Suppression of worker militancy during the NEP : the worker, the unions, the party and the secret police, 1921-1928
This thesis examines state-labour relations during the NEP (1921-1928). Through an examination of working and living conditions this thesis argues that workers' agenda of full employment, improved conditions, and a sharing of the responsibilities of their enterprises, which motivated industrial unrest in 1905, 1917 and 1921, remained unfulfilled at the end of the NEP. During the NEP, the leadership attached low priority to workers' interests, concentrating instead on 'intensification' and 'rationalisation' to maximize productivity and minimize costs. The various campaigns of 'intensification' and 'rationalisation' ended, however, in failure, for which the leadership itself was to blame. By assigning leadership of the campaigns to party, rather than economic organs, the campaigns were politicised, which had disastrous consequences for the efficiency of the Soviet economy and exacerbated the economic hardships faced by workers. This thesis then examines why workers, by the end of the NEP, were unable to launch coordinated and effective action to promote their agenda. This thesis argues that worker group behaviour disintegrated as workers increasingly turned to individual responses such as: despondency, downing
Pospielovsky, Andrew
Soviet; State; New Economic Policy
Suppression of worker militancy during the NEP : the worker, the unions, the party and the secret police, 1921-1928. This thesis examines state-labour relations during the NEP (1921-1928). Through an examination of working and living conditions this thesis argues that workers' agenda of full employment, improved conditions, and a sharing of the responsibilities of their enterprises, which motivated industrial unrest in 1905, 1917 and 1921, remained unfulfilled at the end of the NEP. During the NEP, the leadership attached low priority to workers' interests, concentrating instead on 'intensification' and 'rationalisation' to maximize productivity and minimize costs. The various campaigns of 'intensification' and 'rationalisation' ended, however, in failure, for which the leadership itself was to blame. By assigning leadership of the campaigns to party, rather than economic organs, the campaigns were politicised, which had disastrous consequences for the efficiency of the Soviet economy and exacerbated the economic hardships faced by workers. This thesis then examines why workers, by the end of the NEP, were unable to launch coordinated and effective action to promote their agenda. This thesis argues that worker group behaviour disintegrated as workers increasingly turned to individual responses such as: despondency, downing
suppression worker militancy worker union party secret police examines state labour_relation examination work living_condition argue worker agenda full employment improved condition share responsibility enterprise motivate industrial_unrest remain unfulfilled end leadership attach low priority worker interest concentrate instead intensification rationalisation productivity cost various campaign intensification rationalisation end however failure leadership blame assign leadership campaign party rather economic organ campaign politicise disastrous consequence efficiency soviet economy exacerbate economic hardship face worker examines worker end unable launch coordinate effective action promote agenda argues worker group behaviour worker increasingly turn individual response down