Soviet time chronologically covers the period from the coming to power of the Bolsheviks in 1917 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. During these decades, a socialist system was established in the state and at the same time an attempt was made to establish communism. In the international arena, the USSR led the socialist camp of countries that also took a course towards building communism.
The first years of Soviet power
The coming to power of the Bolsheviks and the ensuing radical breakdown of the social, economic, political and cultural spheres of society completely changed the face of the former Russian Empire. The so-called dictatorship of the proletariat led to the total dominance of one party, whose decisions were not contested.
The country nationalized production and banned large private property. At the same time, in the Soviet era, in the 1920s, the New Economic Policy (NEP) was carried out, which contributed to some revival of trade andproduction. Photographs from the Soviet era in the 1920s are an excellent source for the history of the period under review, as they show the profound changes that took place in society after the demise of the Russian Empire. However, this period did not last long: at the end of the decade, the party headed for the centralization of the economic sphere.
At the beginning of its existence, the state paid great attention to ideology. Party educational programs were aimed at the formation of a new person in the Soviet era. The period before the 1930s, however, can be considered a transition period, since then society still retained some freedom: for example, discussions on science, art, and literature were allowed.
The era of Stalinism
Since the 1930s, the totalitarian system has finally established itself in the country. The cult of personality, the absolute dominance of the Communist Party, collectivization and industrialization, socialist ideology - these are the main phenomena of the era. In the political sphere, Stalin's sole rule was established, whose authority was indisputable, and decisions were not subject to discussion, let alone doubt.
The economy also underwent fundamental changes that became significant in the Soviet era. The years of industrialization and collectivization led to the creation of large-scale industrial production in the USSR, the rapid development of which largely led to victory in the Great Patriotic War and brought the country to the rank of leading world powers. A photoSoviet times in the 1930s demonstrate success in creating heavy industry in the country. But at the same time, agriculture, the countryside, the countryside were weakened and needed serious reform.
The Soviet Union in 1950–1960
After Stalin's death in 1953, the need for change in all spheres of society became apparent. Soviet time in the specified decade entered the historical science under the name "thaw". At the XX Party Congress in February 1956, Stalin's personality cult was debunked, and this was the signal for serious reforms.
Was carried out extensive rehabilitation of victims in the difficult years of repression. Power went to the weakening in the management of the economy. So, in 1957, the industrial ministries were liquidated and instead of them, territorial departments were created to control production. Councils of the national economy and state committees for the management of industry began to work actively. However, the reforms had a short-term effect and subsequently only increased the administrative confusion.
In agriculture, the government took a number of measures to increase its productivity (writing off debts from collective farms, financing them, developing virgin lands). At the same time, the liquidation of the MTS, the unjustified sowing of corn, and the consolidation of collective farms had a negative impact on the development of the countryside. The Soviet era of 1950 - the first half of the 1960s was a period of improvement in the life of Soviet society, but at the same time revealed a number of new problems.
USSR in 1970–1980
Board L. I. Brezhnev was marked by new reforms in the agrarian andindustrial sectors of the economy. The authorities again returned to the sectoral principle of enterprise management, however, they made some changes to the production process. Enterprises were transferred to self-financing, the assessment of their economic activity was now carried out not by gross, but by sold products. This measure was supposed to increase the interest of direct producers in increasing and improving production.
Economic stimulus funds were also created from private profit funds. In addition, elements of wholesale trade were introduced. However, this reform did not affect the foundations of the USSR economy and therefore gave only a temporary effect. The country still existed due to the extensive development path and lagged behind in scientific and technical terms from the developed countries of Western Europe and the USA.
The State in 1980-1990
During the years of perestroika, a serious attempt was made to reform the economy of the Soviet Union. In 1985, the government took a course to accelerate economic development. The main emphasis was not on the scientific and technical improvement of production. The goal of the reform was to achieve a world-class economy. The priority is the development of domestic mechanical engineering, where the main investments were poured. However, the attempt to reform the economy through command-and-control measures failed.
A number of political reforms were carried out, in particular, the government eliminated the dictates of the party, introduced a two-tier system of legislative powerin the country. The Supreme Soviet became a permanently functioning parliament, the post of President of the USSR was approved, and democratic freedoms were proclaimed. At the same time, the government introduced the principle of publicity, i.e. openness and accessibility of information. However, the attempt to reform the established administrative-command system ended in failure and led to a comprehensive crisis in society, which caused the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet period in national and world history
The period from 1917-1991 is a whole era not only for Russia, but for the whole world. Our country has undergone deep internal and external upheavals, and despite this has become one of the leading powers in the Soviet era. The history of these decades influenced the political structure not only in Europe, where a socialist camp was formed under the leadership of the USSR, but also on events in the world as a whole. Therefore, it is not surprising that the phenomenon of the Soviet era is of such interest to both domestic and foreign researchers.
