Tuvinian People's Republic
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The Tuvinian People's Republic (People's Republic of Tannu Tuva) (1921-1944) was a state in the territory of the former Tuvan protectorate of Imperial Russia, also known as Uryankhaisky Krai (Урянхайский край).
Image:Tuvaolder.gif Image:Tuvaold.gif Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Communist troops took Tuva in January 1920. The chaos accompanying this era allowed the Tuvans to again proclaim their independence. On 14 August 1921 the Bolsheviks (supported by Russia) established a Tuvinian People's Republic, called Tannu Tuva until 1926. The capital Belotsarsk (Белоцарск) was eventually renamed to Kyzyl (‘Red’, in Turkic languages; Russian transliteration: 'Кызыл'). A treaty between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of Mongolia in 1926 affirmed the country’s independence.
Tuva’s first Prime Minister was Donduk Kuular. He made Buddhism the state religion and tried to limit settlers and propaganda coming from Russia and also tried to establish ties with Mongolia. Russia was becoming increasingly alarmed. Eventually, in 1929, Prime Minister Kuular was arrested and later executed. In Russia meanwhile (in 1930) five members of the KUTV (Communist University of the Toilers of the East) the same group that executed Kuular, were appointed commissars extraordinary for Tuva. Staunchly communist, they purged the Tuvan Communist Party of about a third of its members and pushed collectivisation in a traditionally nomadic country. The new government set about trying to destroy Buddhism and shamanism in Tuva, a policy encouraged by Joseph Stalin. Evidence of the success of these actions can be seen in numbers of Lamas: in 1929 there were 25 Lamasaries and about 4,000 Lamas and Shamans; in 1931 there was 1 Lamasery, 15 Lamas and around 725 shamans. The attempts at eradicating nomadism were more difficult. A census in 1931 showed that 82.2 % of Tuvans still engaged in nomadism. Solchak Toka, one of the commissars extraordinary mentioned above, was made General Secretary of the Tuvan People’s Revolutionary Party in 1932. He would stay in power in Tuva until his death in 1973.
The USSR annexed Tuva outright on 11 October, 1944 as Tuvan Autonomous Oblast, apparently with the approval of Tuva’s Little Khural (parliament), though there was no Tuva-wide vote on the issue. Toka was given the title of First Secretary of the Tuvan Communist Party. Tuva was an autonomous republic (Tuva ASSR within the Russian SFSR) from 10 October, 1961 to 1992.
Now the former Tuvinian People's Republic is the Republic of Tyva within the Russian Federation.