Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
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| Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка (Ukrainian) Украинская Советская Социалистическая Республика (Russian) Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic |
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| Capital | Kharkov (1917-1935) Kiev (1935-1991) |
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| Official language | Ukrainian and Russian | ||||
| Established In the USSR: - Since - Until |
December 25, 1917 December 30, 1922 August 24, 1991 |
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| Area - Total - Water (%) |
Ranked 3rd in the USSR 603,700 km² negligible |
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| Population - Total - Density |
Ranked 2nd in the USSR 51,706,746 (1989) 85.6/km² |
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| Time zone | UTC + 3 | ||||
| Anthem | Anthem of Ukrainian SSR | ||||
| Medals |  Order of Lenin |
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The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of the 15 republics that made up the former Soviet Union.
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[edit] Name
The republic proclaimed in 1919 was called the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. Its Ukrainian initials were УРСС (URSS).
In 1936, the republic's name was changed, 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.
- 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 co-operating and struggling against each other. Ukrainian Bolsheviks and Mensheviks first participated in the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), which declared autonomy, and then independence in 1917.
The Bolsheviks favoured federation with Russia, 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 Russian Army, 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 Ukrainian SSR was expanded to include West Ukraine, formerly under Polish rule. In 1945 Carpathia region was added as well,
In 1932 the government inflicted one of the largest national catastrophes in modern history on Ukrainian nation. A man-made famine or Holodomor caused a direct loss of human life estimated between 2.6 and 3.5 million, while numbers as high as 10 million are sometimes cited in the media.[1]
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 USSR 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 USSR 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, and split from the USSR on the same day, becoming an independent state.
[edit] Leaders of the UkSSR
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Leaders of the Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Ukraine, and de facto leaders of the republic:
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1. Georgy Pyatakov (1918) |
Nikita Khrushchev (1947-1949) |
[edit] Administrative divisions
The Ukrainian SSR consisted of many oblasts (provinces) some of which exist to this day, while others were liquidated and merged into other oblasts (see map).
The Ukrainian SSR's capital was at first the city of Kharkiv (Kharkov) (from 1918-1934) and from that point on — the city of Kiev (Kyiv), the current capital of Ukraine. In 1954, Crimea was transferred to the UkSSR from the Russian SFSR.
[edit] Oblasts
[edit] References
- ^ Laura Sheeter, "Ukraine remembers famine horror", BBC News, November 24, 2007
[edit] External links
- kutep.kiev.ua - Constitution of Ukrainian SSR (1978) (Ukrainian)
- Government Portal of Ukraine - Information about the Ukrainian SSR
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