SUMMARY:

The article challenges the conventional understanding of the early Soviet nationalities policy as primarily territorial, arguing that non-territorial (personal) national autonomy arrangements were a significant and integral aspect of the Soviet policy at least until the mid-1920s. The Bolsheviks, despite theoretically favoring territorial autonomy, implemented non-territorial government and party structures to manage national diversity. These arrangements, often inspired by Austro-Marxist ideas, provided cultural and sometimes material support to specific nationalities regardless of their geographic location. Through case studies of the Jewish Evsektsiia and the Muslim Muskom in Turkestan, the article illustrates how these non-territorial approaches served various political agendas, ranging from securing central control to facilitating greater regional autonomy before territorialization became dominant. Ultimately, the piece contends that early Soviet nationalities policy was a pragmatic blend of territorial and personal principles, with non-territorial national autonomy playing a crucial role in the Bolsheviks’ efforts to build a centralized yet diverse state.