Ethnic Groups

What was the persecution of ethnic minorities in the Soviet Union?

Ethnic minorities were treated as a potential threat to Stalin's position and the communist government. Therefore, they were persecuted and were treated with hostility.

When did the persecution of ethnic minorities in the USSR take place?

The persecution of ethnic minorities increased in the 1930s and continued until Stalin's death in 1953.

Why did the persecution of ethnic minorities in the USSR take place?

There were 3 main reasons why ethnic minorities were persecuted:

• ❖ The USSR was made up of many different nationalities. Many of these had distinct identities and wanted independence from the Soviet Union. They were therefore seen as a threat to unity.
• ❖ Stalin blamed specific nationalities for the resistance to collectivisation. Some believe that is why he failed to help the Ukrainians during the famine of 1932.
• ❖ Stalin believed that because some nationalities wanted independence, they could not be trusted when the Soviet Union was under threat of invasion or at war.

What happened to ethnic minorities in the USSR during the persecution?

There were 6 different ways in which ethnic minorities were persecuted:

• ❖ All 15 republics of the USSR had to suppress their local culture and language.
• ❖ All schools had to teach Russian and loyalty to the USSR.
• ❖ During the purges between 1936 and 1938, many national leaders, teachers and writers were arrested and either executed or imprisoned in the gulags.
• ❖ Whole national groups were moved or deported to different areas in the USSR. For example, when Nazi Germany invaded in 1941, all Germans in the Volga area were rounded up and exiled to either central Asia or Siberia.
• ❖ The Second World War led to an increase in purges of ethnic groups during the war, and after it had ended, as Stalin became increasingly paranoid. For example, there were mass deportations of Lithuanians, Estonians and Latvians.
• ❖ The last major attack on an ethnic group was the Mingrelian Affair in 1951, in which a purge began in Georgia aimed at the leader of the NKVD, Lavrentiy Beria, who was also Mingrelian.