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{
    "localId": "7788604",
    "label": "War Department Report, The Soviet Union",
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    "id": "7788604",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "War Department Report, The Soviet Union",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788604",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Cold War",
        "International relations",
        "United States-Soviet relations"
    ],
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            "logicalDate": "1948-01-01",
            "year": 1948
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{
    "seq": 58,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "THE SOVIET UNION\nRESTRICTED\nwithin the borders of another nationality outside the\nconsiderably. The number of schools increased enor-\nR. S. F. S. R., it is necessary for students to learn their\nmously. Universities, research institutes, libraries, and\nnative language, the official language of the Republic, and\ntheaters were established in areas where few or none had\nthe Russian language. The Armenians of Nagorno-Kara-\nexisted before. As an example, Tadzhikistan in 1929 had\nbakh (see table on page 16) are an example of such a case-\nonly 4 libraries, whereas in 1939 there were 425. At pres-\nthey must learn Armenian, Azerbaidzhani, and Russian.\nent, the various union republics, autonomous republics, and\nThe creation of several new written languages, the simpli-\nsmaller subdivisions conduct their official and unofficial\nfication of others, and compulsory elementary education\nbusiness, their schools, theaters, newspapers, etc. in the\nfor all children are factors which have combined to raise\nnative language. The minority groups, in their own right,\nthe literacy level of the Soviet people from an average of\nhave contributed greatly to the literature, art, and science\n51.1 percent in 1926 to 81.2 percent in 1939. The greatest\nof the Soviet Union. They follow their own customs and\ngain was made among the Tadzhik, Uzbek, Kirgiz, and\ntraditions, although many are now modified by the changes\nTurkmenian peoples, whose average literacy rose from 10.5\nin the society. Expressions of culture, although free to\npercent in 1926 to 69.2 percent in 1939.\ndevelop in the native languages and national forms, must\nstay within the broad circle of fundamental Marxist prin-\nPolitical Representation and\nciples and are subject to the general controls of censorship\nAdministrative Authority\nin effect throughout the Soviet Union.\nThe 10 national okrugs are really not \"autonomous\" in\nEach of the 51 political units of the U. S. S. R. has 2\nany sense, except that each is permitted 1 deputy in the\nforms of representation in the bicameral Supreme Soviet.\nSupreme Soviet of the U. S. S. R. They exist as separate\nDeputies to the Soviet of the Union number 656 and are\nadministration units only because of the local predomi-\nelected on the basis of one deputy to each 300,000 of popu-\nnance in each case of a certain ethnic strain which is dis-\nlation. Deputies to the Soviet of Nationalities number\nsimilar to those in the surrounding territory. Since all\n631 and are chosen according to the status of their respec-\nthe national okrugs are in the R. S. F. S. R., their affairs\ntive political units. Union republics elect 25 deputies;\nare governed directly by the Supreme Soviet of that union\nautonomous republics, 11; autonomous oblasts, 5; and na-\nrepublic.\ntional okrugs, 1. Thus, although the Karelo-Finnish\nS. S. R. has only 2 deputies in the Soviet of the Union\nPeoples' Attitude Toward Soviet Regime\ncompared to 376 from the R. S. F. S. R., both re-\npublics have equal representation (25) in the Soviet of\nThe war years furnished a measuring rod for the atti-\nNationalities.\ntudes of the various peoples of the U. S. S. R. toward\nIn the realm of administration, also, authority varies\ntheir government. The people as a whole strongly sup-\naccording to the status of the political unit. Each of the 16\nported the fight against Germany. Various awards to\nunion republics has its own unicameral Supreme Soviet, its\nmembers of minority peoples indicated their firm alle-\nown Constitution, and its own Council of Ministers. The\ngiance to the Soviet regime. However, the existence of\nlatter body includes the chiefs of all the union-republic\nsome disloyalty also was revealed by the stress of war.\nministries, usually numbering about 20, and several chief\nBy far the most important of the dissident minorities\nadministrations and committees. In addition, the Council\nwere the Ukrainians, numbering about 30 million within\nof Ministers of each union republic includes 5 ministries\nthe 1939 boundaries of the U. S. S. R. Historically, the\nwhich are not duplicated on a federal plane Public Edu-\nUkrainians have struggled against subjugation by the\ncation, Local Industry, Municipal Economy, Automobile\nPoles, Rumanians, Russians, and Tartars. Under the\nTransport, and Social Maintenance.\nSoviet regime, their position was satisfactory until the\nAutonomous republics, which also number 16, possess\n1928 Five-Year Plan, which called for collectivization in\nunicameral Supreme Soviets and small Councils of Min-\nthe agricultural field. The ruthless practices associated\nisters, which usually consist of only the 5 departments\nwith the execution of this plan intensified the latent anti-\nmentioned above. Each of the 9 autonomous oblasts\nSoviet sentiment in the Ukraine and stimulated the latent\npossesses a unicameral Supreme Soviet, but their adminis-\nurge toward independence. The details of this struggle\ntrative autonomy consists merely in their affairs being\nwere revealed in 1930 at the Kharkov trials against those\ngoverned directly by the Council of Ministers of their\ncharged with being leaders in the League of Liberation\nrespective union republics, rather than by the correspond-\nand with conspiring with foreign elements to set up an\ning organization in the area of which they are more im-\nindependent Ukrainian nation. In 1937-38 the Ukraine\nmediately a part.\nwas again involved in the purge affecting the entire\nAlong with the rise in literacy, the general culture of\nSoviet Union. The January 1938 session of the Moscow\nthe people of the formerly backward nationalities also rose\nCommunist Party leaders revealed that out of 100,000 per-\n14\nRESTRICTED"
}