| Mari Autonomous SovietSocialist Republic Марийская Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSR of theRussian SFSR Republic of theRussian Federation | |||||||||
| 1936–1992 | |||||||||
| Capital | Yoshkar-Ola | ||||||||
| • Type | Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 5 December 1936 | ||||||||
• Renamed to theMari El Republic | 9 December 1992 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheMari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Mari ASSR) (Mari: Марий Автоном Совет Социализм Республик,Mariy Avtonom Sovet Sotsializm Respublik) was anautonomous republic of theRussian SFSR, succeeding theMari Autonomous Oblast. When theSoviet Union disintegrated, the Mari ASSR became theMari El Republic, afederal subject of theRussian Federation.[1]
The Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed on 5 December 1936, according to theUSSR Constitution of 1936 as a result of the transformation of theMari Autonomous Oblast (region), created on 4 November 1920, as an autonomous territorial entity for theMountain Mari andMeadow Mari people.[1] TheMari people initially welcomed the creation of this autonomous oblast because they believed it would lead to the Soviet Union protectingtheir language and pagan way of life from Christian encroachment. However, underJoseph Stalin, the Soviet Union enforced Russian as the official language on the Mari ASSR and marginalised their religious practices.[2] Stalin also implemented collective farming in the 1930s and forced Maris to leave their villages to work on them to further erode Mari culture.[1]
On 22 October 1990, by decision of theSupreme Soviet of the Mari ASSR [ru], it was transformed into the Mari Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR). On May 24, 1991, theCongress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR approved this decision, amending the Constitution of the RSFSR of 1978.[3]
On 9 December 1992, the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation renamed the Mari SSR into theRepublic of Mari El, amending Article 71 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.[1][4] This amendment entered into force from the moment of publication in the "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" on 12 January 1993.[5]
The Mari ASSR included 14 regions.[6]
On the territory of the Mari ASSR there were three cities (Yoshkar-Ola,Volzhsk,Kozmodemyansk) and 14 urban-type settlements.[7]
According to the 1970 census:
