What did people in the fifteen different republics that formed the Soviet Union urge for?
1) Complete separation from the USSR
2) The dominance of Russia over their affairs
3) Autonomy to manage their own affairs, including cultural affairs
4) Stronger control by the Communist Party

3

People in the fifteen republics of the USSR urged for autonomy to manage their own affairs, including cultural matters.

The Soviet system, however, became very bureaucratic and authoritarian, making life very difficult for its citizens. Lack of democracy and the absence of freedom of speech stifled people who often expressed their dissent in jokes and cartoons. Most of the institutions of the Soviet state needed reform: the one- party system represented by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union had tight control over all institutions and was unaccountable to the people. The party refused to recognise the urge of people in the fifteen different republics that formed the Soviet Union to manage their own affairs including their cultural affairs. Although, on paper, Russia was only one of the fifteen republics that together constituted the USSR, in reality Russia dominated everything, and people from other regions felt neglected and often suppressed.