Why was the Crimea transferred from Russia to Ukraine in the USSR?

[Red Commissar]

There's wikipedia and all but I want to get some perspective as to why the Crimea was transferred from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SR in the 50s. What was the government's reasoning then- was the Crimea more closely economically integrated with circles in Ukraine, or something else?

[Geiseric]

Crimea is where a huge amount of Ukrainians live. Russians haven't lived there any longer than the muslim population has been kicked out by force.

[Anti-Traditional]

There's wikipedia and all but I want to get some perspective as to why the Crimea was transferred from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR in the 50s. What was the government's reasoning then- was the Crimea more closely economically integrated with circles in Ukraine, or something else?

I've read it was because Khruschev was part Ukrainian and had a lotta love for the place and gave them Crimea one night when he was pissed out of his head. LOL I wish I could give away territories when I'm drunk.

[Anti-Traditional]

http://www.voanews.com/content/khrushchevs-son-giving-crimea-back-to-russia-not-an-option/1865752.html

This explains it pretty well, debunks my above theory.

[Raquin]

Short answer: nobody knows for sure. It was a sudden decision. Interestingly enough, the decision was a violation of the 1937-1978 RSFSR Constitution, too. The Presidium of the RSFSR's Supreme Soviet gifted Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR, however, the Presidium did not have the power to do that according to RSFSR's Constitution. Anyway, the background:

1954 was the 300th anniversary of the 1654 Pereyaslav Rada(council/parliament), at which Hetman Khmelnytsky and his followers officially broke off from the Polish(-Lithuanian) Commonwealth and swore allegiance to the Tsar of Russia. This was 6 years after Khmelnytsky arose in rebellion against the Poles for Cossack independence in present-day Ukraine(the funny thing about Khmelnytsky is that his father was a Polish nobleman and he had a Polish catholic upbringing - Khmelnytsky found his inner-Cossack only in his late 20s I think). This Pereyaslav Rada was celebrated as an important milestone in the re-unification of the East Slavic brother-nations of Russians and what came to be known as "Ukrainians". So 1954 was all about celebrating how buddy-buddy Ukrainians and Russians are. The gifting of Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR can be understood in this context. It also made sense because of the geography. The Peninsula is not connected to the RSFSR(or the Russian Federation) by land. Rather, there are only two land routes in and out of it, and they both lead to the Ukrainian SSR(Kherson Oblast). Ultimately, it's not like it gave them pause. Who would have thought in 1954 that the USSR was going to be dismantled. Territorial divisions and redevisions were pretty common in the USSR, anyway.

[Nakidana]

Territorial divisions and redevisions were pretty common in the USSR, anyway.

Can you give some examples?

[Sasha]

It wouldn't suprise me if the reasons why Putin is getting involved today where also the reasons for giving it to Ukraine, continued Russian influence by injecting a huge mass of russian loyalists; http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/opinion/what-putin-really-wants.html

[aristos]

It wouldn't suprise me if the reasons why Putin is getting involved today where also the reasons for giving it to Ukraine, continued Russian influence by injecting a huge mass of russian loyalists; http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/opinion/what-putin-really-wants.html

Nah, it was transferred personally by Khrushev who was an ethnic Ukrainian.
He was known for making rash fancy-of-the-moment decisions (not that the rest of the Soviet bureaucracy were any better).

[Ember Catching]

Can you give some examples?

The tattered history of the formation and annexation of SSRs within and by the Union (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union#Administrative_divisions) and the haphazard establishment and disestablishment of ASSRs within the RSFSR. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic#Auton omous_Soviet_Socialist_Republics_.28ASSRs.29_withi n_the_Russian_SFSR)