Ural-Siberian method
Encyclopedia
The Ural-Siberian method was an extraordinary approach launched in the Soviet Union
for the collection of grain from the countryside. It was introduced in Urals and Siberia
, hence the name. The Ural-Siberian method was a return to the drastic policies that had characterized War Communism
in the period prior to Lenin’s New Economic Policy
.
A distinctive feature of the method was its appearance as the people's initiative: village communities were given the right and required to set high quotas on local kulak
s (rich peasants) in order to fulfill the most part of the village obligation in grain.
Criticized by the Right Opposition
for being a restoration of extraordinary measures, it was nevertheless approved and eventually received legislative support in June 1929.
The initial version of the Ural-Siberian method was first suggested by Ural obkom of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
(CPSU), basing on the actual practice used there in 1928. The Bolshevik
Politburo
approved the suggestion on March 20, 1929 and recommended to use in eastern regions of the Soviet Union. Siberian raikom significantly contributed to this approach (in particular, it suggested pyatikratka, see below), and therefore at the April 1928 Plenum of Central Committee
and Central Control Committee of the CPSU, Joseph Stalin
dubbed this method as "Ural-Siberian".
The approach resembled that of Kombeds (Poor Peasants Committees) of 1918-1919s. The village assemblies endorsed the grain procurement plans for their villages and set up the commissions which assigned individual quotas according to the "class approach": it was supposed that kulak
s (rich peasants) would be forced to deliver their surplus grain. Kulaks who failed to meet their quotas were fined the amount up to five times the quota, the fine colloquially known as pyatikratka ("five-timer"). Further refusal resulted in up to one year of forced labor camps, and in the case of group resistance, up to two years of confinement with confiscation of property and subsequent internal exile. This practice anticipated the policy of "dekulakization
".
, Central Black Earth Region
, and the Urals.
These drastic measures allowed Stalin to speak of "satisfactory procurement", after the backdrop of the famine of 1927 which resulted from the Scissors Crisis
of the mid 1920s. Some researchers believe that this relative success convinced Stalin in efficiency of forced administrative approach to peasantry, further developed in the policy of total collectivization in the USSR. The latter policy was declared an immediate priority at the November 1929 Plenum of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party.
, it was claimed that the method was introduced upon the initiative of a Zavyalovo
village in Novosibirsk
okrug
, and the term Zavyalovo Method was in use for some time. On March 22 1929 the newspaper Soviet Siberia informed about the "Zavialovo initiative" and called for spreading it to other places. It is suggested that this publication was propaganda
cover-up of the March 20 decision of Politburo.
In western historiography, while the overall idea was presented correctly, different versions of the chronology of events have been published, due to lack of documentary sources. In particular, some works say that the method was first introduced in Siberia, and only later in Urals. Additional information became available after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, which allowed to clarify the course of the events.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
for the collection of grain from the countryside. It was introduced in Urals and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, hence the name. The Ural-Siberian method was a return to the drastic policies that had characterized War Communism
War communism
War communism or military communism was the economic and political system that existed in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War, from 1918 to 1921...
in the period prior to Lenin’s New Economic Policy
New Economic Policy
The New Economic Policy was an economic policy proposed by Vladimir Lenin, who called it state capitalism. Allowing some private ventures, the NEP allowed small animal businesses or smoke shops, for instance, to reopen for private profit while the state continued to control banks, foreign trade,...
.
A distinctive feature of the method was its appearance as the people's initiative: village communities were given the right and required to set high quotas on local kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
s (rich peasants) in order to fulfill the most part of the village obligation in grain.
Criticized by the Right Opposition
Right Opposition
The Right Opposition was the name given to the tendency made up of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Mikhail Tomsky and their supporters within the Soviet Union in the late 1920s...
for being a restoration of extraordinary measures, it was nevertheless approved and eventually received legislative support in June 1929.
History
During 1928/1929 various suggestions were put forth to increase the efficiency of grain procurement.The initial version of the Ural-Siberian method was first suggested by Ural obkom of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
(CPSU), basing on the actual practice used there in 1928. The Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
approved the suggestion on March 20, 1929 and recommended to use in eastern regions of the Soviet Union. Siberian raikom significantly contributed to this approach (in particular, it suggested pyatikratka, see below), and therefore at the April 1928 Plenum of Central Committee
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , abbreviated in Russian as ЦК, "Tse-ka", earlier was also called as the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party ...
and Central Control Committee of the CPSU, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
dubbed this method as "Ural-Siberian".
The approach resembled that of Kombeds (Poor Peasants Committees) of 1918-1919s. The village assemblies endorsed the grain procurement plans for their villages and set up the commissions which assigned individual quotas according to the "class approach": it was supposed that kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
s (rich peasants) would be forced to deliver their surplus grain. Kulaks who failed to meet their quotas were fined the amount up to five times the quota, the fine colloquially known as pyatikratka ("five-timer"). Further refusal resulted in up to one year of forced labor camps, and in the case of group resistance, up to two years of confinement with confiscation of property and subsequent internal exile. This practice anticipated the policy of "dekulakization
Dekulakization
Dekulakization was the Soviet campaign of political repressions, including arrests, deportations, and executions of millions of the better-off peasants and their families in 1929-1932. The richer peasants were labeled kulaks and considered class enemies...
".
Outcomes
The Ural-Siberian Method featured the increased unrest of peasants, with the corresponding intensification of repressive measures, both countryside, against peasants, and in cities, against private grain traders declared profiteers. 1929 witnessed a significant increase of "mass disturbances" and "kulak terror". In November 1929 OGPU reported 12,808 arrests on counter-revolutionary charges and 15,536 arrests on economic charges, with the bulk of arrests in major grain production regions: Siberia, Northern Caucasus, UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Central Black Earth Region
Central Black Earth Region
Central Black Earth Region or Central Chernozem Region is a segment of the Eurasian chernozem belt that lies within Central Russia and comprises Voronezh Oblast, Lipetsk Oblast, Belgorod Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Oryol Oblast and Kursk Oblast...
, and the Urals.
These drastic measures allowed Stalin to speak of "satisfactory procurement", after the backdrop of the famine of 1927 which resulted from the Scissors Crisis
Scissors Crisis
The Scissors Crisis is the name for an incident in early Soviet history during the New Economic Policy , when there was a widening gap between industrial and agricultural prices...
of the mid 1920s. Some researchers believe that this relative success convinced Stalin in efficiency of forced administrative approach to peasantry, further developed in the policy of total collectivization in the USSR. The latter policy was declared an immediate priority at the November 1929 Plenum of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party.
Historiography
In Soviet historiographySoviet historiography
Soviet historiography is the methodology of history studies by historians in the Soviet Union . In the USSR, the study of history was marked by alternating periods of freedom allowed and restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , and also by the struggle of historians to...
, it was claimed that the method was introduced upon the initiative of a Zavyalovo
Zavyalovo
Zavyalovo is the name of several rural localities in Russia:*Zavyalovo, Altai Krai, a selo in Zavyalovsky District of Altai Krai*Zavyalovo, Omsk Oblast, a selo in Znamensky District of Omsk Oblast...
village in Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
okrug
Okrug
Okrug is an administrative division of some Slavic states. The word "okrug" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "district", or "region"....
, and the term Zavyalovo Method was in use for some time. On March 22 1929 the newspaper Soviet Siberia informed about the "Zavialovo initiative" and called for spreading it to other places. It is suggested that this publication was propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
cover-up of the March 20 decision of Politburo.
In western historiography, while the overall idea was presented correctly, different versions of the chronology of events have been published, due to lack of documentary sources. In particular, some works say that the method was first introduced in Siberia, and only later in Urals. Additional information became available after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, which allowed to clarify the course of the events.