The History of Lobbying by the Leadership of the Kabardinskaya ASSR of the 400th Anniversary of the “Voluntary Joining” to Russia

Abstract

The article, prepared on the basis of documents from the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History, examines the history of unsuccessful attempts by the post-war leadership of the Kabardin ASSR to obtain the right to hold the anniversary of the 400th anniversary of “voluntary adherence” to the Russian state. The episode in question clearly demonstrates the mechanism of decision-making by the central bodies concerning the holding of commemorative celebrations. The initiative in holding the jubilee celebrations came from Kabarda. The leadership of the republic requested permission to organize celebrations first in 1953 and then in 1954. In the first case it was stated that the accession took place in 1554, and in the second, that in 1555. Each time representatives of the Kabardin ASSR tried to prove, That this year it is necessary to celebrate the 400th anniversary of voluntary accession. For the local elite, the jubilee was an opportunity to light up at the all-Union level, which could become a career springboard for many, and receive additional funding. But the last word in the decision to hold the jubilee was for the central bodies. To make a decision on the conduct, it was necessary to include professional historians; moreover, preference was given not to local specialists, but to leading central institutions. The analyzed case demonstrates the complicated process in the functioning of memory policy in the USSR, which local elites often actively used in their own interests.