The Soviet Union is a multinational state, with about half of the country's population being ethnically Russian. The advent of glasnost, and moves toward democratization and decentralization has unleashed the expression of national sentiments and interests in the USSR. This collection of Soviet materials surveys the many ramifications of the "nationality question" in the USSR in the 1980s. The topics covered include ideology, state organization, party recruitment, inter-republican economic relations, demographic factors, education, bilingualism, cultural institutions, religious traditions, military service, and disputes over republican prerogatives (in the Baltic) and over territory (the case of Nagorno-Karabakh). Each topical section includes a detailed introduction by the editor. This anthology provides coverage of the past decade, up to and including the current unrest and the impact of the Gorbachev reforms.

MARTHA B.OLCOTT, professor of political science at Colgate University, is a specialist on Soviet nationalities policy. She is the author of The Kazakhs as well as numerous articles on Soviet politics., ANTHONY OLCOTT is assistant professor of Russian at Colgate University, and LUBOMYR HAJDA is affiliated with the Russian Research Center.