$OH[DQGHU6DOHQNR for Russia, gifted persons with unique abilities and scientific knowledge, and those who invested money into socially beneficial activities in Russia. An important result of the reform in 1864 is that the distinction between temporary and permanent subjecthood (‘poddanstvo’) was abolished. Some changes were made in the text of the oath (‘prisiaga na vernost’) taken for naturalisation (‘ukorenenie’) into the Russian subjecthood. Due to the reform of Russian subjecthood the terms ‘poddannyi and ‘grazhdanin’ became ‘different names for one and the same concept’ (Lohr 2011: 18). Russian legislation also set forth a simplified naturalisation procedure - without any residence requirement - with regard to foreigners employed in the Russian state service (Korkunov 1895: 77). This kind of foreigner was allowed to take the oath of loyal service (‘prisiaga na vernost’ sluzhby’) at any time based on the discretion of their superiors. Moreover, special provisions were applicable regarding the naturalization procedure in two Russian regions, where the head of authorities was entitled to naturalize foreigners. Thus, the Governor-General in the Amur River region had discretion to grant Russian subjecthood to Chinese and Korean people; and the Governor-General in Turkestan could naturalize the subjects of Central Asian Khanates. Naturalised foreigners were granted full and equal rights and, moreover, were given special privileges, such as a two year exemption from Russian taxes (Article 415 Ustav o Podatyakh). Under the legislation of the time the subjecthood of Russian women was automatically terminated by marriage with a foreigner. In the case of widowhood or divorce the woman was given the opportunity of return into Russian subjecthood based on the decision of the provincial authority, usually the Governor (Article 853, T. IX, Svod Zakonov (1899). The loss of Russian subjecthood could occur in the form of separation from it (‘uvol’nenie iz poddanstava’) but this was possible only with the permission of the Russian Emperor, which had to be applied for through the interior minister. Arbitrary entrance into foreign subjecthood/citizenship was prohibited and punished by Russian law (the penalty was deprivation of rights and banishment to Siberia) (Kuplevaskiy 1902: 139). 3.2 Soviet Citizenship Law 1917-1991 During this period a definition of citizenship was first established in Soviet legislation (Shevtsov 1969: 15). Taking into account that the basic legal framework for the citizenship was originally created by Soviet law, it is necessary to scrutinize the main peculiarities of the Soviet citizenship regime in order to understand aspects of citizenship in modern Russia. 3.2.1 The Lenin Era Vladimir Lenin's Proclamation ‘To the Citizens of Russia!’ on 7 November 1917 was the first official document which defined the people of the former Russian Empire as citizens.9 The first Soviet lex specialis regarding citizenship was the Decree of the VTsIK10 from 23 November 1917, ‘About the abolition of social classes and civil ranks’ (Kupriz 1971:150). As a result of this document, all existing civil ranks and titles in the Russian Empire were abolished and instead one universal term was established - ‘a citizen of the Russian Republic’. At a later date Soviet citizenship was codified in the Constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) after 10 July 1918. It is necessary to note that at the time of the formation of the Soviet State the method of citizenship acquisition was very informal and definitely had a class character. Thus, according to the Constitution of the RSFSR, the local Soviet authorities (Soviets) were 9 Proclamation of the Revolutionary Military Committee of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies from 25 October 1917 (7 November using the West's Gregorian calendar) ‘To the Citizens of Russia!’ // Lenin’s Collected Works, Progress Publishers, Moscow, Volume 26, 1972, pp. 236. 10 All-Russian Central Executive Committee (in Russian: HIJK).  56&$6(8'2&,7&5‹$XWKRU