During the 1930s and 1940s. the Soviets adopted Nicholas IIs relocation method. but on a grander scale than that undertaken by the Tsars. Three major nationality groups were affected. Among them are the Volga Germans. who were introduced to the Caucasus as favored immigrants by Catherine the Great. the Kalmyks. inhabiting the steppe of southwest Astrakhan. and a group of Islamic nations of the Crimea and North Caucasus. The Volga Germans were the first sizable nationality to suffer deporation during World War II. They had entered Russia in large numbers as a result of two decrees issued by Catherine the Great in 1762 and 1763 inviting foreign settlement in lands from which the Russians had recently driven the Khans.
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immigrants