Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Encyclopedia
The Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was an autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
in the former Soviet Union
, originally part of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On 16 January 1922 the region was detached from the Mountain ASSR and the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Oblast on 1 September 1921. It became an autonomous republic on 5 December 1936. On 30 January 1991, the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR declared state sovereignty. It is now the Kabardino-Balkaria
republic, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. The Kabardino-Balkar ASSR bordered no other sovereign states during the existence of the Soviet Union.
Like the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
, the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR is shared by two nationalities. Both autonomous republics resided as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
. Both autonomous republics also had Russians as the ethnic majority.
and Ottoman empire
s fought for the region between the 17th and 19th centuries, during which the region was under Russian control. After the October revolution
, the region joined the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921, during the Russian Civil War
. The territories were detached from the Mountain ASSR to the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Oblast
in 1922, and on 5 December 1936 it was renamed the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1944, Supreme Soviet Joseph Stalin
accused the Balkars of collaborating with Nazi Germany
and deported the entire population to Central Asia. Stalin ceded the Baksan valley to the Georgian SSR. "Balkar" was dropped from the state's name, which was renamed to the Kabardin ASSR. The Balkar population
was only allowed to return in 1957 during Krushchev's leadership, at which point its pre-war name was restored.
mountains. It covered an area of 12500 km² (4,826.3 sq mi).
(216 km), Baksan River
(173 km), Urukh River
(104 km), and Cherek River
(76 km).
.
(5,642 m) is volcanic and the highest peak in the Caucasus
.
Other major mountains include Mount Dykhtau
(5,402 m), Mount Koshkhatau
(5,151 m), and Mount Shkhara
(5,068 m).
, molybdenum
, gold
, coal
, tungsten
, and lead
were a main industry in the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR. The region also has a great abundance of mineral water
.
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
in the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, originally part of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On 16 January 1922 the region was detached from the Mountain ASSR and the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Oblast on 1 September 1921. It became an autonomous republic on 5 December 1936. On 30 January 1991, the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR declared state sovereignty. It is now the Kabardino-Balkaria
Kabardino-Balkaria
The Kabardino-Balkar Republic , or Kabardino-Balkaria , is a federal subject of Russia located in the North Caucasus. Population: -Geography:The republic is situated in the North Caucasus mountains, with plains in the northern part....
republic, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. The Kabardino-Balkar ASSR bordered no other sovereign states during the existence of the Soviet Union.
Like the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The Chechen–Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, or Chechen–Ingush ASSR ;) was an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR...
, the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR is shared by two nationalities. Both autonomous republics resided as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
. Both autonomous republics also had Russians as the ethnic majority.
History
Both the RussianRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and Ottoman empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
s fought for the region between the 17th and 19th centuries, during which the region was under Russian control. After the October revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, the region joined the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921, during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. The territories were detached from the Mountain ASSR to the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Oblast
Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Oblast
Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Oblast was formed in 1921 as the Kabardin Autonomous Oblast. It was renamed in 1922....
in 1922, and on 5 December 1936 it was renamed the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1944, Supreme Soviet Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
accused the Balkars of collaborating with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and deported the entire population to Central Asia. Stalin ceded the Baksan valley to the Georgian SSR. "Balkar" was dropped from the state's name, which was renamed to the Kabardin ASSR. The Balkar population
Balkars
The Balkars are a Turkic people of the Caucasus region, one of the titular populations of Kabardino-Balkaria. They are possibly Bulgars or are descended from them...
was only allowed to return in 1957 during Krushchev's leadership, at which point its pre-war name was restored.
Geography
The Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was located in the North CaucasusNorth Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
mountains. It covered an area of 12500 km² (4,826.3 sq mi).
Rivers
The main rivers include the Terek River (623 km), Malka RiverMalka River
Malka River , also known as Balyksu River , is a river in Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia, Terek's left tributary. The length of the river is 210 km. The area of its basin is 10,000 km². The Malka originates in the glaciers on the northern slopes of Mount Elbrus. Its main tributary is the...
(216 km), Baksan River
Baksan River
Baksan River, also known as Azau is a river in Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia, a right tributary of the Malka River . The length of the Baksan is 173 km, the area of its drainage basin is 6,800 km². The Baksan originates in the glaciers of the Elbrus. The towns of Tyrnyauz and Baksan are located on...
(173 km), Urukh River
Urukh River
Urukh River, known as Kharves in its upper reaches |Digor]]: Ирæф, Iræf), is a river in North Ossetia-Alania and Kabardino-Balkaria , a left tributary of the Terek River. The length of the Urukh is 104 km, the area of its drainage basin is 1280 km². The Urukh originates in the glaciers of the...
(104 km), and Cherek River
Cherek River
Cherek River is a river in Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia, a right tributary of the Baksan River . The length of the Cherek is 76 km, the area of its drainage basin is 3070 km². The Cherek is formed by the confluence of the Cherek-Balkarsky and Cherek-Khulamsky Rivers, both of which originate in the...
(76 km).
Lakes
An area of 18740 km² (7,235.6 sq mi) is covered solely by river basins. Over 100 lakes are located in the borders, although none of them has very large surface area. Most of the lakes are located in the mountains, formed by glacial processes. Lakes located on a plain include Tambukan LakeTambukan Lake
Tambukan Lake is a lake with bitter-salt water on Northern Caucasus in Stavropol Krai and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic of Russia, located eight kilometers from Pyatigorsk...
.
Mountains
Mount ElbrusMount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia...
(5,642 m) is volcanic and the highest peak in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
.
Other major mountains include Mount Dykhtau
Dykh-Tau
Dykh-Tau or Dykhtau , is a mountain located in Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia; its peak stands about north of the border with Georgia.The mountain is the second highest of the Caucasus Mountains, after Mount Elbrus.-Access:...
(5,402 m), Mount Koshkhatau
Koshtan-Tau
Koshtan-Tau , is the highest peak of the Koshtan massif of the central Caucasus Mountains in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic of Russia, near the border with Georgia.-References:...
(5,151 m), and Mount Shkhara
Shkhara
Shkhara , is the highest point in the nation of Georgia. Located in the Svaneti region along the Russian frontier, Shkhara lies north of the city of Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city. The summit lies in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, to the south-east of Mount...
(5,068 m).
Resources
Along with timber, the mining of minerals such as ironIron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
, and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
were a main industry in the Kabardino-Balkar ASSR. The region also has a great abundance of mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
.