Swinging pendulum: a model or metaphor for change in policy on nationalities in multi-composite states? the case of USSR and post-soviet Russia

Nationalities’ policy in multi-composite states is often characterized by its fluctuance and even inconsistency. It is essential to study the said characteristics to understand the general patterns of ethnopolitics. The underlying reasons for significant fluctuations in Soviet and Russian nationalities’ policy are analyzed. The concepts of “ethnopolitical pendulum” and “pendulum of nationalities’ policy” are critically assessed. Most attention is paid to the issue of the Soviet leadership’s real and perceived inconsistency in following such key principles of nationalities’ policy in the USSR as the right of nations to self-determination, federalism, and the rights of ethnic minorities. Based on this analysis, the following conclusions are made. First, the changes in Soviet nationalities’ policy were caused by shifting current political concerns, which often demanded correcting or overruling ideological principles. Second, the pattern of a pendulum is more of a metaphor than an explanatory model for analyzing fluctuations in this field. Finally, the Soviet experience remains understudied in modern Russian nationalities’ policy, which has a high probability of ethnic and confessional mobilization.

nationalities' policy, ethnopolitical pendulum, national self-determination, federalism, minority rights