Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

(Petroskoi).

The first incarnation of the Karelian A.S.S.R. existed from 1923 until 1940. It was a territory within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

From 1940 to 1956, territory annexed from Finland was incorporated with the previous Karelian Autonomous Republic to form the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic, which had the status of a union republic in the federal structure of the Soviet Union. Only about 10% of the population of this region was of Karelian or Finnish ethnic background.Fact|date=February 2007

On 16 July 1956, Karelia (sometimes spelled Carelia) was downgraded from a Union Republic to an A.S.S.R., and retroceded to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

In Soviet Union, the status of Autonomous SSR was considered lower than the status of SSR, although nominally both stood for Soviet Socialist Republic.

Administration

Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet

*Aleksandr Vasilevich Shotman (June 25, 1923 - 1924)
*Aleksandr Fyodorovich (December 1924 - May 1928)
*Nikolay Aleksandrovich Yushchyev (January 1929 - January 13, 1934)
*Vasiliy Petrovich Averkyev (January 13, 1934 - 1935)
*Nikolay Vasilyevich Arkhipov (February 1935 - November 1937)
*Mark Vasilyevich Gorbachev (November 1937 - March 31, 1940)
*Pavel Stepanovich Prokkonen (July 16, 1956 - July 18, 1979)
*N. Kalinin (acting) (July 18, 1979 - August 18, 1979)
*Ivan Pavlovich Mankin (August 18, 1979 - March 9, 1984)
*N. Kalinin (acting) (March 9, 1984 - April 18, 1984)
*Ivan Ilyich Senkin (April 18, 1984 - December 12, 1985)
*V. Cheremovsky (acting) (December 12, 1985 - January 21, 1986)
*Kuzma Filippovich Filatov (January 21, 1986 - December 27, 1989)
*Viktor Nikolayevich Stepanov (December 27, 1989 - April 18, 1990)