History of Karachay-Cherkessia

The territory of Karachay-Cherkessia was inhabited in the Paleolithic era . Judging by the burnt animal bones and flint tools, the Triangular Cave in the Gamovskoy beam on the Urup River near the village of Pregradnaya was inhabited during the Moustian era, and maybe even earlier - 600 thousand years ago ^[1] . Stone tools found near the villages of Kardonikskaya and Zelenchukskaya also belong to the Paleolithic era ^[2] . The Uvora site belongs to the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic, the site on the Ovechka River belongs to the Neolithic, and the Maikop, Catacomb, Koban (Eshkakon burial) cultures belong to the Bronze Age. Monuments of the VI – V centuries BC e. combine the traditions of Koban, Scythian and Colchis cultures ( Karabashevsky mound ).

Ancient settlements of Koban culture of the 4th – 3rd centuries BC were found in a valley above the aul of Sary-Tuz and next to aul of Khumar ^[3] .

From the III century BC e. Sarmatian settlements with cryptic and underground burials appear; influence from the Meotian archaeological culture is traced. The fourth quarter of the first millennium dates back to the Khazar Khumarinskoye settlement ( en: Khumar ) and the Moshchevaya Balka burial ground ^[4] .

At the end of the first millennium of our era, Karachay-Cherkessia entered the state of the Alans , separate architectural monuments of that time were preserved: Zelenchuksky , Sentinsky , Shoaninsky Christian churches, ancient settlements. Since the first half of the 19th century (in the Russo-Turkish Adrianople peace of 1828 ), the territory of modern Karachay-Cherkessia has been part of Russia as the Batalpashinsky department of the Kuban region .

Since 1918, Soviet power has been established here. From April 1, 1918, the territory was part of the Kuban Soviet Republic , from May 28, 1918 - part of the Kuban-Black Sea Soviet Republic , from July 5 to December 1918 - part of the North Caucasian Soviet Republic . From December 1918 to April 1920 it was controlled by the White Guards of the All-Union Socialist League . Since January 20, 1921 - part of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic .

On January 12, 1922, the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region was formed as part of the South-East (since 1924 - North Caucasus) Territory, centered in the village of Batalpashinskaya (then renamed Sulimov, Yezhovo-Cherkessk and, finally, received the modern name Cherkessk ) .

The region was formed on January 12, 1922 from most of the territory of the Batalpashinsky department of the Kuban-Black Sea region and the Karachaevsky national district of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic with its center in the village of Batalpashinsky .

Since October 16, 1924, the region has been part of the North Caucasus Territory .

On April 26, 1926, the region was divided into the Karachayev Autonomous Region and the Cherkess National District , and the Batalpashinsky District was transferred to the North Caucasus Territory .

After the rehabilitation of the Karachais on February 11, 1957, the Cherkess Autonomous Region was transformed into the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Okrug ^[5] as part of the Stavropol Territory . She was also transferred Zelenchuksky , Karachaevsky and Ust-Dzhegutinsky areas of the Stavropol Territory ^[6] .

July 12, 1974 the first observation of the RATAN-600 radio telescope took place. On December 30, 1975, an act of the State Interdepartmental Commission on the acceptance of the six-meter Large Azimuth Telescope (BTA) was approved.

On November 30, 1990, the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region withdrew from the Stavropol Territory and the Karachay-Cherkess Soviet Socialist Republic (KCHSSR) was proclaimed as part of the RSFSR .

On December 15, 1990, the withdrawal of Karachay-Cherkessia from the Stavropol Territory was legalized by the Second Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR, which amended the Constitution of the RSFSR, according to which autonomous regions were withdrawn from the composition of the territories, which included ^[7] .

On July 3, 1991, the Supreme Council of the RSFSR introduced an amendment to the Russian constitution, which transformed the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region into the Karachay-Cherkess Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. This amendment was introduced for consideration by the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR ^[8] .

On April 21, 1992, the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation introduced the provision on the Karachay-Cherkess Republic into the Constitution of the RSFSR ^[9] . The amendment entered into force upon publication on May 16, 1992 in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta ^[10] .

On April 26, 1926, by the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the KChAO was divided into the Karachayev Autonomous Region , the Cherkess National District (from April 30, 1928 - the Autonomous Region), Batalpashinsky and Zelenchuksky Districts.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Karachay Autonomous Region was liquidated on October 12, 1943 , and the Karachais were recognized as accomplices of the Nazi troops and on November 2, 1943, were deported to Central Asia and Kazakhstan . The southern part of Karachai was transferred to Georgia (as the Klukhor District ), and most of it was annexed to the Stavropol Territory.

After the rehabilitation of the Karachais with permission to return to their native lands on January 12, 1957, the Cherkess Autonomous Region was transformed into the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region as part of the Stavropol Territory . She was also transferred Zelenchuksky , Karachaevsky and Ust-Dzhegutinsky areas of the Stavropol Territory ^[6] .

January 12, 1965 the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR decided ^[11] :

• form the Urup district - the center is the village of Pregradnaya.
• abolish the Urup industrial region of the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region
• Convert Adyge-Khablsky , Zelenchuksky , Karachaevsky , Malokarachaevsky , Prikubansky and Khabezsky rural areas of the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region into regions.

On November 30, 1990, the Council of People's Deputies of the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region decided to secede from the Stavropol Territory and transform it into the Karachay-Cherkess Soviet Socialist Republic (KCHSSR) as part of the RSFSR , which was approved by the Supreme Council of the RSFSR in the law of the RSFSR of July 3, 1991 No. 1537-1 ^[12] . However, according to Art. 104 of the Constitution of the RSFSR, questions of the national state structure of the Russian Federation were exclusively in the jurisdiction of the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR ^[13] .

In 1989-1991, congresses of individual peoples convened by national movements of Karachay-Cherkessia began to appeal to the leadership of the RSFSR with a request to restore or create separate autonomies.

At congresses of deputies of all levels, the following were proclaimed:

• November 18, 1990 - the Karachay Soviet Socialist Republic (from October 17, 1991 - the Karachay Republic),
• October 27, 1991 - Republic of Circassia ,
• in November 1991 - the Abazin Republic ,
• August 19, 1991 - Batalpashin Cossack Republic and Zelenchuks-Urup Cossack Soviet Socialist Republic ( November 30, 1991 united in the Upper Kuban Cossack Republic ).

After many days of rallies of many thousands on December 3, 1991, a resolution of the Supreme Council of Karachay-Cherkessia adopted an appeal to the federal center on the recognition of individual republics.

In January 1992, Russian President Boris Yeltsin was ready to recognize the separation of Karachay-Cherkessia and submitted draft laws “On the restoration of the Karachay Autonomous Region and the Cherkess Autonomous Region to the Russian Federation” to the Supreme Council of the RSFSR. A commission of the Supreme Council was formed on the formation of three autonomous regions - Karachayev, Cherkess, Batalpashinsky.

On March 28, 1992, a referendum was held in which, according to official results, the majority of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia spoke out against the division. The division was not legalized, and a single Karachay-Cherkessia remained.

On April 21, 1992, the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation introduced the provision on the Karachay-Cherkess Republic into the Constitution of the RSFSR ^[14] . This amendment entered into force upon publication in the Russian newspaper on May 16, 1992 ^[10] .

On December 25, 1993, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which entered into force, confirmed the republican status of Karachay-Cherkessia.