The parade of sovereignties (Russian: Парад суверенитетов, romanized: Parad suverenitetov) was a series of declarations of sovereignty of various degrees by the republics of the Soviet Union and autonomous units within the republics (autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and autonomous okrugs) from 1988 to 1991. The declarations stated the priority of the constituent republic power in its territory over the central power, which led to the War of Laws between the centre and the republics. The process followed the loosened power grip of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as a result of demokratizatsiya and perestroika policies under Mikhail Gorbachev. Despite the efforts of Gorbachev to preserve the union under a new treaty in the form of the Union of Sovereign States, many constituents soon declared their full independence. The process resulted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[1]
The first top-level Soviet republic to declare independence was Estonia (November 16, 1988: Estonian Sovereignty Declaration, March 30, 1990: decree on the transition to the restoration of the Estonian statehood,[2] May 8, 1990: Law on the State Symbols, which declared the independence,[3] August 20, 1991: Law of the Estonian restoration of Independence).
The first lower-level subdivision to declare independence was the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (January 19, 1990 although Heydar Aliyev, the leader of Soviet Azerbaijan, having roots in Nakhchivan, managed to keep Nakhchivan within Azerbaijan).[4]
The massive secessionist event has served as a testbench for various theories of secession.[5][6]
Chronology of the adoption of declarations on the sovereignties of the Union republics and their secession from the Soviet Union
| Union republic | Declaration of state sovereignty | Renaming | Declaration about cession from the Soviet Union | Recognition of independence by the Soviet Union[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Estonian SSR | 16 November 1988[8] | since 8 May 1990: Republic of Estonia[9] | 20 August 1991[9] | 6 September 1991[10] |
 Lithuanian SSR | 26 May 1989[11] | since 11 March 1990: Republic of Lithuania[12] | 11 March 1990 | 6 September 1991[13] |
 Latvian SSR | 28 July 1989[14][15] | since 4 May 1990: Republic of Latvia[16] | 21 August 1991 | 6 September 1991[17] |
 Azerbaijan SSR | 23 September 1989[18] | since 5 February 1991: Republic of Azerbaijan[19] | 18 October 1991[20] | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Georgian SSR | 26 May 1990[22][23][24] | since 14 November 1990: Republic of Georgia[25] | 9 April 1991 | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Russian SFSR | 12 June 1990[26] | since 25 December 1991: Russian Federation[27] | 12 December 1991 | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Uzbek SSR | 20 June 1990[28] | since 31 August 1991: Republic of Uzbekistan[29] | 1 September 1991[29] | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Moldavian SSR | 23 June 1990[30] | since 23 May 1991: Republic of Moldova[31] | 27 August 1991 | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Ukrainian SSR | 16 July 1990[32] | since 24 August 1991: Ukraine | 24 August 1991 | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Byelorussian SSR | 27 July 1990[33] | since 19 September 1991: Republic of Belarus[34] | 25 August 1991 | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Turkmen SSR | 22 August 1990[35] | since 27 October 1991: Turkmenistan[36] | 27 October 1991[36] | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Armenian SSR | — | since 23 August 1990: Republic of Armenia[12] | 23 September 1991 | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Tajik SSR | 24 August 1990[37] | since 31 August 1991: Republic of Tajikistan[38] | 9 September 1991[39] | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Kazakh SSR | 25 October 1990[40] | since 10 December 1991: Republic of Kazakhstan[41] | 16 December 1991[42] | 26 December 1991[21] |
 Kirghiz SSR | 15 December 1990[43] | since 5 February 1991: Republic of Kyrgyzstan[44] | 31 August 1991[45] | 26 December 1991[21] |