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Khrushchev's Revolution in Industrial Management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2011

Howard R. Swearer
Howard R. Swearer
Affiliation:
Harvard University
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Extract

Two years have passed since Khrushchev launched his reorganization of Soviet industrial management, the most daring and politically risky venture of a dynamic administration studded with unorthodox and sweeping programs. The vertical ministerial system of industrial management was abolished virtually overnight and replaced by a territorial organization centered in 105 regional economic councils, or sovnarkhozy; thousands of officials scurried off to new jobs in an environment alien to their previous experience; and new command and control channels had to be forged in short order.

Type
Research Article
Information
World Politics , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , October 1959 , pp. 45 - 61
Copyright
Copyright © Trustees of Princeton University 1959

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References

1 For other treatments of this subject, see Lowenthal, Richard, “The Permanent Revolution on Again,” Problems of Communism, VI, No. 5 (September-October 1957), pp. 1–7Google Scholar; Alec Nove, “The Soviet Industrial Reorganization,” ibid., VI, No. 6 (November-December 1957), pp. 19–25; Mosely, P. E., “Khrushchev's New Economic Gambit,” Foreign Affairs, XXXVI, No. 4 (July 1958), pp. 557–68CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Lydolph, Paul E., “The Soviet Reorganization of Industry,” American Slavic and East European Review, XVII, No. 3 (October 1958), pp. 292–301.Google Scholar

2 Kuzmin, I., “Perestroika upravleniya promyshlennostyu i novy podem sovetskoi ekonomiki” [The reconstruction of the administration of industry and the new upsurge of the Soviet economy], Pravda, April 5, 1958, p. 4.Google Scholar

3 Some representative staffing problems are cited in Ivanovsky, G., “Blizhe k zhizni, k proizvodstvu” [Closer to life, to production], Partiinaya Zhizn, No. 13 (July 1957), p. 45Google Scholar; Fedorov, V., “Smelo vydvigat mestnye kadry” [Bring out the local personnel boldly], Sovetskaya Rossiya, September 11, 1957, p. 2Google Scholar; Ozersky, A., “Kemerovskii sovnarkhoz diestvuet” [The Kemerovo Sovnarkhoz takes action], Oktyabr, No. 9 (September 1957), p. 149Google Scholar; Yeremenko, A., “S chevo my mechali” [What did we dream about?], Pravda Ugrainy, August 6, 1957, p. 2.Google Scholar

4 Zhusupov, Aldesh, “Neustanno sovershenstvovat i udeshevlyat upravlencheskii ap-parat” [Let us indefatigably improve and reduce the cost of the managerial apparatus], Pravda, December 8, 1958, p. 3.Google Scholar

5 “Sovershenstvovat i uproshchat administrativno-upravlencheskii apparat” [Let us improve and simplify the administrative-managerial apparatus], Pravda, October 3, 1958, p. 1. Similar complaints were lodged in “Sovershenstvovat apparat upravelniya proizvodstvom” [Let us improve the apparatus for the management of production], Promyshlenno-Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta, January 5, 1958, p. 1; and Mavlyutova, M., “Sovershenstvovat khozyaystvennyi apparat” [Let us improve the economic apparatus], Sovety Deputatov Trudyashchikhsya, No. 1 (January 1959), pp. 29–33.Google Scholar

6 “Rech Deputata D. A. Kunaeva” [Speech of Deputy D. A. Kunaev], Izvestia, May 9. 1957, p. 4.

7 Petrov, S., “Gromozdkie ekonomicheskie raiony ne nuzhny” [Cumbersome economic regions are not necessary], Pravda, April 10, 1957, p. 4.Google Scholar

8 Rassokhin, M., “Sovershenstvovat rabotu sovnarkhozov” [Let us improve the work of the sovnarkhozy], Pravda, December 10, 1958, p. 2.Google Scholar

9 Gerasimov, I., Khachaturov, T., Feigin, Ya., Alampiev, P., “Nazrevshie voprosy ekono-micheskogo raionirovaniya” [Imminent problem of the division into economic regions], Promyshlenno-Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta, September 14, 1958, pp. 2–3Google Scholar; Feigin, Ya., “Neobkhodimoe uslovie uspekha” [An essential condition of success], Izvestia, November 30, 1958, pp. 3–4Google Scholar; Alampiev, P., Kistanov, V., Sukhopava, F., “Dalneishee sover-shenstvovanie ekonomicheskogo raionirovaniya” [Furmer improvement of the division into economic regions], Kommunist, No. 16 (November 1958), pp. 57–61.Google Scholar

10 Yefremov, M., “Povyshat aktivnost pervichnykh partorganizatsii predpriyatii” [Let us increase the activity of the primary Party organizations in enterprises], Partiinaya Zhizn, No. 11 (June 1957), pp. 27–32Google Scholar, contains one of the best descriptions of the rights and duties of Party organs vis-à-vis die sovnarkhoz.

11 Slepov, L., “O gosudarstvennom podkhode k delu i mestnichestve” [Concerning the conduct of state business and localism], Pravda, September 1, 1958, p. 2Google Scholar; “O grubykh narusheniyakh gosudarstvennoi distsipliny v ispolzovanii kapitalnykh vlozhenii i faktakh proyavleniya mestnichestva so storony otdelnykh rukovoditeli sovnarkhozov” [Concerning the rude violation of state discipline in the use of capital investment funds and the facts relating to the manifestation of localism on the part of individual managers of sovnarkhozy], Partiinaya Zhizn, No. 15 (August 1958), p. 23.

12 “Ob utverzhdenii polozheniya o Sovete Narodnogo Khoziaystva ekonomicheskogo administrativnogo raiona” [Concerning the confirmation of the statute relating to the Council of the National Economy of the economic administrative region], Sobranie Postanovlenii Pravitelstva Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, 1957, p. 410.

13 Golovin, A., “Za koordinatsiyu deistvii mestnykh sovetov i sovnarkhozov” [For the co-ordination of the activities of the local Soviets and the sovnarkhozyk, Izvestia, July 4, 1958, p. 2.Google Scholar

14 Petrushko, V., “Eti voprosy nado reshat” [These problems must be solved], Izvestia, May 11, 1958, p. 3.Google Scholar

15 Pavlovsky, R. S., “Novye polozheniya o mestnykh sovetakh deputatov trudyash-chikhsya SSSR i voprosy upravleniya mestnoi promyshlennostyu” [The new statutes concerning the local Soviets of the workers’ deputies of the USSR and the problems of die management of local industry], Sovetskoe Gosudarstvo i Pravo, No. 6 (June 1958), pp. 70–71Google Scholar; Tarasov, M., “Nekotorye voprosy sovetskoi raboty” [Several questions of soviet work], Sovety Deputatov Trudyashchikhsya, No. 1 (July 1957), p. 13.Google Scholar

16 Petrokhalko, A. and Frolov, S., “Odnorodnye predpriyatiya—v odni ruki” [Similar enterprises—under single control], Izvestia, August 9, 1958, p. 2.Google Scholar

17 “V Gosplane SSSR” [In the Gosplan of the USSR], Planovoe Khozyaistvo, No. 1 (January 1958), p. 82; “V TsK KPSS” [In the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union], Pravda, February 9, 1958, p. 1.

18 “Rech Tovarshcha N. S. Khrushcheva …” (Speech of Comrade Khrushchev, N. S.), Stroitelnaya Gazeta, July 2, 1958, pp. 1–2.Google Scholar

19 The tenor of these charges is given in Frolov, E., “Nekotorye voprosy zaversheniya perestroiki upravleniya promyshlennostyu” [Several problems concerning the completion of the reorganization of the management of industry], Kommunist, No. 2 (February 1958), pp. 49–63Google Scholar; Abroskin, P., “Rezervy privodyatsya v deistvie” [The reserves are being put into action], Pravda, November 20, 1957, p. 2Google Scholar; Kamenitser, S., “Perestroika upravleniya promyshlennostyu—moguchy rychag dalneishego razvitiya sotsialisticheskogo proizvodstva” [The reorganization of the management of industry—a powerful lever for the further development of socialist production], V Pomoshch Politicheskomu Samoobrazovaniyu, No. 2 (February 1958), pp. 27—36.Google Scholar

20 Bukhanevich, B., “Che eto pravo” [Where is the law?], Trud, April 9, 1958, p. 2Google Scholar; Naimanov, B., “O nekotorykh voprosakh organizatsii planirovaniyu” [Concerning several problems relating to the organization of planning], Pravda, February 6, 1958, p. 2.Google Scholar

21 Biryokov, V. and Safonov, V., “Smezhnikh sovnarkhozakh” [Adjacent sovnarkhozyk], Izvestia, September 17, 1958.Google Scholar

22 “Kakovy obyazannosti i prava Sovetov Narodnogo Khozyaistva” [What are the responsibilities and rights of die Councils of the National Economy?], Partiinaya Zhizn, No. 19 (October 1957), pp. 62–69. This is a good official description of the powers of the sovnarkhozy in their initial period of operation.

23 Borisov, I., “O pravakh, samostoyatelnosti i nenuzhnoi opeke” [Concerning rights, independence, and unnecessary trusteeship], Promyshlenno-Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta, April 25, 1958, p. 2.Google Scholar

24 The press during this time was replete with articles on the subject of localism. A few good examples are “Doklad pervogo zamestitelya predsedatelya Soveta Ministrov RSFSR, predsedatelya Gosplana RSFSR, Deputata N. K. Baibakova” [Report of the first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, Chairman of the Gosplan of the RSFSR, Deputy N. K. Baibakov], Sovetskaya Rossiya, January 29, 1958, p. 2; Kozlov, F. R., “Rech predsedatelya Soveta Ministrov RSFSR, Deputata F. R. Kozlova, na zasedanii Verkhovnogo Soveta RSFSR” [Speech of the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, Deputy F. R. Kozlov, at the session of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR], Izvestia, January 31, 1958Google Scholar; B. Kashkadamov, “O svyazi zhivoi deist-vennoi” [Concerning vitally effective communications], ibid., October 2, 1957, p. 2; “Vazhneishaya zadacha kazhdogo sovnarkhoza” [A most important problem of every sovnarkhoz], Pravda, January 13, 1958, p. 1.

25 Veimer, A., “Za prochnye ekonomicheskie svyazi mezhdu predpriyatiyami i raionami” [For strong economic ties between enterprises and regions], Pravda, January 9, 1958, p. 2.Google Scholar

26 Zotov, V., “Vazhny rychag podema proizvodstva” [An important lever for the upsurge of production], Promyshlenno-Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta, May 11, 1958, p. 4.Google Scholar

27 “V Prezidiume Verkhovnogo Soveta SSSR” [In the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR], Pravda, May 19, 1958, p. 1.

28 V. Zotov, op.cit.

29 “O grubykh naruscheniyakh gosudarstvennoi distsipliny …,” op.cit. (see note 11), pp. 22–24.

30 Ibid.

31 “Ne dopuskat narushenii gosudarstvennoi distsipliny” [Let us not permit violations of state discipline], Partiinaya Zhizn, No. 7 (April 1959), pp. 23–24. This article condemns die officials of the East Kazakhstan Sovnarkhoz and the responsible Party authorities for diverting investment funds from construction work in heavy industry to local needs.

32 Alampiev, P., Kistanov, V., and Sukhopava, F., op.cit. (see note 9).Google Scholar

33 Volin, A., “Sotrudnichestvo i vzaimnaya pomoshch—osnova sotsialistichestkikh otnoshenii mezhdu predpriyatiyami” [Co-operation and mutual assistance—the basis of socialist relations among enterprises], Kommunist, No. 3 (February 1959), p. 55.Google Scholar

34 Ibid., pp. 57–58