of a neighboring state. This desire is motivated by ethnic reasons (because the population of the territory is ethnically similar to the population of the parent sta ...
(see
World revolution World revolution is the Marxist concept of overthrowing capitalism in all countries through the conscious revolutionary action of the organized working class. For theorists, these revolutions will not necessarily occur simultaneously, but whe ...
), finishes stating that the treaty ''...will serve a decisive step on the path of unification of all workers into a "World Socialist Soviet Republic".'' Following the declaration, is the treaty itself consisting of a preface and 26 articles. * In the preface it is fixed that the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, the
Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
, the
Byelorussian Socialist Soviet Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор ...
and the
Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic , conventional_long_name = Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic , common_name = Transcaucasian SFSR , p1 = Armenian Soviet Socialist RepublicArmenian SSR , flag_p1 = Flag of SSRA ...
(containing
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
,
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
and
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
) acting in free will, agree to form a single
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, that is governed on articles listed in the treaty. * Article 1 lists the competency of the responsibilities that the Union's authorities would contain. These include all foreign affairs; international treaties; change in external borders; expansion of the Union by accepting new republics; declaring war and agreeing to peace; foreign and domestic trade; authority over economic development; creating unified postal and transport services; the armed forces; internal migration; creation of single judiciary, education and healthcare services as well as unifying all units of measurement. All of the above would be thus explicitly controlled directly by the Union's authority. Moreover, the final clause explicitly listed, that the Union's authorities could now overturn acts of all Republics' authorities (be it Congresses of Soviets, Soviets of People's Commissars or Central Executive Committees) that were deemed in violation with regard to this Treaty. * Articles 2–10 determined the structure of supreme authorities of the Union. The legislative authority, according to the treaty, was the Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union and between the congresses, this was to be carried out by the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union (TsIK) (2). The delegates to the Congress are to be elected by local Soviets represented by one elected representative from 25,000 voters in urban areas and one per 125,000 voters in rural areas (3). The Congress delegates would be elected by local Guberniya Soviets, rather than Republican ones (4). The congresses would be held annually or may be summoned by requests of at least two Republics' or the Union's TsIK (5). The TsIK would be the main body to carry out executive functions between the congresses. This TsiK was a 371-person body, whose members were proportionally represented to the population of the Union, and elected by the Congress (6). The Union TsIK would meet four times per annum on a regular basis, whilst irregular sessions can be summoned on demand by the Union government (the
Council of People's Commissars The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...
) or by one of the constituent Republics (7). The Congress and the TsIK would be held in the capitals of the Union Republics in the order that would be decided by TsIK's Presidium (8). The latter was to be appointed by TsIK, that would be the supreme power organ between its sessions (9). This Presidium would consist of nineteen members, with four chairmen, each representing the four republics (10). The Presidium also had the authority to summon an irregular session of TsIK. * Article 11 appointed the
executive authority The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ba ...
, the
Council of People's Commissars The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...
(SNK). The council's members were appointed by TsIK, and included ten portfolios (commissariats) as well as a chairmen and his deputies. * Article 12 specified the functions of the
Supreme Court of the Soviet Union The Supreme Court of the Soviet Union (russian: Верховный Суд СССР) was the highest court of the Soviet Union during its existence. The Supreme Court of the USSR included a Military Collegium and other elements which were not typic ...
(under control of TsIK) and the secret police, the OGPU (under control of the SNK, and the OGPU chairman was to be a participant of the SNK with advisory vote). The creation of these two bodies was justified as ''measures to overcome criminal and counter-revolutionary elements'' in that very article. * Articles 13–17 specified the framework on the legal proceedings between the Union's supreme bodies (the TsIK and the SNK) and those of each republic. All of the decrees by Union's SNK were effective in every republic (13). Also confirmed, was the multilingual aspect of the Union, specifying that all of the Union's decrees are to printed in the official language of each constituent republic (
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
,
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
, Belarusian,
Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
,
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
and '' Turkic'' (i.e. Azerbaijani)) (14). It was specified that the Union's SNK resolution may only be overruled by the Union's TsIK or its Presidium (16), and if a republican TsIK chooses to protest the resolution or a decree of the Union's TsIK, the protest itself does not halt the implementation of the document (15). The latter is only possible if there are obvious violations with existing laws, and in such cases, the republic must immediately notify the Union's SNK and the relevant commissariat (17). * Article 18 listed the authorities that would be retained by the Republics and specified their respective Councils of People's Commissars, each to have a chairman, his deputies, eleven portfolios and representatives with advisory votes of several Union-level commissariats, in particular foreign affairs, defence, foreign trade, transport and logistics. * At the same time article 19 specified that republican-level organs, the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy (whose chairman was to also have a full seat in the relevant republican SNK), the commissariats for food supply, finance and labour, as well as the Soviet inspection (the
Rabkrin The People's Commissariat of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspection, also known as Rabkrin (; РКИ, RKI; Workers' and Peasants' Inspectorate, WPI) was a governmental establishment in the Soviet Union of ministerial level (people's commissariat) re ...
) though subjugated to the Republican authorities, their activities were to be regulated by the Union's TsIK. * Article 20 discussed that the budgets of the Republics would form the Union's budget and that all expenses and spendings by the Republics would be determined by the Union's TsIK. Moreover, the latter would also determine the share of profits, if any, that each Republic would receive. * Articles 21–23 created a single Soviet citizenship (21), state symbolism (
flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
,
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
and a
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
– 22), and specified the Union's capital in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(23). * Article 24 demanded that the republics amended their constitutions with regard to the treaty. * Article 25 specified that any amendments, additions or changes to the treaty may be done only by the Union's Congress of Soviets. * Article 26 affirmed the clause in the declaration where each republic has the right to leave the Union.


Signatories

* RSFSR delegation (19):
Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин ; 3 June 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych", was a Soviet politician and Old Bolshevik revolutionary. He served as head of st ...
,
Dmitry Kursky Dmitry Ivanovich Kursky (russian: Дми́трий Ива́нович Ку́рский; – 20 December 1932) was a Russian Soviet jurist and statesman. Kursky joined the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1904. ...
,
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
,
Jānis Rudzutaks Jānis Rudzutaks (russian: Ян Эрнестович Рудзутак, Yan Ernestovich Rudzutak; – 29 July 1938) was a Latvian Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet politician. He was executed during the Great Purge. Early life Rudzutaks was ...
,
Avel Yenukidze Avel Safronovich Yenukidze ( ka, აბელ ენუქიძე, ''Abel Enukidze'', ; russian: А́вель Сафронович Енуки́дзе; – 30 October 1937) was a prominent Georgian " Old Bolshevik" and, at one point, a member o ...
, Ekabs Jansons,
Alexei Rykov Alexei Ivanovich Rykov (25 February 188115 March 1938) was a Russian Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet politician and statesman, most prominent as premier of Russia and the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1929 and 1924 to 1930 respectively. He wa ...
,
Georgy Pyatakov Georgy (Yury) Leonidovich Pyatakov (russian: Гео́ргий Леони́дович Пятако́в; 6 August 1890 – 30 January 1937) was a leader of the Bolsheviks and a key Soviet politician during and after the 1917 Russian Revolution ...
,
Nariman Narimanov Nariman Karbalayi Najaf oghlu Narimanov ( az, Nəriman Kərbəlayi Nəcəf oğlu Nərimanov, russian: Нарима́н Кербелаи Наджа́ф оглы Нарима́нов; – 19 March 1925) was an Azerbaijani Bolshevik revolutionary, w ...
, Sahib-Garei Said-Galiev, A.Dushbaev * UkrSSR delegation (23):
Grigory Petrovsky Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky (russian: Григо́рий Ива́нович Петро́вский, uk, Григо́рій Іва́нович Петро́вський, translit=Hryhorii Ivanovych Petrovskyi) (3 February 1878 - 9 January 1958) wa ...
, Aleksandr Serbichenko, Aleksandr Remeiko, I.Bugai, M.Smirnov, Konstantin Guly, Ivan Klimenko, Pashkovsky, Nikolay Pakhomov, Vasyl Poraiko, V.Vetoshkin, K.Manuilsky * TSFSR delegation (27):
Gazanfar Musabekov Gazanfar Mahmud oghlu Musabeyov or Musabekov ( az, Qəzənfər Mahmud oğlu Musabəyov, , Perebidil, Baku Governorate - 9 February 1938, Moscow) was an Azerbaijani Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet statesman. He was Chairman of the Central Exe ...
,
Filipp Makharadze Filipp Yeseyevich Makharadze ( ka, ფილიპე მახარაძე, russian: Филипп Махарадзе; 9 March 1868 – 10 December 1941) was a Georgian Bolshevik revolutionary and government official. Life Born in the villag ...
, Sargis Hambardzumyan,
Sahak Ter-Gabrielyan Sahak Mirzayi Ter-Gabrielyan ( hy, Սահակ Միրզայի Տեր-Գաբրիելյան; 1886 – 19 August 1937) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet Armenian statesman. Born in Shushi to the family of a tailor, he became a member of the ...
,
Sergei Kirov Sergei Mironovich Kirov (né Kostrikov; 27 March 1886 – 1 December 1934) was a Soviet politician and Bolshevik revolutionary whose assassination led to the first Great Purge. Kirov was an early revolutionary in the Russian Empire and membe ...
, M.Kuliev,
Levon Mirzoyan Levon Isayevich Mirzoyan ( hy, Լևոն Եսայիի Միրզոյան; russian: Левон Исаевич Мирзоян) (14 November 1897 – 26 February 1939) was the Secretary of the Communist Party of the Azeri SSR from 21 January 1926 to 5 ...
, Aleksandr Dzhatiev * BSSR delegation (17):
Alexander Chervyakov Alexander Grigoryevich Chervyakov (Aliaksandr Charviakou, be, Аляксандр Рыгоравіч Чарвякоў, ''Aliaksandr Ryhoravič Čarviakoŭ'' russian: Александр Григорьевич Червяков, ''Aleksandr Grigor'ev ...
,
Waclaw Bogucki Wacław Bogucki (russian: Вацлав Антонович Богуцкий; 1884 19 December 1937) was a Polish revolutionary, Soviet politician and high-ranking official of Communist International who served as the First Secretary of the Commu ...
, Jānis Fabriciuss, Liokumovich **Note: listed are names signatures of which were recognized; in parenthesis is a total number of representatives


Immediate aftermath


Politics

Initially, the treaty did little to alter the major political spectrum. Most of the governing positions of the RSFSR's supreme organs were automatically transferred to those of the USSR. For example, Lenin's position as chairman of RSFSR's
Council of People's Commissars The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...
(SNK), which he held since the Revolution, would now to be transformed as the Chairman of the Union's SNK. However, as Lenin remained ill from the stroke, both of his chairs would be occupied by
Alexei Rykov Alexei Ivanovich Rykov (25 February 188115 March 1938) was a Russian Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet politician and statesman, most prominent as premier of Russia and the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1929 and 1924 to 1930 respectively. He wa ...
as acting head of the government.
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
's position as
General Secretary of the Communist Party General Secretary or First Secretary is the official title of leaders of most communist parties. When a communist party is the ruling party in a Communist-led one-party state, the General Secretary is typically the country's ''de facto'' leader—th ...
was also unchanged. However, the party's position was. Prior to the treaty, the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) (RKP(b)) had its own bureaus to oversee activities in distant regions such as the Turkestani Bureau, the Transcaucasian Bureau etc. After the Treaty, the party was reorganised as the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks) (VKP(b) – V for Vsesoyuznaya, the All-Union). Although the republics' parties remained, Russia's party retained its ''
primus inter pares ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their sen ...
'' position but also officially took over as a supreme authority in the USSR.


Central Asia

One area in which the Soviet division of power was not resolved during the treaty's signing was
Soviet Central Asia Soviet Central Asia (russian: link=no, Советская Средняя Азия, Sovetskaya Srednyaya Aziya) was the part of Central Asia administered by the Soviet Union between 1918 and 1991, when the Central Asian republics declared ind ...
, which contained several problems. A major battleground during the
Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
, the region would remain unstable after it.
Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...
had come under Russian control fairly recently, between 1867 and 1885. Moreover, unlike other ethnic borders of the former
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, which were delimited during the Tsarist days (for example,
Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...
lost its feudal administration by the mid-19th century), the Soviet authorities inherited two provinces that were ''de jure'' never part of Russia proper, the
Emirate of Bukhara The Emirate of Bukhara ( fa, , Amārat-e Bokhārā, chg, , Bukhārā Amirligi) was a Muslim polity in Central Asia that existed from 1785 to 1920 in what is modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. It occupied the lan ...
and the
Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva ( chg, ''Khivâ Khânligi'', fa, ''Khânât-e Khiveh'', uz, Xiva xonligi, tk, Hywa hanlygy) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm in Central Asia from 1511 to 1920, except fo ...
. During the Russian Civil War, they shared the fate of the other republics, but even there, their special status was preserved, and they were established as the Bukharan and
Khorezm People's Soviet Republic The Khorezm People's Soviet Republic ( uz, Хоразм Халқ Совет Республикаси; rus, Хорезмская Народная Советская Республика, r=Khorezmskaya Narodnaya Sovetskaya Respublika) was the st ...
s. Despite
Mikhail Frunze Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (russian: Михаил Васильевич Фрунзе; ro, Mihail Frunză; 2 February 1885 – 31 October 1925) was a Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Born in the modern-day ...
's victories, the conflict was ongoing, and whole provinces were under control of the Basmachi movement in 1922. To settle the issue, in line with the ''
korenizatsiya Korenizatsiya ( rus, wikt:коренизация, коренизация, p=kərʲɪnʲɪˈzatsɨjə, , "indigenization") was an early policy of the Soviet Union for the integration of non-Russian nationalities into the governments of their speci ...
'' policy a massive programme of
national delimitation in Central Asia National delimitation in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was the process of specifying well-defined national territorial units (Soviet socialist republics SR autonomous Soviet socialist republics SSR autonomous oblasts rovinces raions ...
was undertaken. On October 27, 1924, TsIK issued a decree where the former Bukharan, Khivan People's Republics as well as the RSFSR's
Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...
were re-organized as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, Uzbek SSR and the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, Turkmen SSR, both of whom became full Union Republics on 13 May 1925. The borders of the new republics matched the ethnic ones, and Uzbekistan initially also contained a newly-formed Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which would be elevated to a full Union Republic on October 16, 1929, to become the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Tajik SSR.


Soviet Constitution

In January 1924, the Second Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union, that was called in accordance to the treaty ratified the first 1924 Soviet Constitution. The constitution's text is essentially the rewritten and expanded treaty. It even contains the same declaration. The treaty had 26 articles, but the constitution had eleven chapters and 72 articles.


Aftermath and legality

In Ukraine the treaty was approved by the Seventh All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets in December 1922 by adopting the Declaration on the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Statement about Principles of the Constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Some experts argue that the original Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, ceased to exist as such, upon the adoption of the 1936 Soviet Constitution on 5 December 1936, which greatly altered the internal arrangement and reorganised the Soviet Union from a confederation into a more centralized federal country. Instead of the Congress of Soviets, the new constitution created a permanent parliament, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, Supreme Soviet. It also tied together most of the authorities and most significantly affirmed the role of the Communist Party as the "driving force" behind the Soviet Union's working masses. With regard to the original Treaty, the adoption of the Constitution re-organised the make-up of the Union moving from seven to eleven SSRs. On December 5, 1936, the Transcaucasian SFSR was broken into Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian and Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijani SSRs. The same day, two of RSFSR's autonomies, the Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic, Kazak and the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirghiz ASSRs, were re-organised as full republics.


1940

In a prelude to World War II, several new republics were created before the 1941 Operation Barbarossa, German invasion of the Soviet Union. The first was the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic, Karelo-Finnish SSR, which on 31 March 1940 was elevated to a union republic from the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Karelian ASSR, previously part of the RSFSR. After the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1940), annexation of Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were transformed into the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian SSR (July 13), Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Latvian SSR (July 21) and Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Estonian SSR (also July 21) and were formally adjoined to the Soviet Union on 3, 5 and 6 August respectively. The final republic was the Moldovian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavian SSR, which merged the large territory of Bessarabia with the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavian ASSR, previously part of the Ukrainian SSR. After World War II, no new republics were established. Instead, the Karello-Finnish SSR was downgraded into an autonomous republic and reannexed by the RSFSR on July 16, 1956.


Annulment

On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the Ukrainian and Belorussian SSRs, and the RSFSR met Belavezha Accords, to agree on the annulment of the 1922 treaty. 4 days later, the Russian parliament adopted a relevant resolution, effectively Dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolving the USSR.


Discussion about the validity of the treaty at the time of the collapse of the USSR

The Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Ruslan Khasbulatov, who signed the decree on the denunciation of the Union Treaty, subsequently stated that the treaty ceased to exist as a state legal document with the adoption of the first Constitution of the USSR in 1924. There is no consensus among Russian lawyers about the effect of the Union Treaty of 1922 at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Doctor of Law Petr Kremnev believes that the treaty had an international legal character and was in effect from the moment of its adoption until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. A diametrically opposite position is taken by Dmitry Lukashevich, candidate of legal sciences, who considers the Union Treaty of 1922 to be a constituent act of domestic legal nature. He makes the following arguments: "The treaty on the formation of the USSR in 1922 was not an international legal, but a constituent act of a domestic nature. The function of this treaty is only to establish the state, and not to legitimize its existence. Just as it is impossible to liquidate a legal entity by terminating the agreement on its establishment or to liquidate an entire state by simply denouncing the treaty establishing it. At the same time, the treaty was not, in the proper sense, an agreement on the creation of a state, but was only a part of the future Constitution [1924], and, finally, the Treaty on the formation of the USSR in 1922 was originally conceived as part of this constitution being developed, and therefore, it was simply impossible to denounce "or otherwise terminate it in December 1991." On March 15, 1996, the State Duma of the Russian Federation expressed its legal position in relation to the decision of the Supreme Soviet of Russia, Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR in "The denunciation of the Treaty establishing the Soviet Union" as the wrongful, unconstitutional act passed by a grave violation of the Constitution of the RSFSR, the norms of international law and then in force legislation.ПОСТАНОВЛЕНИЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ДУМЫ ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОГО СОБРАНИЯ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ


Timeline

* December 21, 1922 – Treaty signed. * December 30, 1922 – Treaty ratified. * October 27, 1924 – Uzbek and Turkmen populated regions of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Turkestan ASSR (previously of RSFSR) and liquidated republics of Bukharan People's Soviet Republic, Bukhara and Khorezm People's Soviet Republic, Khorezm, that supported Basmachi movement, elevated into union republics. * October 16, 1929 – Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Tajik SSR created from the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Tajik ASSR (part of the Uzbek SSR in 1924–29). * December 5, 1936 – Adoption of the 1936 Soviet Constitution, 1936 Constitution: ** Split of the
Transcaucasian SFSR , conventional_long_name = Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic , common_name = Transcaucasian SFSR , p1 = Armenian Soviet Socialist RepublicArmenian SSR , flag_p1 = Flag of SSRA ...
into its former federal subjects Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian and Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijani SSRs. ** Elevation of the RSFSR-administered autonomous republics of Kazakh and Kirgiz people into the union republics of Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kazakh and Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirghiz people. * March 31, 1940 – In the aftermath of the Winter War, the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Karelian ASSR and the territories ceded by Finland (Finnish Democratic Republic) were merged into the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic, Karelo-Finnish SSR. * August 1940 – Occupation of the Baltic states by the USSR followed by their annexation: ** August 3, 1940 – Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian SSR was incorporated into the USSR. ** August 5, 1940 – Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Latvian SSR was incorporated into the USSR. ** August 6, 1940 – Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Estonian SSR was incorporated into the USSR. * August 24, 1940 – Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavian SSR created from the Ukrainian administered Moldavian ASSR and annexed Romanian territory of Bessarabia. * July 16, 1956 – Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic, Karelo-Finnish SSR downgraded into an autonomous republic and re-annexed by RSFSR, while RSFSR also kept the annexed Finnish territories during the Finnish–Soviet conflicts (so called Winter and Continuation wars). * 1988–91 – the Novo-Ogorevo process (failed reformation into the Union of Sovereign States) and "Parade of sovereignties" as wider factors contributing to the dissolution of the Soviet Union ** March 14, 1990 – removal of exclusive rights of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from the constitution (process of "Demokratizatsiya (Soviet Union), demokratizatsiya") ** June 12, 1990 – ratification of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
by the Congress of People's Deputies of Russia, while membership in the United Nations it reserved of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
; the ratification of the declaration is celebrated as the Russia Day since 1992 * August 19–22, 1991 – the August Coup (a failed coup attempt) by members the conservative faction of the CPSU to stop the Novo-Ogorevo process, banning of the CPSU as the party that led to the coup, many republics declare independence as the aftermath * December 8, 1991 – Belavezha Accords, Treaty termination agreed by three of the four founding republics as the fourth founding member, the
Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic , conventional_long_name = Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic , common_name = Transcaucasian SFSR , p1 = Armenian Soviet Socialist RepublicArmenian SSR , flag_p1 = Flag of SSRA ...
, was dissolved back in 1936. * December 21, 1991 – Alma-Ata Protocol, Another declaration is signed with the rest of the former Union (except Georgia and the Baltic states), terminating the Treaty. * December 25, 1991 – President of the Soviet Union, President Gorbachev resigns and declares his office extinct. After his televised speech ends, the Soviet flag is lowered from the Moscow Kremlin, after which it is replaced by the flag of Russia. * December 26, 1991 – Treaty terminated.


See also

*New Union Treaty


References


See also

* Bibliography of the Russian Revolution and Civil War


External links


Original scan
{{Authority control Treaties of the Soviet Union 1922 in the Soviet Union Treaties concluded in 1922 Treaties entered into force in 1922 Treaties of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Treaties of republics of the Soviet Union Treaties of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 1922 establishments in the Soviet Union Foundations of countries, USSR 1920s in Moscow December 1922 events