The Issue of Soviet Germans in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

The article comprehensively examines the history and development of the issue of Soviet Germans in relation to the domestic policy of the USSR’s top leadership during the Brezhnev era. The author analyzes the consequences of the 1941 abolition of the Volga German ASSR, the deportation of the German population to Kazakhstan, Siberia, and Central Asia, the stages of their legal rehabilitation (Decrees of 1955 and 1964), and the initial official dialogues with state officials (A. Mikoyan, Yu. Andropov). The study explores the external political factors and economic processes, such as the "deal of the century," that contributed to the rise of emigration sentiments toward the FRG in the 1970s. Furthermore, based on archival data, CPSU Central Committee documents, and L. Brezhnev’s personal diaries, the paper provides a detailed account of the confidential 1979 Politburo decision to establish a German Autonomous Region in Kazakhstan (centered in Yereymentau) and the subsequent protest demonstrations by Kazakh youth in Tselinograd.