Soviet Nationality Problems

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The nationality question was supposedly closed within the USSR over forty years ago. It has, however, been dramatically reopened by fresh generations of educated leaders emerging among all the major Soviet nationalities. They have made obsolete the old Russian-Communist policy of extending token recognition to nationality groups officially differentiated mainly by reference to variations in language, folklore, or costume. Economic advance and disproportionate population increases among many nationalities have added impetus to this awakening. With self-determination the watchword in most other developing countries, it is evident that the Kremlin leadership now faces an array of modern problems in its old-fashioned empire. Simultaneously, social and technological changes are forcing the Soviet nationalities to reconsider courses of action crucial to their future. The present volume demonstrates the extraordinary range of nationality problems besetting the USSR. The issues are considered broadly and their possible resolutions are examined from both a contemporary and historical perspective. The authors scrutinize significant problems through the methodologies supplied by key academic disciplines. Research sources for nationality study are discussed in a bibliographical section; maps and tables summarize census and other current data about the nationality question.