1991 Crimean autonomy referendum explained

Do you support re-establishing the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a subject of the Union SSR and a participant of the Union Treaty?
Country:Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Date:20 January 1991
Yes:1343855
No:81254
Invalid:15910
Electorate:1770841

A referendum on autonomy was held in the Crimean Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR on 20 January 1991,[1] two months before the 1991 All-Union referendum. Voters were asked whether they wanted to re-establish the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which had been abolished in 1945. The proposal was approved by 94% of voters.

After the referendum, the Crimean oblast was made an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Ukrainian SSR.[2] [3] [4]

Background

The Crimean ASSR was originally created in 1921, as part of the Russian SFSR in the Soviet Union.[5] Crimea was invaded by Nazi Germany during World War II, and when the region was reclaimed by the USSR in 1944, the Crimean Tatars and other ethnic groups were deported to Central Asia,[6] [7] and the ASSR was dissolved in 1945 with Crimea becoming an oblast of the Russian SSR.[8] On 5 February 1954, it was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR.[8] During the collapse of the Soviet Union at the start of the 1990s, the Russian SFSR declared itself sovereign on 12 June 1990 and the Ukrainian SSR declared itself sovereign on 16 July 1990.

In September 1990, the Soviet of People's Deputies of the Crimean Oblast called for the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic together with the previous level of autonomy that the peninsula had enjoyed under the ASSR.[9]

The referendum did not just call for the restoration for the ASSR, but further called for Crimea to be a participant in the New Union Treaty – an ultimately futile attempt by Mikhail Gorbachev to reconstitute the USSR. This would have meant that Crimea would have been a sovereign subject of the renewed USSR[10] and separate from the Ukrainian SSR.[11]

Decision on carrying out referendum (text)

Aftermath

Following the referendum, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR passed the law "On Restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialistic Republic as part of USSR" on 12 February 1991, restoring Crimea's autonomous status. In September 1991, the Crimean parliament declared state sovereignty for Crimea as a constituent part of Ukraine.[12]

It has been alleged that the Crimean parliament did not have the authority to make this decision, because according to USSR law, "On the procedure for resolving issues related to the withdrawal of a union republic from the USSR" from (3 April 1990) this issue could only be resolved via a referendum.[13]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.unpo.org/article/13815 Crimean Tatars: Reflections On “Autonomy” Day
  2. Web site: Białobłocki . Tomasz . History of autonomist and separatist tendencies and peculiarities of the subjectification of ethnic Russians in Crimea on the eve of its annexation by Russia (1988–2013). – Studium Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej . 2024-02-29 . English.
  3. Book: Hahn, Gordon M. . Ukraine Over the Edge: Russia, the West and the "New Cold War" . 2018-02-08 . McFarland . 978-1-4766-6901-4 . en.
  4. Book: Sasse, Gwendolyn . Russia's War Against Ukraine . 2023-09-14 . John Wiley & Sons . 978-1-5095-6061-5 . en.
  5. http://www.euronews.com/2014/03/03/lavrov-defends-russia-s-position-on-ukraine/ Sergei Lavrov defends Russia's position on Ukraine
  6. Web site: Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence . Sürgün: The Crimean Tatars' deportation and exile - Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence . Massviolence.org . 2014-02-27 . 2008-10-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081010233400/http://www.massviolence.org/Surgun-The-Crimean-Tatars-deportation-and-exile . live .
  7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/27/to-understand-crimea-take-a-look-back-at-its-complicated-history/ To understand Crimea, take a look back at its complicated history
  8. Maria Drohobycky (1995) Crimea: Dynamics, Challenges and Prospects, Rowman & Littlefield, p40
  9. Web site: Belitser. Natalya. The Constitutional Process in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the Context of Interethnic Relations and Conflict Settlement. International Committee for Crimea. 11 December 2022. 2022-12-11.
  10. Web site: Belitser. Natalya. The Constitutional Process in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the Context of Interethnic Relations and Conflict Settlement. International Committee for Crimea. 20 February 2000. 2022-12-11.
  11. https://books.google.com/books?id=i1C2MHgujb4C&pg=PA190 Russians in the Former Soviet Republics
  12. Web site: Chronology for Crimean Russians in Ukraine. 8 September 2021. Refworld. 6 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210906042418/https://www.refworld.org/docid/469f38ec2.html. live.
  13. Web site: On the procedure for resolving issues related to the withdrawal of a union republic from the USSR . Refworld . https://web.archive.org/web/20211206063639/http://www.rusconstitution.ru/timestream/event/88/ . 2021-12-06.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "1991 Crimean autonomy referendum".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.