RUSSIAN SOVIET FEDERATIVE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic: translation

(RSFSR)

As part of the reorganization of Soviet Russia following the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks created the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, colloquially known abroad as Soviet Russia. With the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922, the RSFSR became the largest and most populous of all theunion republics. The RSFSR was theindustrialandeconomiccore of the Soviet Union; however, it lacked commensurate political dominance as most powers lay with the party organ of theCommunist Party of the Soviet Unionrather than with RSFSR leadership.

During the period of national delimitation (1919–1936), large swaths of the RSFSR’s territory were transformed intoAutonomous Soviet Socialist Republics(ASSRs) or elevated to the status of Soviet Socialist Republics, such asKazakhstan.During World War II, the RSFSR saw territorial aggrandizement through the annexation of the Tuvan People’s Republic and portions of East Prussia (renamedKaliningrad Oblast); in 1954, the administration ofCrimeawas transferred toUkraine.

Under the leadership of the ex-CommunistBoris Yeltsin, the RSFSR began to acquire greater sovereignty from 1990 to 1991. After theAugust Coupof 1991, Yeltsin moved rapidly to strip power from Soviet PresidentMikhail Gorbachevand expand his own powers beyond those set forth in the 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR. Affirming the plan set forth in theBelavezha Accordsbetween the RSFSR, Ukraine, andBelarus, the Congress of Soviets of the RSFSR voted to leave the Soviet Union on 12 December 1991; the RSFSR was renamed the Russian Federation on 25 December 1991. Geographically, the RSFSR was the world’s largest subnational political entity during its existence, being succeeded by its largest province,Sakha, upon independence from the USSR.