Participation of Youth and Komsomol Members in the All-Union Komsomol Shock Construction (on the example of the Construction of the Sarpa Irrigation System)

Introduction. Carrying out irrigation works in the arid climate of the Kalmyk ASSR was of great importance. A special place in the complex of technical measures to improve the efficiency of the use of water and land resources was occupied by the construction of irrigation systems in the Sarpinsk lowland of the Kalmyk ASSR. An important factor that influenced the acceleration of the pace of construction of this facility was the announcement of the construction of the second stage of irrigation systems in the Sarpinsk lowland by the All-Union Komsomol Shock Construction Site. Subsequently, the irrigated facilities built provided an opportunity for the development of a new industry in the republic ⸺ rice growing. The purpose of this article is to study the history of the participation of Komsomol members and youth in the All-Union shock construction on the example of the construction of the Sarpa irrigation system and the contribution of youth to the socio-economic development of the republic. The research was conducted on archival and published materials of the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia. The analysis of archival materials was carried out on the principles of science, objectivity and historicism, which made it possible to explore the studied problem in its development and relationship with the prevailing concrete historical circumstances, as well as based on facts and taking into account both negative and positive phenomena. Results. The features of the construction of the Sarpa irrigation system are considered. It is shown that builders and meliorators prematurely commissioned the construction and water management facilities of the Sarpa irrigation system. The patronage of the Komsomol over the All-Union Komsomol shock construction site of the Sarpa Irrigation System had a positive impact on the organization of labor, accelerating the commissioning of construction facilities, increasing labor productivity and solving cultural and everyday issues.

1. Central Committee. Plenum (1966, May). Materials of the May (1966) Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Moscow: Politizdat, 1966. 62 p.

2. Decisions of the party and the government on economic issues: Collection of documents for 50 years. Vol. 6. 1966 – January-June 1968. Moscow: Politizdat, 1968. 816 c.

3. National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia.

4. Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated June 16, 1966 No. 465 “On the wide development of land reclamation to obtain high and sustainable yields of cereals and other agricultural crops”. Available at: URL: https://docs.cntd.ru/document/765711670 Sources (accessed: 07 April 2023).

5. Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On the public appeal of young people to the most important construction projects of the Five-year plan”. Available at: URL: https://docs.historyrussia.org/ru/nodes/355457-postanovlenie-tsk-kpss-i-soveta-ministrov-sssr-6-iyunya-1966-g-ob-obschestvennom-prizyve-molodezhi-na-vazhneyshie-stroyki-pyatiletki (accessed: 07 April 2023).

6. All-Union Shock Constructions in the History of the XX century: collection of articles / ed. by Bushuev A. S.. Kazan: Sh. Marjani Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, 2015. 204 p. (In Russ.)

7. Darmaeva T. B. Land Reclamation of the Republic of Kalmykia (publication date 2020) Available at: URL: https://kalmmelio.ru/Статья-1 / (accessed: 20 August 2023). (In Russ.)

8. Eshchenko Yu. G. Organization of Labor of Working Youth at the Komsomol Shock Construction sites (on the example of the construction of the first stage of the Astrakhan gas complex). State, Society, Church in the History of Russia of the XX-XXI Centuries: Materials of the XV International scientific conference: in 2 parts (Ivanovo, 23–24 March 2016). Ivanovo: Ivanovo State University, 2016. Pp. 344–351. (In Russ.)

9. Kim I. K., Kim I. A. Outstanding Koreans of the Older Generation of Kalmykia. The Journal of Direction and Development of Korean Studies in Russia. 2021. Vol. 3. No. 1. Pp. 66–73. (In Russ.)

10. Nastinova G. E. Salt Resistance and Productivity of Rice in Cultivation in the Sarpinsk Lowland. Materials of the II Rep. scientific and practical conference. Elista: KSU, 1982. Pp. 51–55. (In Russ.)

11. Ochirova E. N. Agrotechnological Features of Cultivation of Various Types of Rice in the Conditions of the Sarpinsk lowland: Cand. diss. (Agricultural sciences) thesis. Saratov, 2011. 22 p. (In Russ.)

12. Pak K. P., Stepanets I. T. Rice in the Sarpinsk Lowland. Agriculture. 1966. No. 5. Pp. 29–35. (In Russ.)

13. Sarpinsk Lowland: Problems of Development: Materials of Scientific and Production Conference on the Development of the Sarpinsk Lowland of the Kalmyk ASSR for Rice Sowing and Forage Production (Elista, 13–15 October, 1977). Elista: Kalmykia Book Publ., 1978. 200 p. (In Russ.)

14. Shmatkin V. F. Recommendations on the Organization of Rice Sowing and Forage Production on Irrigated Lands of the Kalmyk ASSR. Elista: Kalmykia Book Publ., 1978. 92 p. (In Russ.)

15. Shumova V. F. Water Management Aspects of Land Use in the Republic of Kalmykia in Modern Climatic Conditions. Steppes of Northern Eurasia. Materials of IX International symposium. Orenburg: Orenburg State University, 2021. Pp. 880–887. (In Russ.)

16. The History of Land Reclamation of Kalmykia. Available at: URL: https://kalmmelio.ru/История (accessed: 01 September 2023). (In Russ.)

17. Vorobyov D. A. Pechorskaya GRES as an All-Union Shock construction site. Problems of the History of Material and Spiritual Culture of the Peoples of Russia and Foreign Countries. All-Russian Scientific Conference of Students and Postgraduates: coll. of reports. Syktyvkar: SSU named after Pitirim Sorokin, 2022. Pp. 25–28. (In Russ.)