The activities of the political departments of MTS of the Chernozem Center of Russia on the organizational and economic strengthening of collective farms

Importance. The main activities carried out by the political departments of machine and tractor stations (MTS) to bring the Soviet agricultural sector of the economy out of the crisis state in which it found itself as a result of forced collectivization are examined. Without establishing a normal dialogue between the village and the authorities in the context of the formation of a planned economic system, it was impossible to consolidate Soviet society in the face of upcoming upheavals. A closer study of the experience of the functioning of political departments will allow us to point out the boundaries of the application of state intervention in the economic sphere of public life.

Materials and Methods. The chronological method is necessary to understand the development of the phenomenon under study, and the comparative historical method made it possible to compare the experience of different political departments of the MTS of the Chernozem Center of Russia in the context of implementing measures to strengthen the collective farm system.

Results and Discussion. A fairly extensive archival material, as well as special literature on this issue, shows the measures taken by the personnel of the MTS political departments to bring agriculture of the USSR out of a severe crisis. It is demonstrated that the main components of the policy pursued in rural areas through political departments were the active mobilization of various categories of the population (women, youth), as well as repressive measures that, according to the Soviet authorities, allowed to stabilize the socio-political situation in the Soviet village by removing “sabotage and wrecking elements” from it.

Conclusion. The political departments introduced by the decision of the joint Plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) in January 1933 played a decisive role in the organizational and economic strengthening of collective farms. Using a wide range of tools, employees of the political departments dealt with the repair of machinery in machine and tractor workshops, paying special attention to tractors, since the sowing campaign and other agrotechnical measures on collective farm fields depended on their serviceability. Propaganda campaigns were often crowned with success, leading to acts of labor heroism among men and women (especially among the representatives of the “fairer sex”). It was also found that some of the political departments were understaffed, which led to their poor performance in the areas entrusted to them. In general, despite all the costs and large-scale repressions, the political departments coped with the task, and by the end of 1934, the crisis of the agricultural sector in the Central Executive Committee was overcome.