The idea for this book originated during the Spring of 1989 when it was clear that Gorbachev's reforms were in the process of opening up a Pandora's box of ethnic problems which hitherto had remained largely hidden beneath the surface of Soviet politics. Since February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Soviet took the unprecedented step of calling for their region's transfer to the neighbouring Soviet republic of Armenia, the paroxysm of ethnic and nationalist unrest has continued unabated, embracing the traditionally assertive nationalities, like the Baltic peoples and Georgians, as well as the hitherto most loyal, such as the Belorussians and Moldavians. Such developments, more or less overnight, have made an important but comparatively neglected area of Soviet studies - that of the nationalities question - not only topical but in need of reappraisal. The aim of this book is therefore to provide a systematic analysis of the Soviet Union's major nationalities in light of the new circumstances in which they now find themselves. The dramatic changes affecting the world's largest multiethnic society are clearly complex and multifaceted. By bringing together a large group of contributors with expertise on particular nationalities it is hoped that this book will illustrate to the reader the often strikingly different ways in which the nationalities have been affected by and responded to perestroika and glasnost. According to official sources, there are 140 nationalities in the Soviet Union. Although this book only deals with 20 of them, in total they constitute over nine-tenths of the Soviet population. They include the 15 union republic nationalities which make up the top tier of the federal structure, together with the Volga Tartars, Buryats and Yakut of the Russian republic, and the Crimean Tartars and Jews. The book is structured as follows. Chapter one provides an historical overview of Soviet nationalities policy, thus enabling Gorbachev's policies to be located within an appropriate context. Due to their special position within Soviet society and politics, the Russians are singled out for particular treatment in the second chapter. The remaining chapters on the minority nationalities are divided into six parts, largely by regional or administrative groupings, with each part being prefaced by a brief introduction. An appendix of statistical tables on the nationalities is also included for general reference, and wherever possible, includes preliminary data published from the 1989 Soviet census.
