Agriculture in Vinnytsia Region of 1945: Characteristic Features, Trends of Development

Abstract

The paper aims to define characteristic social and economic processes and analyze trends in the development of agriculture in Vinnytsia region through the prism of the situation in collective farms. The research methodology is based on the principles of scientific, retrospective, comparative and historical analysis; principles of analysis and synthesis, generalization, historical-criticism, of historical-systemic, specific-problematic, and systemic research. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the authors base their research on newly introduced sources and critically examine the Party-Soviet documents of 1945, revealing typical features of the social and economic situation that developed in collective farms in the final year of World War II. Conclusions. The second year of the restored colonial, essentially communist Soviet regime in Vinnytsia region did not bring positive changes in the social and economic situation of the collective farms. Agriculture, utterly exhausted after the war, was further subjected to increased exploitation by the Stalinist regime, which did not take into account the real state of affairs in the village. Lack of economic incentives and material interest in the results of work, as well as increased tax pressure contributed to the further decrease in labor productivity and the growth of indifference. The regime saw a way out of the situation in the strengthening of repression. Altogether, this preconditioned and caused the famine of 1946-1947. Certain issues of this topic require more detailed study and analysis.