ON THE ROLE OF THE DON REGION IN THE POLICY OF INTEGRATION OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS IN 1920-1930

Abstract

The article focuses on the role and place of the Don region in the state policy of integration of the North Caucasus autonomies and former Cossack regions in the national political-economic space in the 1920s-1930s. This problem has obvious relevance at the present stage, since the study of the historical experience of modernization of the South Russian macroregion, including the North Caucasus republics, is a guarantee of stable and progressive development of Russia in XXI century. The article addresses the issue of regionalization and administrative-territorial structure of the South of the RSFSR as the most important factor of successful modernization of the North Caucasus in the 1920s-1930s. The specified period featured the formation of model of integration of the North Caucasus macro-region. The resources of industrialized centers of the Don region served the base of the model. The centers occupied the territory of all districts of the Don and districts that were part of the North Caucasus and Azov-black sea territories, and the Rostov region. The latter was founded in 1937. The choice of the Don region as a locomotive of modernization of the North Caucasus was caused by the presence of powerful industrial base, numerous working class, the largest party organization, high level of urbanization. Special attention is paid to the role of Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Shakhty and other Don cities as major centers of modernization not only the North Caucasus autonomies, but also agricultural regions of the Don, the Kuban and Stavropol.