ПОХОДЖЕННЯ КОРУПЦІЇ І ЗНАЧЕННЯ ВЛАДИ В РАДЯНСЬКОМУ МИНУЛОМУ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ БІЛОРУСІ)

Abstract

Using the example of the BSSR the article analyzes the historical background of corruption and abuse of power in modern society. Mistakes and shortcomings in the personnel policy of the party-state leadership of Soviet Belarus are shown. The failure of economic policy is stated to have been caused by a number of objective and subjective factors including imperfection of the personnel selection system, weakening of state and labor discipline, spread of drunkenness and alcoholism, theft of state and public property. It is noted that in the 1970-1980s the number of embezzlement and misappropriations, the facts of using one's official position for personal enrichment did not steadily decline but increased, which resulted in great material damage to the national economy. A feature of that period was the fact that the facts of organized and corrupt crime were revealed in the USSR and Belarus. The most notorious cases: the numeral facts of venality by the officials of housing-departments of the Minsk district executive committee (1970), larcenies and abuses in the consumer cooperation in BSSR, especially in Orsha, where the high-level heads of Vitebsk Regional executive committee and Orsha district executive committee as well as some other authority members were involved into official corruption (1973). The negative tendencies of abuse took place also among Party’s and Soviet leaders: in Vitebsk Region during 1975-1980 more than 100 authority members were penalized for different cases of abuse; in 1981 138 heads were brought to responsibility. All these facts caused social tension in the society, disaffection of the population with the activities of the authorities, government and militia of the republic. As a result, the party-state leadership lost its authority, which along with economic problems and contention in society led to the collapse of the USSR. It is concluded that numerous facts of upward distortions and fraud bring into question the reliability of reporting figures on the implementation of plans and programs for the economic development of the BSSR, and numerous modern conflicts in countries that formed the USSR arose in the Soviet past.