People's Commissariat for Nationality Issues
The People's Commissariat for Nationalities ( Russian Народный комиссариат по делам национальностей ; Transcription: Narodnyj Komissariat po delam nazionalnostej in short, НКНац or Наркомнац; Transcription: NKNaz or Narkomnaz) was an agency of the Soviet Union . From 1917 to 1923 it was responsible for questions and problems related to the various nationalities in the Soviet Union.
history
The People's Commissariat for Nationality Issues is one of the people's commissariats established during the October Revolution on the basis of the decree on the formation of the Council of People's Commissars , which was passed by the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets on October 26 (November 8) 1917.
Stalin was appointed the first people's commissar for nationality issues.
The tasks of the People's Commissariat were:
- to ensure the peaceful coexistence and fraternal cooperation of all peoples and minorities in the RSFSR , as well as in the fraternal Soviet republics;
- to support the material and intellectual development of peoples and minorities, taking into account their living conditions, their culture and their economic conditions;
- Implementation and realization of the nationality policy of the Soviet power .
The All-Russian Congress of Soviets passed the Declaration on the Rights of the Peoples of Russia on November 15 (2), 1917 (Note: In contrast to the German language, a strict distinction is made in Russian between "Russian" and "belonging to Russia" - Russian ). In June 1917 the All-Russian Congress of Soviets proclaimed the right of the peoples of Russia to free self-determination. The second All-Russian Congress of Soviets decided and expressly confirmed this right of the peoples of Russia in October 1917. The declaration was confirmed by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars, and signed by Lenin and Stalin. Nikolai Bukharin was also involved in its preparation . As a result, the Council of People's Commissars decided to observe the following principles regarding the different nationalities in Russia in its work:
- Equality and Sovereignty of the Peoples of Russia.
- The right of the peoples of Russia to free self-determination, including the right to their own state.
- Abolition of all national or national-religious privileges and restrictions.
- Free development of the national minorities and ethnic groups living in Russia.
At the People's Commissariat for Nationality Issues, the Nationalities Council was created by decree of April 21, 1921. This nationality council included representatives from all the autonomous areas of the RSFSR.