Yes, the Soviet Union officially promoted multilingualism but implemented policies that repressed non-Russian languages through forced Russification, making Russian essential for advancement, mandating Russian in schools, and targeting activists, effectively marginalizing local tongues despite initial support for cultural diversity, shifting from Lenin's ideals to Stalin's centralizing drive for a unified Soviet identity centered on Russian.
Early Policies (Lenin Era)
Official Equality: Lenin initially promoted equality for all languages, guaranteeing rights to use local tongues in public and private.
Korenizatsiya: A policy encouraging local languages and cultures, fostering literacy and national consciousness in the early Soviet period.
Shift to Russification (Stalin Era & Beyond)
Mandatory Russian: Starting in 1938, Russian became a mandatory subject in all Soviet schools, promoting bilingualism but prioritizing Russian.
Cyrillization: Campaigns shifted non-Russian languages from Latin to Cyrillic alphabets, increasing their connection to Russian.
Centralization: Policies aimed at unity and modernization made Russian the lingua franca, essential for higher education and career success.
Repression of Activists: Ukrainian nationalists and other language activists faced severe repression, arrests, and executions, making speaking one's native language risky.
Marginalization: Over time, non-Russian languages were relegated to "uncultured" or rural use, with street signs often switched to Russian, creating a de facto hierarchy where Russian dominated.
Outcome
While not outright banned, non-Russian languages were systematically weakened as Russian became the language of power, opportunity, and culture, fulfilling a policy of cultural assimilation known as Russification.
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