Bashkirs - Sociopolitical Organization

Until the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, Bashkiria was constitutionally an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR); following the pattern of the Soviet Union, the Communist party permeated and controlled all institutions and organizations except the family.

Social Organization. Class structure in Bashkiria among the Bashkirs is occupational. The great bulk of the population lives and works on collective farms. The small percentage in towns serve as workers.

Political Organization. Prior to the Russian Revolution, czarist government policy was to leave local affairs in the hands of local leaders. The province ( guberniia ) had a governor and an administrative apparatus to ensure the payment of taxes, an adequate supply of recruits for the army, and the fulfillment of other requirements. After the Revolution, local authority was exercised by soviets of peoples' deputies, at least in theory. Stalin virtually eliminated soviet power, but Gorbachev's administration called for the revitalization of the soviets. The republic had a constitution patterned after that of the Soviet Union, which gave it the appearance of an autonomous entity without any of the reality. Every aspect of government was under the tight control of the central authorities.

Social Control. Until recently, the usual Soviet instruments of control existed (i.e., the party, which permeated all organizations, and the KGB—the State Security Agency). The majority of Bashkirs had limited contact with Soviet government officials, mostly through schools and collective and state farms, Soviet schools, and government officials.