Korenizatsiia
Korenizatsiia, meaning "nativization" or "indigenization", was the early Soviet ethnicity policy. Beginning under Vladimir Lenin, its purpose was to appeal to the many non-Russian residents of the former tsarist empire and to internationalize the communist movement. It involved encouraging citizens to learn both Russian and their native languages; translating government documents; and promoting ethnic elites to positions of power within the regional soviets.
This policy was meant to partially reverse decades of Russification, or promotion of Russian identity over indigenous culture, that took place during the imperial period. It arguably helped the government exert its influence on the many ethnic minorities throughout the country. Later, Soviet premier Joseph Stalin, acting under the policy of "socialism in one country", re-drew the borders of the fifteen Soviet republics (particularly those in Central Asia) to divide non-Russian ethnic groups and prevent them from mobilizing against Moscow. Stalin also imposed a new wave of Russification efforts in 1939.
See also: History of the Soviet Union.
Recommended reading:
Suny, Ronald G. and Terry Martin ed. A State of Nations: Empire and Nation-Making in the Age of Lenin and Stalin. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
