THE PEOPLE’S COMMISSARIAT OF FORESTRY OF THE SOVIET UNION IN 1932-1940 AND THE PROBLEMS OF PERFORMING PLANNED TASKS

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the activities of the People’s Commissariat of Forestry of the Soviet Union for performance of planned tasks in 1932-1940 and resolution of problems that arose in the course of their achievement. This aspect of history of the forest industry is poorly investigated and is relevant in terms of studying the economic history of the country during a critical era, such as the "socialist industrialization". The practical importance of the article is connected with the appearance in the period of implementation of the first five-year plans of systemic problems in the development of the industry, which have influenced its current state, and with the need to identify their positive and negative aspects, which can be taken into account and used in determining the prospects of the domestic forest industry. In the article on the basis of unpublished and published sources the statistics of performing planned tasks and the policy of the People’s Commissariat of Forestry, as the main forest user, in relation to the arising problems are considered. The reasons of these difficulties are established. The conclusion is drawn that from the moment of creation in 1932 till the last financial year before the Great Patriotic War, 1940, the department tried to perform plan targets with great difficulties. It turned out to be unrealistic to reach overestimated indicators of the first five-year plans. At the same time, the annual plans were not implemented as well. The People’s Commissariat of Forestry of the USSR in 1932-1940 failed to achieve a significant increase in operational performance and implementation of plans therefore other forest users (people’s commissariats of internal affairs, heavy industry) increased their share in the timber industry.