Minorities in Soviet Union

I would like like to correct an error in Roy Medvedev’s article, and throw a different light on conflict in areas under Russian rule (“Social Conflict in the Soviet Union,” Opinion, April 10). Medvedev writes: “All Russian revolutionary parties recruited supporters from the ‘minorities,’ but the Bolsheviks, with their ethnic program, succeeded more than others. Without the support of Latvians, Estonians, Finns, Poles, Georgians, Armenians, Jews, Ukrainians, Tartars, Germans from the Volga and Crimea areas, Chechens, Bashkirs, even Hungarians and Chinese, the Bolsheviks would never have won their war and created the Soviet Union.”

Actually, the Bolsheviks fought several separate wars (not one), lost some, and won others. In 1918-1920 the Bolsheviks lost against Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Poland. The Russian Republic (the Soviet Union was not yet formed) concluded peace treaties with the above states, severing any territorial ties.

On the other hand, no treaties were signed with Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, etc., the losing states. Bolshevik governments were forcibly installed by the Red Army. It should therefore be apparent that Medvedev’s use of the terms “ethnic” and “nationalist” problems does not adequately describe the origin and content of these problems. It is instead primarily a problem of Russian colonialism. And it should be noted that recent protest marches in Latvia and Lithuania took place precisely on their independence days. It seems that returning independence to these states would reduce the “nationalist” and “ethnic” problems.

JULIUS AZIS RAULINAITIS

Glendale