Ilinykh Vladimir A.,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Grain Collection Campaign of 1937/1938 in Western Siberia
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2020-3-16
The article contains detailed reconstruction of the course and results of grain collection campaign of 1937/1938 in West Siberia, and after its separation – in the Novosibirsk region. Research is carried out in the context of the Soviet state’s agrarian policy. Conclusion is that in 1937 the ruling regime eased pressure on the village. Grain supply rates, rates for MTS work decreased, debts of the previous years were written off from collective farms. Procedure for imposing fines on arrears has been changed. This should lead to organizational and economic strengthening of collective farms. Despite the plentiful harvest in 1937, grain collection in Western Siberia lingered, and fulfillment of collection plans worsened compared to previous campaigns. Reasons of disruption of the state plan were: linger of harvesting and grain threshing, significant grain losses, which were the result of the poor organization of labor on collective farms and state farms. One of the factors that slowed down the fulfillment of plan in 1937/1938 was The Great Terror, the peak of which occurred in December 1937. Mass repression affected a significant number of managers whose job responsibilities included direct organization of grain collection campaign.
Publishing: 29/06/2020
How to cite: Ilinykh V.A. Grain Collection Campaign of 1937/1938 in Western Siberia // Historical Courier, 2020, No. 3 (11), pp. 162–175. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2020/ISTKURIER-2020-3-16.pdf
Links: Issue 3 2020
Keywords: agrarian policy of the Soviet State; agriculture; grain collection; collective farm system; grain problem; Siberia