Home – Home – Jornals – Humanitarian sciences in Siberia 2015 number

The article considers the historical experience of transportation consumer cooperatives established on the Siberian railways. During the pre-revolutionary period there were both independent railway co-operative societies and those that were dependent on the State. During the period of «military communism» when market relations were restricted the consumer societies shifted from trade to distribution. Shares, dividends, voluntary membership reappeared in the co-operative practice only under the New Economic Policy (NEP). NEP’s positive momentum resulted in the increased business activity indicators of transportation consumer societies. Industrialization and collectivization in the 1920s-1930s led to sharp deterioration of the conditions of trade. The growth of turnover and profits slowed down, efficiency and quality of service decreased. The crisis was exacerbated by the declining state funding and goods flow after a number of reorganizations. In 1931 transportation cooperation turned into a network of «closed distributors» with rationing for its employees. In 1933 its functions and property were transferred to «departments of workers supply» at enterprises. Centralized distribution of funds, rigorous State and party control and financial dependence deprived the co-operation of independent status and determined its organizational absorption by the state trade. Theoretical ideas about inferiority of co-operative form of ownership as opposed to the state-public socialist property, as well as objective difficulties associated with far-flung network of sales outlets, some of which were loss-making, also played a significant role.