Home – Home – Jornals – Humanitarian sciences in Siberia 2021 number

The author analyzes economic and socio-political situation developed on the eve of the Great Patriotic War in the countryside of two large regions of West Siberia: Novosibirsk Region and Altai Territory. The main sources of investigation were documentary materials collected by A.A. Andreev, the secretary and head of the Agricultural Department of the Central Committee of CPSU(b), during his trip to West Siberia in summer of 1941. Documents, analytical reports, and memoranda obtained by A. A. Andreev, compiled mainly by the regional departments of NKVD and NKGB, indicated a similar nature of difficulties faced by both regions. Firstly, this was mass mortality of public livestock, secondly, an acute shortage of food and seed in collective farms. Despite the fact that A. A. Andreev considered the disastrous situation as a result of “wrecking” activity, on the one hand, and inability of regional authorities to establish effective leadership, on the other hand, it was proved that main reasons for the difficulties were the raised taxation, and the drought that hit both regions in the summer of 1940. The aforementioned factors resulted in famine, which was not widespread, apparently, but covered entire villages most affected by the drought. Judging by the fact that food-supply difficulties appeared both in rural areas and cities, it is quite possible to talk about the food crisis in Novosibirsk Region and Altai Territory in winter of 1940 - summer of 1941. The agriculture of both regions was weakened on the eve of the war. The intervention of the central authorities, and personally of A.A. Andreev, partially helped to cope with difficulties, however, some problems, for example, reducing the livestock number, were long-term in nature and were only aggravated by the further wartime extreme conditions.