Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast as a Territory within Stavropol Krai in 1957 and early-to-mid 1958: Peculiarities of the Political and Legal Status

Abstract

The article deals with peculiarities of the political and legal status of Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast as a federal subject of the RSFSR within Stavropol Krai (1957-1958) after the restoration of autonomy. The study applies historical and legal research methods to examine provisions of respective Soviet constitutions, statutory acts issued by the supreme governing institutions of the USSR and RSFSR. It also analyzes views of Soviet political scientists on the federal nature of the RSFSR, the place of autonomous regions in the ‘hierarchy’ of Soviet autonomies, peculiarities pertaining to the regulation of their legal status during the specified period. Given that the Autonomous Oblast proved shot-lived enough, the paper characterizes Kalmykia’s autonomy of that period as a transitional form towards the former status of Autonomous Republic.

Keywords

• rsfsr
• kalmyk autonomous oblast
• stavropol krai
• restoration of repressed peoples’ autonomies
• political and legal status