| This study analyses newspaper publication data from Soviet district-level newspapers from 1950 to 1965 in four different regions of the USSR, with the aim of examining the practical application of Soviet language policy. This implementation of Soviet language policy is subsequently contrasted with official language policy pronouncements from the Soviet leadership. The result of this juxtaposition suggests that Soviet language policy was not implemented in a uniform manner across the USSR, nor did a consistent policy of linguistic Russification exist. Moreover, this study reveals further details about language policy in the 1950 to 1965 period, such as subtle differences between the policies of Stalin and Khrushchev. |
