DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION IN THE CHUVASH ASSR IN THE PRE-WAR YEARS (1939–1940)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the demographic situation in the Chuvash ASSR in the prewar years (1939–1940). To date, the creation of a holistic picture that developed in the USSR in the prewar years and during the Great Patriotic War remains a promising task of historical science. Since the late 1980s in the USSR, in connection with the opening of a number of archival funds, the subject of historical research, including historical and demographic research, is expanding. The relevance of this kind of research is enhanced by the difficult demographic situation in which the Russian state found itself since the 1990s. The Republic of Chuvashia is no exception, where the population decrease is caused by a decrease in natural growth or decline, as well as migration outflow. The purpose of the article is to analyze the demographic and migration processes in the Chuvash ASSR in the prewar years. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the introduction of new historical sources into scientific circulation, as well as in a comprehensive study of the demographic situation in the Chuvash ASSR in the prewar years. The study was carried out on the basis of an interdisciplinary approach using general scientific, specifically historical and statistical methods.
 
 As a result of the study, the general characteristic of the size and composition of the autonomous republic is presented according to the All-Union Population Census of 1939. Based on the calculations, the components and data on the population are determined. It is concluded that migration had the greatest impact on the demographic situation in the Chuvash ASSR. The paper presents the analysis of demographic processes and their characteristics, determines general tendencies of population migration, and analyzes its types.