УДК 353:94(47).084.9«1953/1964»

EDN TIYCFW

 

Original article

 

“The Entire State Apparatus is Busy with Paper Correspondence”: the Fight against Bureaucracy in Regional Authorities in 1953 — 1964 (a Case Study of Mari, Mordovian and Chuvash ASSR)

 

Koroleva L. A., Uchvatov P. S.

 

Abstraсt

Introduction. The study of the development of Soviet management practices is a significant area of modern Russian history, especially at the regional level, where this issue remains insufficiently studied. The purpose of this article is to examine, using the example of the party-state apparatus of the Mari, Mordovian and Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, the implementation of the campaign to combat “bureaucracy” and its effectiveness in 1953 — 1964.

Materials and methods. The study materials included documents from regional archives, as well as publications in newspapers on the organization of the party-state apparatus on the territory of the Mari, Mordovian and Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics. In addition to general scientific methods, the work used historical-systemic and problem-chronological methods.

Results and discussion. The article examines attempts to simplify the administrative apparatus and record keeping in the autonomous republics in 1953 — 1964. Attempts to transform regional management practices in government bodies and institutions of the autonomous republics of the Volga region have been studied.

Conclusion. The public administration reforms initiated by the successors of I. V. Stalin involved reducing the cost and reduction of the state apparatus, reducing document flow and reducing the number of officials, including at the regional level. However, the analysis shows the limited effect of the campaign to combat “bureaucracy” and significant inertia of the regional elites.

Keywords: The Khrushchev Thaw, public administration, bureaucracy, regional elites, regional authorities

For citation: Koroleva LA, Uchvatov PS. “The Entire State Apparatus is Busy with Paper Correspondence”: the Fight against Bureaucracy in Regional Authorities in 1953 — 1964 (a Case Study of Mari, Mordovian and Chuvash ASSR). Bulletin of the Research Institute of the Humanities by the Government of the Republic of Mordovia. 2024;16(1):128—139. EDN TIYCFW

 

REFERENCES

 

1. Aksyutin YuV. The Khrushchev thaw and Public Sentiment in the USSR in 1953 — 1964. Moscow;2010. (In Russ.)

2. Bibina NM. Local Councils of Mordovia in the Political System of the Soviet State. Center and Periphery. 2018;(3):58—62. URL: http://niign.ru/centrandperifirya/centr2018-3.pdf (In Russ.)

3. Bikeykin EN, Pershina TA. The Supreme Council of the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the System of Government Bodies of the Region (1953 — 1964). Economic History. 2022;18(4):310—320. URL: https://jeh.isi.mrsu.ru/assets/econ_hist_2022_59_3.pdf (In Russ.)

4. Boffa J. History of the Soviet Union: from the Patriotic War to the Position of the Second World Power. Stalin and Khrushchev. 1941 — 1964. Moscow;1994. (In Russ.)

5. Dolenko DV, Yurchenkov VA. The Ruling Class and Power Structures of Mordovia: Milestones of History and the Current State. Mordovia during the Period of Reforms. Proceedings of the II Merkushkin Scientific Readings. Saransk;2001;58—83. (In Russ.)

6. Zadkova TYu. Social and Political Life of Saransk in 1953 — 1964: Power and Society in the Era of the Khrushchev thaw. Center and Periphery. 2021;(1):60—68. URL: http://niign.ru/centrandperifirya/centr2018-3.pdf (In Russ.)

7. Zezina MR, Sivokhina TA. From Stalinist Dictatorship to “Collective Leadership”. Moscow;1993. (In Russ.)

8. Zubkova EYu. Society and Reforms 1945 — 1964. Moscow;1993. (In Russ.)

9. Lushin AI. “The Great Decade” of N. S. Khrushchev: an Attempt at Modernization. St. Pe­tersburg;2023. (In Russ.)

10. McCauley M. Khrushchev and His Politics: What Conclusions Can Be Drawn from the Khrushchev Era (1953 — 1964). Russia in the Twentieth Century: World Historians Argue. Moscow;1994:548—551. (In Russ.)

11. Matveev AP. Main Trends in the Development of the Building Materials Industry in the Second Half of the 1950s — the First Half of the 1960s (a Case Study of the Mari, Mordovian and Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics). Scientific notes. Electronic Scientific Journal of Kursk State University. 2015;(1):36—41. (In Russ.)

12. Mineev AI, Sanukov KN. Experience in the Formation and Develop-ment of National Economic Councils in the RSFSR in the 1950s — 1960s (a Case Study of the Chuvash and Mari Autonomies). Bulletin of Chuvash University. 2015;(2):84—88. (In Russ.)

13. Mordovia in the Period of N. S. Khrushchev’s Reforms. 1953 — 1964. Saransk;2022. URL: http://niign.ru/knigi/xrushhevskij-period-tom-1.pdf (In Russ.)

14. Morozova YuM. The Supreme Council is the Highest Body of State Power of Mordovia (1938 — 1994): on the 80th Anniversary of Its Formation. Bulletin of the Research Institute of the Humanities by the Government of the Republic of Mordovia. 2018;(3):77—85. URL: http://niign.ru/nauchnie-jurnaly/vestnik-2018-%E2%84%96-3u.pdf (In Russ.)

15. Muravyova IV. History of the Formation and Activities of the Legislative Body of Chuvashia (to the 80th Anniversary of the Creation of the Supreme Council of Chuvashia). Bulletin of the Cheboksary Branch of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. 2019;(1):9—25. (In Russ.)

16. Naumov VP. N. S. Khrushchev’s Struggle for Sole Power. New and Recent History. 1996;(2):10—31. (In Russ.)

17. Openkin LA. The Thaw: How It Happened (1953 — 1965). Moscow;1991. (In Russ.)

18. Pihoya RG. Soviet Union: History of Power. 1945 — 1991. Moscow;Berlin;2019. (In Russ.)

19. Pyzhikov AV. The Khrushchev Thaw. Moscow;2002. (In Russ.)

20. Taubman W. Khrushchev. Moscow;2008. (In Russ.)

21. Shcherbakova TI. Industrial Management Reform 1957 — 1964: Implementation Problems and Results. Economic History. 2010;(2):73—82. (In Russ.)

22. Shirokov ON. Experience in Reforming the National Economic Management System in 1957 — 1962 (on the example of the Industrial Development of the Republics of the Volga-Vyatka Economic Region). State Power and Local Self-Government in Russia: Traditions and Modernity. Proceedings of a Regional Scientific and Practical Conference. Cheboksary;2005;68—74. (In Russ.)

23. Shchukin DS. Party-State Bodies and Creative Unions of the MASSR in 1953 — 1985. Bulletin of the Research Institute of the Humanities by the Government of the Republic of Mordovia. 2011;(1):206—215. URL: http://niign.ru/nauchnie-jurnaly/1-2011.pdf (In Russ.)

24. Yudin KA. Anatomy of “Fatal Reforms”: Features of Party-State Control and Management in the USSR (mid-1950s — early 1960s). Ivanovo State University Bulletin. Ser.: Humanities. 2021;4:118—126. (In Russ.)

25. Yurchenkov VA. Virgin Epic: a View from the Provinces. Center and Periphery. 2008;(1):67—69. URL: http://niign.ru/centrandperifirya/1-2008.pdf (In Russ.)

 

The article was submitted 22.11.2023; approved after reviewing 19.01.2024; accepted for publication 25.01.2024.

 

Information about the authors:

Larisa A. Koroleva, Head of Department of History and Philosophy of the Penza State University of Architecture and Construction (28 German Titov Str., Penza 440028, Russia), Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5403-4682, la-koro@yandex.ru

Pavel S. Uchvatov, Senior Researcher of Department of History of the Research Institute of the Humanities by the Government of the Republic of Mordovia (3 L. Tolstogo Str., Saransk 430005, Russia), Candidate of in Historical Sciences, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9993-7415, uchvatov.pavel@yandex.ru

 

Contribution of the authors:

Koroleva L. A. — concept development, scientific editing of the article;

Uchvatov P. S. — collecting materials and analyzing the literature, writing the original version of the article.

 

Conflict of interests: the authors declare no conflict of interests.

 

The authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.