Titular nation

Thetitular nationis the single dominantethnic groupin a particular state, typically after which the state was named. The term was first used byMaurice Barrèsin the late 19th century.

Soviet Union

The notion was used in theSoviet Unionto denote nations that give rise to titles of autonomous entities within the union:Soviet republics,autonomous republics,autonomous regions,etc., such asByelorussian SSRforBelarusians.

For anethnosto become a Soviet titular nation, it had to satisfy certain criteria in terms of the amount of population and compactness of its settlement. The language of a titular nation was declared an additional (after Russian) official language of the corresponding administrative unit.

In a number of cases, in certain highly multiethnic regions, such asNorth Caucasus,the notion of a titular nation introduced intrinsic inequality between titular and non-titular nations, especially since the introduction of the "korenizatsiya"politics of the 1920s, according to which representatives of a titular nation were promoted to management positions. From the 1930s, Soviet policies led to continuing Russification ofIndigenous peoplesin the USSR.

China

ThePeople's Republic of Chinagovernmenthas adopted some of the principles behind this Soviet concept in itsethnic minoritypolicy—seeAutonomous administrative divisions of China.

Yugoslavia

The federal republics ofSocialist Yugoslaviawere perceived as nation-states of the constitutional peoples.After thebreakup of Yugoslavia,onlyBosnia and Herzegovinawas not defined in its constitution as a nation-state of its titular nation.

See also

• Lenin's national policy
• Nation state
• Princely state