Industry of Mordovia during the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945: conditions of formation and ways of development

Abstract

Introduction. The problem of the development of industry in Mordovia during the war remains relevant in modern conditions. In the year of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, researchers again turn their attention to various aspects of the industrial development of the republic during the war years. Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological paradigm of the study was the theory of modernization. The socio-economic processes in the MASSR are analyzed, which testify to the formation of the foundations of an industrial society in the agrarian republic. The narrative method is actively combined with the sociological and historical-comparative. The multifactorial approach allowed the authors to identify the conditions for the formation of the industrial base of the republic in wartime. Results. The main problems in the development of the industrial base of Mordovia during the war were: shortage and low qualification of personnel, imbalance between the engineering and working staff of enterprises, interruptions in the supply of raw materials and electricity, the absence of heavy industry in pre-war Mordovia, lack of production space for evacuated enterprises, and difficult social living conditions for evacuated specialists. Discussion and Conclusions. The ways to increase industrial production during the war were: socialist competition, various methods of advanced training, overtime in wartime, an innovative movement, the mobilization of different sectors of the population at industrial facilities. Evacuated enterprises formed the basis of the industrial base of post-war Mordovia.