Information potential of documents of the former Party archives. "The Rusangloles Case” in 1920s

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2024-3-733-748

For citation

Troshina, Tat'yana I. (2024), “Information potential of documents of the former Party archives. "The Rusangloles Case”” in 1920s, Herald of an Archivist, № 3, pp. 733-748, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2024-3-733-748

Troshina, Tat'yana I., Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Arkhangelsk, Russia

Information potential of documents of the former Party archives. "The Rusangloles Case” in 1920s

Abstract

Based on the analysis of documents stored in the fonds of the former archives of the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regional committees of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) (now included in the collections of the regional state archives), the article examines the so-called "Rusangloles case" - the abuse of the "mixed" (Russian-English) joint-stock company, which was given forestry in Nikolsky uyezd of North-Dvinsky province for exploitation on concession basis. Taking advantage of their position being the only employer for the peasant population of the uyezd, the concessionaires violated the terms of the contract concluded with the USSR government, as well as Soviet laws on forest management and basic articles of the Labor Code. They were assisted in covering up these violations by representatives of the district and volost authorities, who received "gifts" from the concessionaires in the form of scarce food and goods, which were given to them for free or at a reduced cost. As a result, reports were sent to the provincial economic and soviet bodies, and from there to the Main Concession Committee under the Council of People's Commissars. Those reports presented the activities of the concession enterprises in a favorable light. Critical speeches of peasant delegates at Soviet and Party congresses were not always taken into account, since loggers and rafters were classified as well-to-do peasants and even kulaks. Information about the true state of affairs at the logging sites came from communists, workers of the county party committees. The Party commission sent by the provincial committee, despite the opposition to its work, including from the state timber trust Severoles (under which the Rusangloles concession was created), conducted a thorough investigation, using various sources, including agent data, interviews with peasants and on-site inspection of the concession territory. The picture revealed was at variance with the reports sent to the Main Concession Committee under the Council of People's Commissars. Besides, there were confirmed reports of widespread bribery of Soviet, economic and party officials. The materials considered at the bureau of the provincial committee were partially transferred to the prosecutor's office with recommendations to punish the guilty, leaving most of them in their positions due to the lack of staff. It was decided not to pursue the accusations against the concessionaires any further, because the concessions were of great political importance for the Soviet state. The specific case considered in the article makes it possible to see the wide informational possibilities of the documents of the former Party archives in the study of those aspects of early Soviet life that still remain "white spots" of history.

Keywords

Party documents, historical sources, European North of Russia in the 1920s, Soviet concession program, forest concessions, "Rusangloles", materials of party commissions

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References

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About the authors

Tatyana I. Troshina, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Lomonosov Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Arkhangelsk, Russia, 8-911-571-04-66, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Grant information

The article was prepared with the financial support of RNF grant, project № 22-18-20061 "Foreign Concessions in Arkhangelsk Province: Regional Experience of Foreign Economic Contacts in the Conditions of Soviet Russia's Isolation", https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-20061

The article was received in the editorial office on 06.11.2023, recommended for publication on 20.6.2024.