Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

The Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as Buryat ASSR, was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR within the Soviet Union.

History
In May 1923, the republic was created with the name Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; its predecessor was the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Oblast. When the republic was formed, "Buryat-Mongolian" language was declared the official language. In 1958, the name "Mongol" was removed from the name of the republic, as a result of Mao Zedong’s attempt to extend China’s influence over Mongol peoples.

In May 1929, the Party Central Committee decreed that Buryat agriculture would undergo "socialist reorganization" - Buryat resistance to the collectivist policy was fierce, with Buryat herders slaughtering their livestock rather than allowing them to be confiscated. Nevertheless, traditional livelihoods were forcibly altered under Soviet policy. Nomads were forcibly resettled on collectivist farms of cattle and sheep, trappers were made to rear sable in captivity, and Buryat hunters were forced to live in Party-approved "hunting stations".

In the 1930s, Buryat-Mongolia was one of the sites of Soviet studies aimed to disprove Nazi race theories. Amongst other things, Soviet physicians studied the "endurance and fatigue levels" of Russian, Buryat-Mongol, and Russian-Buryat-Mongol workers to prove that all three groups were equally able.

During World War II, the head of the ASSR was Gunsyn Tsydenova.

Dissolution
The Buryat ASSR declared its sovereignty in 1990 and adopted the name Republic of Buryatia in 1992. However, it remained an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation.