Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or the Ukrainian SSR was one of the 15 constituent republics that made up the former Soviet Union from its formation in 1917 to its abolishment in 1991.

Name

Initially when the Communist Ukrainian Republic was first proclaimed in Kharkov in 1919 it was known as the Ukrainian People's Republic. This caused was done to contest the Central Rada government of the Ukrainian National Republic in Kiev. After the Bolsheviks re-took Ukraine in 1919 it was renamed as the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. Its Ukrainian initials were УСРР (USRR).

In 1936, the republic's name was changed again, along with the names of all other Soviet republics, transposing the second and third words. It would be known from 1936–91 as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, or UkSSR.

The official names in Ukrainian and russian were:

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

History

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

The Bolsheviks favoured federation with Russian SFSR, but lacking broad popular support within the UNR, convened a separate congress and declared a Soviet Republic of Ukraine (Respublyka Rad Ukrayiny) on December 25, 1917. Warfare ensued against the UNR, and a series of alliances and conflicts with anarchists and neo-haydamak bands. The Ukrainian Bolsheviks fared poorly at first, being pushed out of Ukraine altogether, and having the government dissolved for two interludes lasting several months (being reformed on November 20, 1918, and December 21, 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 December 30, 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 September 1939 the territory of the Ukrainian SSR was expanded to include West Ukraine, formerly under Polish rule. In 1945 the Transcarpathia region, formerly under Czechoslovakian administration was added as well,

In 1932 the republic was hit by a large and catastrophic famine, the Holodomor which caused a direct loss of human life estimated between 2.6 and 3.5 million.

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. In reality this simply meant giving the Soviet Union extra seats (and votes) in the UN, since the Ukrainian SSR had no independent voice in international affairs. The Ukrainian SSR was renamed Ukraine on August 24, 1991. It declared its intention of leaving the Soviet Union the same day, and on December 25, 1991 became fully independent following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Leaders of the Ukrainian SSR

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

Administrative divisions

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 to this day as part of independent Ukraine while one changed its status to an autonomopus republic. ().

Upon the Ukrainian SSR's formation to 1934, the republic's capital was the city of Kharkov located in the east of the republic. In 1934, the capital was moved 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.

Oblasts

References

External links

• Governments of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Government portal. Retrieved on 2008-06-11..
• Constitution of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved on 2008-06-11..

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Last updated on Tuesday July 22, 2008 at 06:09:07 PDT (GMT -0700)
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