Abstract: The subject of this research is the role of Russian population in the socioeconomic processes of Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) during the Great Patriotic War. This event let to substantial quantitative and qualitative changes in socio-demographic composition of population of the Bashkir ASSR, which affected the economic potential of the region, as wells as had direct or indirect influence on the role of Bashkortostan in political space of the country. Reminiscence of those years define the specificity of ethnic, social, economic and to a certain extent political development of Bashkortostan at the present stage. The article applies the comparison of statistical data on demography and economics with the records derived from the narrative sources. The article demonstrates that despite the severe economic and humanitarian losses, the Great Patriotic War led to a surge in the economic regard, including influx of the evacuated workforce and acceleration of urbanization. Dwelling of the evacuated academic, university and engineering-technical personnel in Bashkiria contributed to significant economic and cultural progress of the region. Thus, in the beginning of 1990’s, the region became one of the initiators and leaders of the “sovereignty parade”, influencing the character of political processes in post-Soviet Russia. Moreover, the formed during the wartime industrial capacity of the republic allowed partially compensating the difficulties, caused by the transition to market economy in the 1990’s.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the demographic processes in the Republic of Bashkortostan. The object is the Russian ethnic group residing in the region. Russian is the largest population group of the Republic, dominating in the key branches of economy and affecting the social and cultural processes. The article examines the questions of territorial displacement of the indicated ethnic group. Due to the high level of urbanization of the Russian population, special attention is given to the dynamics in the size of urban community in the region and its correlation with the number of rural residents. Based on the comparative analysis of the census of 1979-2010, the author analyzes the dynamics of territorial displacement of the Russians, change in their number by reference to various regions of the Republic, as well as city and rural areas. A conclusion is made that despite the negative events in the sphere of population increase among other ethnoses, the number of Russians in the Republic continues to rapidly decrease. Such decline was not just natural, but in certain cases identification that is common to the polyethnic regions: because of growth of the national self-consciousness in post-Soviet time, part of the population that previously considered themselves Russians, has “returned” to their “own” ethnic groups. The presented material can be valuable in further research in this area, as well as allows determining the vector of scientific search on this matter.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the examination of the process of interethnic interaction between the Russian and Bashkirian population in Southern Ural for the purpose of its periodization. The history in relationship between Russians and Bashkirs begins during the period of early Middle Ages, which is testified by the language facts and archeological findings, and continues until today. We can observe the peaceful, as well as conflict stages during the course of this process. The period of interethnic conflicts coincided with the time of Russia’s economic assimilation of the Southern Ural, political integration of the region into the composition of the Russian Empire noted by the clash of two diverse in their origin cultures. The author determines the periods of interethnic interaction, as well as interethnic conflicts between Russians and Bashkirs. The work also involves the written sources and field materials, the information of which allowed describing the general picture of the Russian-Bashkir relationship. The scientific novelty consists in highlighting and characterizing of the stages of interethnic interaction from the first contacts of the two ethnoses until their modern status based on the formulated within the Russian science theories. The author concludes that the episodic interethnic collaboration between the Russian and local population existed in Southern Ural prior to accession of the region to Russia. Such interaction in its various forms contributed into consolidation of the local pro-ethnoses into the full-fledged ethnoses and ethnic groups.