The National Question and Institutional Practices of its Solution in the North Caucasus in the 1920s-1930s

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the various organizational forms of solving the national question in the North Caucasus in the 1920s-1930s. It is noted that prior to 1917 in the Russian Empire there were no special departments dealing with national issues. These issues, more commonly known as inorodcheskie (alien) were in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Came to power, the Bolsheviks decided to create a special authority. For this purpose, the People's Commissariat of Nationalities of the RSFSR was soon established. Further on, the Council of Nationalities of the Central Executive Committee together with the USSR Supreme Soviet functioned as the first Soviet Ministry of Nationalities. In its turn, in the North Caucasus at different times such kind of responsibility was also typical for the National Council of the North Caucasus regional executive committee and various national commissions set up in the autonomous regions and republics. Their creation was conditioned by the need to respect and protect the interests of “national minorities”.