The Invasion Of Catherine The Great's Impact On The Annexation Of The Crimean Peninsula

In 1783, the Russian Empire under Tsarina Catherine the Great annexed the Crimean Peninsula. With the constant pushing for the Russian annexation of the region by Prince Potemkin, Catherine the Great finally agreed to take the Peninsula. She justified the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula “by pointing out that Russia had never received her just gains from the war of 1768-74.” Eventually, the Ottomans accepted the annexation, as the reaffirming of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca signaled, as it was reaffirmed without the articles that pertained Crimea and Crimean independence. After the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Crimea soon became known as a jewel, as “Crimea was coveted as the Pearl in the tsar’s crown.” The region was strategically
The region was heavily populated however, as “the Crimea was quickly settled by Russian and Ukrainian peasants, as well as Jews (including native Karaites), Greeks, Armenians, and Bulgarians, some of whom already established their first communities on the peninsula centuries earlier.” The Crimean Tatars and other ethnic minorities found themselves in a situation where adaption soon became
The creation of the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic presented the Crimean Tatars the possibility of strength and movement as a people. This soon became a fleeting feeling, as just like under Tsarist rule, the Crimean Tatars found themselves under strict Bolshevik control, truly emphasizing the policy of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The Crimean Tatars believed that under Soviet rule, that they would have power and autonomy, “But this distribution of power was fictitious; the Crimea was completely at the mercy of Moscow’s whims.” Famine eventually hit the Soviet Union, particularly Ukraine and by extension, the Crimean Peninsula, killing millions, believed by many to be an act of ethnic cleansing to squelch the Ukrainian Independence Movement. It became known as the Holodomor. This claim was heavily denied by the Soviet government, however, it is impossible to truly deny the fact that millions were killed in this famine. The famine represents the staple failures of the Five Year Plans and the terror of Stalinism, and demonstrates the continued repression of the Crimean Tatars under Russian