Le dernier plénum du parti : préparatifs, discussions et échec de la réforme de la politique soviétique des nationalités en 1989

Abstract

The article provides a new comprehensive analysis of the September 1989 Central Committee Plenum of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the first in Soviet history entirely devoted to nationalities. The plenum, whose preparations lasted more than a year, aimed to radically review Soviet nationalities policy to cope with growing interethnic tensions and nationalist sentiments during perestroika. While scholars agree that the plenum failed to meet the moment and prevent the Union from disintegrating, this article argues that it warrants new scrutiny. First, the research shows how Soviet scholars, experts, and Party members seriously questioned existing federal and interethnic relations during perestroika. Second, the detailed analysis of the discussions at the plenum unveils the sharp disconnect between the preparation phase – with attempts to find written and legal solutions to the national question with the help of academic experts – and the plenum itself, where debates were essentially political. Overall, the article looks at the dilemmas the Union leadership discussed and coped with when looking for a viable and comprehensive solution to the national question.The article draws on archival documents, notably the preparatory material for the plenum and letters addressed to the Central Committee by Soviet citizens before the event itself, which have recently become available at the Russian State Archive for Contemporary History (RGANI). The research also draws on contemporary press reports and the official publication of the Communist Party, which published—with only minor omissions—the full stenographic transcripts of the two-day discussions. The first part follows the emergence of the idea of devoting a Party plenum to nationalities policy, as well as its concrete preparation in 1988–1989. The second part details the content of the debates at the plenum. Finally, the article concludes with a short section drawing together the findings and marking out avenues for future research.