Anniversary of the Yakut ASSR formation. The Day of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic

April 27, 1922 the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (CEC) adopted a resolution on "The Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" as a federal part of the RSFSR with the administrative center in the city of Yakutsk. The region was the largest in Russia and the largest administrative unit in the world.

In 1920-1921a question about the autonomy of the Soviet Yakutia came up. At that time, the activity of the Yakut national intelligence increased, putting forward the declaration of autonomy as the primary objective of Yakutia. The draft of the Statute of the future Yakut Republic was drafted by the Commission, chaired by Yakut writer P. A. Oyunskiy, from a position of national sovereignty.

January 21, 1921 the Political Bureau of the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik) discussed the formation of the Yakut ASSR. The first President of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, V. I. Lenin, supported the project and February 16, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee resolved to form the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the RSFSR.

One of the initiators of the autonomy in Yakutia was a Soviet statesman and party leader M. K. Ammosov, who raised the question of the formation of the Yakut ASSR to the Central Committee of the Party and the People's Commissariat for Nationalities of the RSFSR. In June 1921, the regional party meeting, having heard Ammosov’s report of the decision of the People's Commissariat for Nationalities of the RSFSR on the autonomy of Yakutia, adopted a resolution on the implementation of autonomy. 3 October opened the 1st congress of the revolutionary committees of Yakutia, which supported the formation of an autonomous republic, and resolved to have the elections to the Soviets in November 1921. The state and legal registration of the autonomous republic was completed by the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee April 27, 1922. June 1, 1922 was created the first Soviet national government headed by P. A. Oyunskiy.

In November 1922 congresses of the Soviets were held, where delegates of the 1st All-Yakut Constituent Congress of Soviets had been elected. The Constitution of the Yakut ASSR was approved at the III Congress of Soviets of the YASSR in early 1925. Under the Constitution the Republic has been recognized as an integral part of the RSFSR. The supreme authority was named the All-Yakut Congress of Soviets. In the period between congresses of Soviets the supreme authority of the Republic was the Yakut Central Executive Committee - the supreme legislative, regulatory and supervisory authority of the YASSR. Thus, the peoples of Yakutia, for the first time in their history, obtained the statehood.

In order to determine the status, rights and powers of the Autonomous Republic, March 9, 1937 the extraordinary IX All-Yakut Congress of Soviets approved a new Constitution of the Yakut ASSR, whose project was developed on the basis of the text of the Constitution of the USSR and the RSFSR. The new constitution legalized as the supreme organ of state power, the Supreme Council of the Yakut ASSR, elected by all citizens of the republic for four years.

The Soviet period in the history of Yakutia has been associated with large-scale industrial development of its natural resources, which started with the development of Aldan gold deposits in the 1920s. In the 1930's began the operation of the Northern Sea Route; at the mouth of the Lena River was built the sea port of Tiksi; shipping and air routes linked the previously inaccessible areas of the republic.

In the years of the Soviet rule, the region had been actively developing cultures of indigenous peoples and national industry. In Yakutsk was founded the Oyunskiy Drama Theatre, playing shows in the Yakut language. In 1949 was founded the Yakutsk Research Center (now - the branch of the Siberian Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences); in 1956 – the Yakutsk State University. In the second half of the 20th century, began an active development of mineral resources in Yakutia. In the 1950's, with the discovery of diamond deposits, in the west of the Republic was created a powerful industrial infrastructure.

A new stage in the history of Yakutia began September 27, 1990, when, under the active support of the entire population of the Republic, was proclaimed the Declaration on State Sovereignty; in October 1991 - the post of the President was established. The first President of the Republic became Mikhail Efimovich Nikolaev, in December 1991. Then the name of the region was changed: the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic.

April 27, 1992 took place a solemn meeting of the XII extraordinary session of the Supreme Council of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic and the public of the city of Yakutsk dedicated to the entry into force of the Constitution of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, adopted by the Supreme Council of the Republic on April 4.

The day of entry into force of the new Constitution - April 27 - was declared a Republic Day.

Lit.: Аммосов М. К. Воспоминания соратников, родственников и земляков. Статьи. Ахтыылар. Якутск, 1997; Аргунов И. А. Летопись полувека: год за годом — пятьдесят лет ЯАССР. 1922-1972. Якутск, 1972; Барахов И. Н. Октябрьская революция в Якутии // Октябрьская революция в Якутии. Якутск, 1928; Гоголев З. В. Социально-экономическое развитие Якутии (1917 — июнь 1941 гг.). Новосибирск, 1972; За власть Советов в Якутии: биографические сб. о борцах, погибших в 1918-1925 гг. Якутск, 1958; История Якутской АССР. Т. 2. М., 1957; Макаров Г. Г. Образование Якутской АССР. Якутск, 1957; Он же. Октябрь в Якутии. Установление Советской власти. Якутск, 1980; Новгородов А. И. Октябрьская Социалистическая революция и гражданская война в Якутии. Новосибирск, 1982; Образование Якутской АССР (1917-1923 гг.). Сб. документов и материалов. Якутск, 1982; Очерки советской историографии Якутии. Якутск, 1976; Пестеров В. История Якутии в лицах. Якутск, 2001; Фёдоров М. Развитие советской государственности в Якутии (1918-1937 гг.). Якутск, 1968; Якутия: ХХ век в зеркале статистики. Якутск, 2001; Якутия: хроника, факты, события: 1917-1953. Якутск, 2004.

Официальный информационный портал Республики Саха (Якутия). 2010. URL: http://www.sakha.gov.ru/.

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Sakha (Yakutia) Republic: pages of history: [digital collection].

The material was prepared jointly with the National Library of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic