“Open” Trade in the Provision System of the Population of Bashkiria in 1935–1941

Abstract

The study examined the state of retail trade in Bashkiria in the pre-war period using the archive materials. The functioning of “open” forms of trade after the abolition of the card distribution system in the USSR is one of the topics poorly developed in regional historiography. Meanwhile, state and cooperative trade enterprises in Bashkiria gained unique experience in fulfilling trade turnover plans in combination with a free regime for the purchase and sale of goods. As a result of the study, it was established that the percentage of implementation of trade turnover plans had significant discrepancies with the projected indicators, which is largely explained by the inability of trade and industry enterprises within the framework of the plan to quickly respond to changes in the demand of the urban and rural population of the republic. In the presence of a chronic shortage in retail and warehouse networks, there is a clear tendency towards an increase in excess inventory balances. Trade enterprises in Bashkiria slowly adapted to the changed form of supply to the population, there were numerous violations of the principles of Soviet trade, and the level of customer service culture remained low. Disadvantages and violations in trade in Bashkiria have become systemic in nature.