Treaty on the Creation of the USSR
Encyclopedia
The Treaty on the Creation of the USSR is a document that legalized the creation of a union of several Soviet republic
s in the form of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
. The Declaration of the Creation of the USSR was also issued; it may be considered a political preamble to the Treaty.
On December 29, 1922, a conference of delegations from the Russian SFSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR
, the Ukrainian SSR
and the Byelorussian SSR
approved the Treaty of Creation of the USSR and the Declaration of the Creation of the USSR, these two documents were confirmed by the 1st Congress of Soviets
of the USSR and signed by heads of delegations - Mikhail Kalinin
, Mikhail Tskhakaya, Mikhail Frunze
and Grigory Petrovsky
, Aleksandr Chervyakov
respectively on December 30, 1922.
Successive republics were formed by separate amendments to the treaty.
and Turkmen
Soviet Socialist Republics, which on October 27, 1924, were separated from Turkestanian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the RSFSR. Following this, the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, formerly part of the Uzbek SSR was elevated to a union republic on October 16, 1929, becoming the Tajik SSR
.
The Transcaucasian SFSR existed until December 5, 1936, when it was broken into Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani SSRs. The same day Turkestanian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the RSFSR ceased to exist, and its territory was divided between the new Kazakh and Kirghiz SSRs.
, several new republics were created prior to the German invasion of USSR
in 1941. First was the Karelo-Finnish SSR, which on March 31, 1940 was elevated to a union republic from the Karelian ASSR
, previously part of the RSFSR.
After the annexation of Baltic states, Lithuania
, Latvia
and Estonia
were transformed into the Lithuanian SSR
(July 13), Latvian SSR
(July 21) and Estonian SSR (also July 21), and were formally adjoined to the Soviet Union on August 3, August 5 and August 6, respectively. The final republic was the Moldovian SSR that merged the large territory of Bessarabia
with the Moldovian ASSR previously part of the Ukrainian SSR.
After the War, no new republics were established, instead the Karello-Finnish SSR was downgraded into an autonomous republic and re-annexed by the RSFSR on July 16, 1956.
On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the Ukrainian and Belorussian SSRs, and the RSFSR met to agree on the annulment of the 1922 treaty, which was terminated on December 25, 1991, effectively dissolving the USSR.
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 the RSFSR "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.
Soviet republic (system of government)
A Soviet Republic is a system of government in which the whole state power belongs to the Soviets . Although the term is usually associated with communist states, it was not initially intended to represent only one political force, but merely a form of democracy and representation.In the classic...
s in the form of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The Declaration of the Creation of the USSR was also issued; it may be considered a political preamble to the Treaty.
On December 29, 1922, a conference of delegations from the Russian SFSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR
Transcaucasian SFSR
The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic , also known as the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the TSFSR for short, was a short-lived republic of the Soviet Union, lasting from 1922 to 1936...
, the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
and the Byelorussian SSR
Byelorussian SSR
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union. It was one of the four original founding members of the Soviet Union in 1922, together with the Ukrainian SSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
approved the Treaty of Creation of the USSR and the Declaration of the Creation of the USSR, these two documents were confirmed by the 1st Congress of Soviets
Congress of Soviets
The Congress of Soviets was the supreme governing body of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and several other Soviet republics from 1917–36 and again from 1989-91. After the creation of the Soviet Union, the Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union functioned as its legislative branch...
of the USSR and signed by heads of delegations - Mikhail Kalinin
Mikhail Kalinin
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin , known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych," was a Bolshevik revolutionary and the nominal head of state of Russia and later of the Soviet Union, from 1919 to 1946...
, Mikhail Tskhakaya, Mikhail Frunze
Mikhail Frunze
Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze was a Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917.-Life and Political Activity:Frunze was born in Bishkek, then a small Imperial Russian garrison town in the Kyrgyz part of Turkestan, to a Moldovan medical practitioner and his Russian wife...
and Grigory Petrovsky
Grigory Petrovsky
Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky was one of the most prominent Russian revolutionaries of Ukrainian origin, who was the Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR from December 30, 1922, to January 12, 1938....
, Aleksandr Chervyakov
Aleksandr Chervyakov
Aleksandr Grigoryevich Chervyakov was one of the founders and eventually became the leader of the Communist Party of Belorussia.He joined the Bolshevik Party in May 1917, and began to gain power quickly...
respectively on December 30, 1922.
Successive republics were formed by separate amendments to the treaty.
1922 – 1940
The first such examples were the UzbekUzbek SSR
The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Uzbek SSR for short, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union since its creation in 1924...
and Turkmen
Turkmen SSR
The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Turkmen SSR for short, was one of republics of the Soviet Union in Central Asia. It was initially established on 7 August 1921 as the Turkmen Oblast of the Turkestan ASSR. On 13 May 1925 it was transformed into Turkmen SSR and became a...
Soviet Socialist Republics, which on October 27, 1924, were separated from Turkestanian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the RSFSR. Following this, the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, formerly part of the Uzbek SSR was elevated to a union republic on October 16, 1929, becoming the Tajik SSR
Tajik SSR
The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Tajik SSR for short, was one of the 15 republics that made up the Soviet Union. Located in Central Asia, the Tajik SSR was created on 5 December 1929 as a national entity for the Tajik people within the Soviet Union...
.
The Transcaucasian SFSR existed until December 5, 1936, when it was broken into Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani SSRs. The same day Turkestanian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the RSFSR ceased to exist, and its territory was divided between the new Kazakh and Kirghiz SSRs.
1940
In prelude to the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, several new republics were created prior to the German invasion of USSR
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in 1941. First was the Karelo-Finnish SSR, which on March 31, 1940 was elevated to a union republic from the Karelian ASSR
Karelian ASSR
The Karelian ASSR was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, with the capital in Petrozavodsk.The Karelian ASSR was formed as a part of the Russian SFSR by the Resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of June 27, 1923 and by the Decree of...
, previously part of the RSFSR.
After the annexation of Baltic states, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
were transformed into the Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
(July 13), Latvian SSR
Latvian SSR
The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Latvian SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the Soviet Union. Established on 21 July 1940 as a puppet state during World War II in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied by...
(July 21) and Estonian SSR (also July 21), and were formally adjoined to the Soviet Union on August 3, August 5 and August 6, respectively. The final republic was the Moldovian SSR that merged the large territory of Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
with the Moldovian ASSR previously part of the Ukrainian SSR.
After the War, no new republics were established, instead the Karello-Finnish SSR was downgraded into an autonomous republic and re-annexed by the RSFSR on July 16, 1956.
On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the Ukrainian and Belorussian SSRs, and the RSFSR met to agree on the annulment of the 1922 treaty, which was terminated on December 25, 1991, effectively dissolving the USSR.
On March 15, 1996, the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
of the Russian Federation expressed its legal position in relation to the decision of the Supreme Soviet
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments...
of the RSFSR "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.
Timeline
- December 21, 1922 - Treaty signed.
- December 30, 1922 - Treaty ratified.
- October 27, 1924 - Uzbek and Turkmen populated regions of the Turkestani ASSR (previously of RSFSR) elevated into union republics.
- October 16, 1929 - Tajik SSR created from the Tajik ASSR (previously part of the RSFSR).
- December 5, 1936 - Simultaneous split of the Transcaucasian SFSR into Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani SSRs. Simultaneous breakup of the RSFSR administered Turkestan (then consisting of Kazakh and Kirgiz ASSRs) into Kazakh and Kirgiz SSRs.
- March 31, 1940 - RSFSR administered Karelian ASSR raised into the Karelo-Finnish SSR.
- August 3, 1940 - Lithuanian SSR joins USSR.
- August 5, 1940 - Latvian SSR joins USSR.
- August 6, 1940 - Estonian SSR joins USSR.
- August 24, 1940 - Moldavian SSR created from the Ukrainian administered Moldavian ASSR and annexed Romanian territory of Bessarabia.
- July 16, 1956 - Karelo-Finnish SSR downgraded into an autonomous republic and re-annexed by RSFSR.
- December 8, 1991 - Treaty termination agreed by three of the four founding republics.
- December 25, 1991 - Treaty terminated.