Crimea is an autonomy. Status of the Crimea. Map, photo

In connection with the latest events, probably, there are no people who have not heard about the Crimea. Autonomy from Ukraine has been transferred to the Russian Federation as a republic . It is this fact that is proclaimed in the constitutional law passed by the State Duma in March 2014. On the way to finding its own statehood, the population of the Crimea went for almost 100 years, having experienced ups and downs. We will make a short digression into history with a view to tracing the steps of state building on the territory of ancient Tavria.

As part of the Russian Empire

At the beginning of the last century, the Crimean peninsula was part of the Russian Empire, which was joined back in 1783. Initially, the status of the Crimea was defined as an area, and from 1802 - the province with a particularly distinguished city of Sevastopol, directly imperial subordination. From this time until today Sevastopol has always had a special position. The majority of the population was made up of Tatars, equated to state peasants, but they received large, in comparison with the latter, rights. By 1917, the composition of the population on the peninsula had changed, most now comprised the Little Russians and Russians, and only 25% were Tatars. A quarter of the population are foreign colonists: Greeks, Germans, Armenians, Bulgarians.

Formation of the first autonomy in the Crimea

In the fiery events of the Civil War, only power was not in Tavria: the Reds, the German invaders, the Whiteguards of Wrangel, and the Greens. After the victory of the Bolsheviks in the newly created Russian state, the legal status of the Crimea has changed. The political platform of the Social Democrats was built on the right of nations to self-determination, the ability to create their own state formations. Since the Crimean Tatars had historically lived on the peninsula, the Crimea also received state status. Autonomy had fairly wide rights within the RSFSR. When nominating for leadership positions, preference was given to Tatars. The Constitution of 1936 confirmed this position. But according to the population census of 1939, the national composition of the Crimean autonomy was still determined by the predominance of the Russian population over representatives of other nations and peoples (almost 50%), while the Crimean Tatars had only about 20%. Approximately 14% of Ukrainians were approaching the mark, Jews comprised only 5.8%, Germans 4.5%. Before the war in the Crimea, the deportation of Greeks, Bulgarians and Germans began, so their number fell significantly.

A little about terms

Speaking about the Crimean statehood, we must understand what autonomy means in general? In Greek, this term means independence, independence. Simply put, in the framework of a single state there can exist regions that have a certain freedom in solving a number of issues, their own constitution and laws that do not contradict the basic law of the state as a whole, legislative and executive authorities. In the Soviet state, autonomous republics were created on a national basis. So, Crimea is an autonomy, which appeared due to the Tatar population of the peninsula. In the modern world, autonomy is viewed as a territorial administrative unit, which can be based on various features. Many states, even those that proclaimed themselves unitary, have autonomous regions and republics in their composition.

Attempts to create a Jewish autonomy

Jewish autonomy in the Crimea is rather a pink dream of the ascetics of the Jewish people than reality. The first attempts to realize the idea of creating Jewish statehood date back to the 1920s. In the northern regions of the peninsula, there were sparsely populated lands, where Jews began to move to create a network of communes that would form the basis of the national republic. Attempts to implement the project stumbled upon a number of problems. First, it was absolutely not profitable for the local Tatar population, which was in dire need of land. Veli Ibraimov, chairman of the Crimean Central Executive Committee, actively defended the interests of the title nation at that time. And, although activists of the Jewish initiative were able to eliminate it with the hands of the OGPU, it was much more difficult to cope with a different problem. It was hidden in the very essence of Jewish nationality. Very few of them could and would like to engage in agricultural activities. Most of the settlers settled in cities (about 40,000 people), and about 10,000 still settled on the ground experienced enormous difficulties with food in the uninhabited territories. The clashes with the local Tatar population continued, the dissatisfaction of which intensified due to the policy of dispossession. Map of the Crimea at that time shows two large areas of Jewish settlers: Larindorf and Freidorf. But by 1938 the resettlement of Jews to the Crimea had ceased. The project has been forgotten for a while, especially since a republic with the capital Birobidzhan was established in the Far East.

Elimination of the first Crimean Autonomy

After the liberation of Crimea in 1944, the figures of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee again raised the question of Jewish autonomy. But the position of the Soviet leadership this time was more clear and clear. She denied the possibility of creating a Jewish state. Moreover, after the end of the war, a mass deportation of Tatars and other peoples from the peninsula was carried out, it was essentially "closed". The status of the Crimea has also changed. On June 25, 1946, the Constitution of the RSFSR was amended, which touched upon the territorial and administrative structure of the state. They recorded the transfer of the Crimean Autonomy to the status of the region. Two years later, Sevastopol received a special position, which was essentially equated with the situation of the Crimean region.

Crimea in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

The reasons for the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine are not fully understood until now. Some accuse the voluntarism of Nikita Khrushchev, who simply made an ill-conceived act on emotions. In addition, there are other of his actions, which confirm the obviousness of this reason. Others say that this step is quite rational and pragmatic. First, from the point of view of the common border. Secondly, because of economic problems, the supply of electricity and water from the territory of Ukraine. Thirdly, all the same this is one state - the Soviet Union, the disintegration of which no one foresaw, and could not even imagine. Whatever it was, but the status of the Crimea again changed in 1954. In addition, the decree on the transfer of the Crimea did not cover the issue of Sevastopol, which always had a special position as a Russian naval base.

And again, autonomy

In 1990, when the national contradictions were building up in the USSR, resulting in the so-called "parade of sovereignties," the Crimean Regional Council of Deputies began to discuss the status of the Crimea again. In accordance with the policy of glasnost, recognition of the mistakes of the Soviet government in connection with the deportation of peoples and the return of the Crimean Tatars to their historical homeland, it was decided to recognize the abolition of Crimea's autonomy as unconstitutional. So it was announced that Crimea is an autonomy within the USSR and therefore a full-fledged subject of the Union State. To legitimize this decision, a referendum was held on the territory of the peninsula. The overwhelming majority expressed support for the decision of the Crimean Council and for the formation of state independence within the framework of the Soviet Union.

Formation of autonomy within Ukraine

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Crimean peninsula was unexpectedly for the Crimeans themselves in Ukraine. In the constitution of Crimea, adopted in May 1992, it was written that the Republic of Crimea is a sovereign state within Ukraine. The following year, the post of the Crimean president was introduced. Yuri Meshkov won the democratic elections and became the first president of the republic. But under the laws of Ukraine, all these decisions were illegitimate, in 1995 Leonid Kuchma abolished the 1992 Constitution of Crimea. Only after long approvals, in 1998, the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Autonomous Republic of Crimea) was approved. The main task was to preserve the state status for the Crimea. The Russian language, along with the Crimean-Tatar language, received official status and was recognized as the language of interethnic communication. Nevertheless, the rights of Crimea's autonomy remained unclarified and caused controversy both in Ukraine itself and in the Crimea. The Constitution until 1998 was not harmonized with the laws of Ukraine, and later disagreements also arose.

Disputes over autonomy

For more than 20 years, disputes over the Crimean Autonomy of Ukraine have not subsided in Ukraine. Many deputies of the Verkhovna Rada called for depriving the Republic of its status, turning it into an oblast following the example of 1946. There were proposals to hold an All-Ukrainian plebiscite on this issue. It was noted that its existence violates the integrity and unity of the state. Thus, the Crimean population has never felt calm, stable and safe. In addition, the pro-Russian tendencies on this territory remained quite strong, and the Black Sea Russian Fleet continued to be based in Sevastopol.

Withdrawal from Ukraine

In connection with the political crisis in Ukraine and the strengthening of the anti-Russian movement in late 2013 - early 2014, the Crimean authorities repeatedly called for the restoration of order in the country. But the Kiev "Maydan" led to the removal of the democratically elected president and the transfer of power to right-wing political groups. In this regard, in the end of February active and resolute actions of the pro-Russian forces began to take place in the Crimea, which considered it possible not to participate in the Ukrainian events, leaving the rioting state. Despite the protests of Europe, Russia supported the Crimean initiative and even brought troops to the peninsula to repel possible opposition from the Kiev authorities. After the referendum on March 16, 2014, it became possible to appeal to the government of the Russian Federation with a request to accept the Autonomy and the city of Sevastopol as part of the Federated Russian state. In the shortest time, all decisions were agreed upon between the branches of power. The map of Crimea was repainted from the yellow-blue to the white-blue-red color of Russia in most Internet search engines.

Crimea and Sevastopol are subjects of the Russian Federation

Thus, in March 2014, separate entities Sevastopol and Crimea were joined to Russia. Autonomy, for which the population of the peninsula was fighting for so long, ceased to exist, but the Republic of Crimea arose. Until January 1, 2015, a transition period has been declared, in which the process of integration must pass without losses for the population. The development of the Constitution and the current legislation began, while the 1998 Constitution of the ARC is still in force. The international community did not recognize the reunification of the Crimea with Russia (although there are serious historical, economic and social preconditions for this), but this does not embarrass neither the Russian government nor the Crimean government. Also, Kiev assesses what is happening as the Russian occupation of its territory. Ahead is the struggle for international recognition.