Novosibirsk. Science. Siberian branch. 1982. 425 p.

V. I. Lenin, pointing out the need for a careful study of the historical path of the working class, emphasized: "For class-conscious workers, nothing is more important than the task of knowing the movement of their class." ¹ . Of particular interest in this connection is the beginning of the era of transition from capitalism to socialism and the comprehensive transformation of society, "the intellectual and moral engine, the physical performer" ² of which was the working class.

Identifying the regional detachments of the working class of the USSR as an object of research makes it possible to take more fully into account the specific historical conditions of a particular region, to identify common features and specific features of the formation and development of territorial detachments of the working class, and thereby to show its history as a whole in depth and reliably.

An important place in the development of the national economic complex of the country belongs to Siberia. A truly great historical feat of the working class and all the masses of the people during the construction of socialism was the transformation of the previously backward outskirts of Russia into an industrially developed region, the creation of such industrial giants as the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Combine, the Kemerovo Coke and Chemical Plant, Sibselmash, etc. on the territory of Siberia. In the process of socio-economic transformation of Siberia, its working class also changed. A broad and comprehensive picture of its formation and development in 1917-1937 is given in the reviewed book ³, which is the second volume of the four-volume History of the Working Class of Siberia.

The book is a fundamental work that appeared as a result of many years of work of a large team of employees of the Institute of History, Philology and Philosophy of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences with the participation of researchers from a number of Siberian universities. Its creation was made possible by the current level of historiography of the problem. In recent years, a large number of collections of articles and a number of serious monographs have been published on the history of Siberia during the construction of socialism and its working ^class4 . However, the authors ' team had to conduct additional research on poorly understood aspects of the problem.

The authors were faced with a difficult task-to comprehensively cover the history of the working class of Siberia from the moment of its conquest of political power to the victory of socialism.-

¹ Lenin, V. I. PSS, vol. 25, p. 244.

² Ibid., vol. 26, p. 73.

³ Authors ' collective: N. Kh. Aitov, D. M. Zolnikov, V. I. Isaev, V. A. Kadeikin, A.V. Kipriyanova, A. S. Moskovsky, A. A. Nikolaev, I. V. Pavlova, A. N. Permyakov, V. S. Poznansky, G. L. Sanzhiev. Editorial Board of the volume: N. Ya. Gushchin, D. M. Zolnikov (Deputy Editor-in-chief), V. I. Isaev (Executive Secretary), A. S. Moskovsky (Editor-in-chief), A. N. Permyakov, V. S. Poznansky, L. S. Rogachevskaya.

⁴ See History Of Siberia. T. III. L. 1968; Moscow A. S. the growth of the cultural and technical level of the working class Siberia. 1920-1937 Novosibirsk. 1979; Culture and life of Siberian workers during the construction of socialism. Novosibirsk. 1980; and others.

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follow quantitative and qualitative changes within this class, show the growth of its leading role in society and interaction with other social groups. The authors methodologically correctly solved this problem by consistently highlighting the political and economic conditions of the working class development, changes in its size and composition, and showing on this basis the activities of workers in various spheres of public life. In general, they managed not only to summarize the results of the previous study of the history of Siberian workers, but also to significantly supplement scientific data on almost all its aspects based on a wide range of sources.

The structure of the book is scientifically based. Its three sections reflect the most important periods in the history of the Soviet working class: victory of the socialist revolution and the civil war, restoration of the national economy, socialist reconstruction. The authors cover the state of industry and the situation of the proletariat in Siberia in 1917, the participation of the working masses in the preparation and conduct of the socialist revolution, and the implementation of their first socialist transformations. The struggle of the Siberian workers for Soviet power and the defeat of Kolchakism are impressively revealed. The volume recreates a vivid picture of the heroism and selflessness of the workers led by the Bolsheviks, and convincingly shows that the working class made a significant contribution to the victory of Soviet power in Siberia.

Following a brief review of the transition to peaceful construction after the end of the civil war, the authors analyze the transition to a new economic policy in Siberia, the process of consolidation of the working class, and changes in its composition and size. A heroic page in the history of the working class was the struggle against economic ruin. Despite famine and deprivation, workers raised enterprises from the ruins, set up production, and gained decisive positions in managing the economy. Among the successes of the author's team is the coverage of the situation of the workers of private enterprises - a fairly large group of the working class, which had its own specifics in economic and political terms. This is important because the historiography of the working class did not cover this aspect of the problem very well.

Using numerous examples, the volume reveals the growth of social and political activity of the working class. One of its manifestations was the widespread patronage of workers over the countryside. Siberia was the instigator of this movement, and Lenin praised it ^.5 The book shows that as the ideological and political level of the working class of Siberia increased, its international ties grew, and its solidarity with the liberation struggle of the foreign proletariat grew stronger. Highlighting the difficult financial situation of Siberian workers during the recovery period, the authors also note trends towards improving their working and living conditions. The book also discusses issues of cultural life of workers, their general education and professional training. A good impression is left by showing the birth of industry, the formation of the working class in the national regions of Siberia, and the development of its socio - political activities.

The authors pay the greatest attention to the period of socialist reconstruction of the national economy. They describe the history of socialist industry in Siberia, and this is logical, since the development of the working class cannot be considered and understood in isolation from its production base. The volume reveals the tasks and main directions of industrialization, success on this path during the first and second five-year plans. Very significant changes in the size and composition of the working class characteristic of this period are thoroughly investigated, while regional features of this process are noted - a low initial level and faster rates compared to industrially developed regions.

The growth of the general education and professional-technical level of the working masses of Siberia can be traced on statistical material and concrete examples. The cultural development of the working class is presented in the book in two aspects: as a class that develops accumulated cultural wealth, and as the creator of a new, socialist culture. Highlighting the changes in the material and living conditions of the working class, the authors largely fill in the gaps that existed in historiography, and from a new point of view show the selflessness of the working class, which consciously went to the hardships so that the country ended its backwardness.

⁵ See Lenin V. I. PSS. Vol. 45, pp. 366, 367.

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The material difficulties of the first five-year plan and the shortage of housing, especially acute in Siberia, did not dampen the revolutionary enthusiasm of the workers. The shortcomings were gradually overcome, and the growth trends in welfare became noticeable during the second five-year plan.

The high creative activity of the working class is clearly demonstrated by the development of socialist competition, which is analyzed in detail in the book. Through the participation of workers in the management of the state, production, and in the socialist transformation of the countryside, the growing leading role of the working class in the socio - political life of the country can be traced.

At all stages of socialist construction, the volume reveals specific features in the development of the Siberian working class and its role in the revolutionary transformations. During the years of the revolution and the civil war , this is the presence of united organizations of the RSDLP before September - October 1917, the slow process of overcoming the ideology of compromise among the workers, their lack of organization and, as a result, the later establishment of Soviet power in the region. During the period of restoration and reconstruction of the national economy, this means a relatively low educational level of the workers, a faster rate of liquidation of the devastation, an active role of the workers in patronage of the countryside, a more intensive growth in the number of workers in comparison with the RSFSR, the creation of national detachments of the working class, the leading role of the workers in the international education of the workers, etc.

An interesting and thorough book, unfortunately, is not free from shortcomings. Revealing the main directions in the creation of industry in Siberia as an objective condition for the formation and growth of the Soviet working class, the authors overlook the complex development of industry, the construction of industrial hubs on the scale of the Urals and Kuzbass, on the basis of which later, at the stage of developed socialism, territorial production complexes appeared in Siberia. This was a classic example of the complex development of the economy during the construction of socialism, and it had a decisive influence on the formation of the leading detachments of the working class in the new industrial centers of Siberia. The volume pays little attention to the differentiation of the working class, professional groups and social strata. The authors poorly show the group of agricultural workers that was formed during the transition period. The coverage of stories about working-class national districts is uneven.

In the professional and technical training of the working class, it was desirable to single out the period of mastering new technology and new industries, which was justified by the XVII Party Congress. In this regard, especially after the deployment of the Stakhanov movement, the requirements for professional and technical training of workers increased. Unfortunately, the authors mention in passing how these requirements were implemented and how the process of training workers went in 1936-1937. When analyzing the problem of ideological and political education of the workers of Siberia during the transition period, it should be shown that it was solved in the presence of antagonistic classes, that party organizations educated and united the workers in an irreconcilable struggle against Trotskyists, right-wing opportunists and nationalists, and that it was during the transition period that the foundations of the political culture of the workers were laid.

The authors ' collective has created a useful generalizing work that comprehensively reflects the formation of the socialist working class in Siberia.

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