Abuse of power by the bolshevik-soviet leadership at the district level in 1946 (a case study of Vinnytsia region)

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyze the conduct of party-Soviet officials at the district level in 1946 through the prism of violations of “socialist legality,” including corruption, bribery, and violence against the rural population of Vinnytsia region. Methodology. The study is grounded in the principles of scholarly rigor and historicism and employs general scientific methods such as analysis, synthesis, and generalization. The analysis and interpretation of the behavior of the district-level administrative apparatus are based on a combination of problem-chronological, comparative-historical, and historical-critical approaches, which make it possible to identify the motives behind abuses of power and their consequences for those involved. Scientific novelty. Drawing on archival materials introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time, the article seeks to demonstrate the principal methods and forms of violence exercised against collective farm peasants in 1946, as well as to analyze documented cases of abuse of office by authorities, particularly in the form of bribery and corruption aimed at personal enrichment. Conclusions. Based on Communist Party documents from 1946, the study examines the inherently criminal nature of the activities of district-level officials in Vinnytsia region. Exploiting their official positions, the ruling “elite,” under conditions of an artificially induced famine, enriched themselves at the expense of the peasantry, engaged in corruption and bribery, and resorted to physical violence. The documents indicate that, in many cases, the regime deliberately ignored such criminal practices and failed to respond appropriately. Under the extreme conditions of 1946, the gravest offense in the eyes of the Stalinist regime remained the failure to fulfill state grain procurement quotas, while other violations were treated as secondary. Recognizing this, district-level officials used the situation to improve their own material well-being.