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The 'Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic' a.k.a. 'Uk(r)SSR' was a socialist state in Ukraine which became one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union.
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Contents

History

Leaders of the UkSSR

Administrative divisions

Oblasts

External links

History

After the break-up of the Russian Empire, several factions sought to create an independent Ukrainian state, alternately co-operating and struggling against each other. Ukrainian Bolsheviks and Mensheviks first participated in the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), which declared autonomy, and then independence in 1917. The Bolsheviks favoured federation with Russia, but lacking broad popular support within the UNR, convened a separate congress and declared a Soviet Republic of Ukraine (''Respublyka Rad Ukrayiny'') on December 25, 1917. Warfare ensued against the UNR, and a series of alliances and conflicts with anarchists and neo-haydamak bands. The Ukrainian Bolsheviks fared poorly at first, being pushed out of Ukraine altogether, and having the government dissolved for two interludes lasting several months (being reformed on November 20, 1918, and December 21, 1919). Eventually, with the support of the Russian Army, the Ukrainian SSR ended up controlling much of Ukrainian territory after the Polish-Soviet Peace of Riga.
On December 30, 1922, along with the Russian, Byelorussian, and Transcaucasian republics, the Ukrainian SSR was one of the founding members of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
After World War II, in 1945, some amendments to the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR were accepted, which allowed it to act as a separate subject of international law in some cases and to a certain extent, remaining a part of the USSR at the same time. In particular, these amendments allowed the Ukrainian SSR to become one of founding members of the United Nations (UN) together with the USSR and the Byelorussian SSR. In reality this simply meant giving the Soviet Union extra seats (and votes) in the UN, since the Ukrainian SSR had no independent voice in international affairs. The Ukrainian SSR was renamed Ukraine on August 24, 1991, and split from the USSR on the same day, becoming an independent state.

Leaders of the UkSSR

Leaders of the Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Ukraine, and de facto leaders of the republic:

1. Georgy Pyatakov (1918) 2. Stanislav Kosior (1919-1920) 3. Dmitry Manuilsky (1921-1923) 4. Emmanuil Kviring (1923-1925) 5. Lazar Kaganovich (1925-1928) Stanislav Kosior (1928-1938) 6. Nikita Khrushchev (1938-1947) Lazar Kaganovich (1947)

Nikita Khrushchev (1947-1949) 7. Leonid Melnikov (1949-1953) 8. Alexei Kirichenko (1953-1957) 9. Nikolai Podgorny (1957-1963) 10. Petro Shelest (1963-1972) 11. Volodymyr Shcherbytsky (1972-1989) 12. Vladimir Ivashko (1989-1990) 13. Stanislav Gurenko (1990-1991)

Administrative divisions

The Ukrainian SSR consisted of many oblasts (provinces) some of which exist to this day, while others were liquidated and merged into other oblasts ('').
The Ukrainian SSR's capital was at first the city of Kharkiv (''Kharkov'') (from 1918-1934) and from that point on — the city of Kiev (''Kyiv''), the current capital of Ukraine. In 1954, Crimea was transferred to the UkSSR from the Russian SFSR.

Oblasts

★ Zakarpattia Oblast (included into the UkSSR on June 29, 1945; has the status of an oblast from January 22, 1946) ★ Lvov Oblast (formed on December 4, 1939) ★ Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast (until 1962: ''Stanislav Oblast'') ★ Chernigov Oblast (formed on August 7, 1940) ★ Ternopol Oblast ★ Volyn Oblast ★ Rovno Oblast ★ Khmelnitsky Oblast (until 1954: ''Proskurov Oblast'') ★ Zhitomir Oblast ★ Kiyev Oblast ★ Vinnitsa Oblast ★ Cherkassy Oblast (formed on January 7, 1954) ★ Kirovograd Oblast (fomed on January 12, 1939) ★ Chernigov Oblast ★ Sumy Oblast

★ Poltava Oblast ★ Odessa Oblast ★ Nikolayev Oblast ★ Kherson Oblast ★ Zaporozhye Oblast ★ Dnepropetrovsk Oblast ★ Kharkov Oblast ★ Donetsk Oblast (formed on July 2, 1932 from 5 okrugs; in July of 1938 — the oblast was divided into ''Stalino Oblast'' and ''Voroshilovgrad Oblast'') ★ Lugansk Oblast (formed on June 3, 1938 by the request of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet; from 1935—1958 and from 1975—1990: ''Voroshilovgrad Oblast'') ★ Krym Oblast (included into the UkSSR on February 19, 1954, an autonomous republic (KrASSR) from February 12, 1991) ★ Izmail Oblast (until 1941 Akerman Oblast, included on February 15, 1954 into Odessa Oblast) ★ Drogobych Oblast (included in May 21, 1958 into Lvov Oblast)

External links

★ kutep.kiev.ua - Constitution of Ukrainian SSR (1978)

★ Governemnt Portal of Ukraine - Information about the Ukrainian SSR