Fadeicheva Marianna
The article observes Bolsheviks’ solution of the “national question”. The theoretical basis of Bolsheviks’ national policy is analyzed. The article presents main conclusions contained in Bolshevik Party texts dated by the first quarter of the XXth century. The national question was the matter of subordinate interest for Bolsheviks. The solution of the national question depended on the solution of question of the proletarian revolution and proletarian dictatorship. The right of nations to self-determination was interpreted in radical way, as the right of nations to separation and formation of theirs own states. Bolshevik party determined the necessity and possibility of the implementation of those right. Ethnic minorities and pre-capitalist peoples were not recognized as nations. National self-determination in its Bolsheviks’ comprehension had led to the foundation of the USSR and quasi-states within the USSR and the RSFSR. It was a new period in the development of socialist nations. The author argues that modern discourse of ethnic policy looks very much the same as Bolsheviks’ discourse. However, the archaic notions should not be used in contemporary conditions.
Keywords: assimilation, nation, “national question”, the nations’ right of self-determination, national republics, national-autonomous districts.