Pulp and paper industry of the Kaliningrad region in the post-war period (1946–1953): between recovery and systemic crisis

Importance. The post-war industrial recovery in new regions of the USSR, such as the Kaliningrad region, is a complex and controversial process, where formal successes often masked deep systemic problems. The pulp and paper industry, identified as a key branch of the oblast's economy, faced a complex of interrelated crises between 1946 and 1953. The study of this period makes it possible to identify the fundamental contradictions of Soviet economic policy and to understand the long-term causes of the region's structural problems. The purpose of the study is to prove that the restoration of the Kaliningrad pulp and paper industry was of a crisis nature, rather than a successful reconstruction, and to identify the key factors of this systemic crisis.

Materials and Methods. The methodology is based on a systematic approach, which made it possible to consider the restoration of the Central Bank as a multicomponent process in which production, personnel, managerial and social factors are closely interrelated. The historical and genetic method made it possible to trace the development of crisis phenomena in dynamics. The comparative historical method is used to correlate the specifics of the Kaliningrad case with general trends in the USSR. A comprehensive analysis of unpublished archival materials of the State Archive of Kaliningrad region, regional periodicals and oral histories ensured the reliability and representativeness of the conclusions.

Results and Discussion. It has been established that the development of the Central Business District of the Kaliningrad region was hindered by the catastrophic devastation of the war, the acute shortage of qualified personnel, the most difficult social and living conditions, inefficient management and technological dependence on imports. It has been proven that, despite the partial restoration of capacity by 1951 (77 % for pulp, 69 % for paper), the industry faced insurmountable difficulties: high staff turnover, chronic failure to meet plans, frequent accidents and corruption.

Conclusion. It is concluded about the crisis-like nature of the post-war recovery of the pulp and paper industry in the Kaliningrad region, in which formal successes masked deep structural problems. The experience of the Kaliningrad Central Bank is an indicative example of the contradictions of the Soviet post-war economic policy, the consequences of which affected the development of the region over the following decades.