WORKING ACTIVITY IN THE ENTERPRISES OF THE VOLGA REGION IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD TO NEP (June 1921-1923)
The article is devoted to a worker protest at the enterprises of the Volga region in the early 20-ies of XX century. As the result of the study of archival documents, the author revealed about 200 strikes in the studied region. Paltry wages, delayed food rations, rising prices, famine in the Volga region in 1921-1922., the crisis of sales in the industry in 1923 became fertile soil for the growth of the labor movement. A characteristic feature of the conflicts of this period is the defensive strikes and the absence of political demands. Strikes of this period were large, but short-term, due to the massive delay of material rewards. The difficult material situation of workers caused the main reasons for the conflict (difficult living conditions, working in public holidays, the increase of prices). The workers lived for today without looking forward. The victory of the workers in a small number of conflicts is clearly linked with the plight of the Soviet economy after the civil war. In the party records all strikes of the early 20-ies were associated with the machinations of the SRs and the Mensheviks, therefore, conflicts identified primarily the leaders of the opposition parties. In conflicts in state enterprises, the trade unions took the side of the state, their main task was to keep the enterprise working. The party and the trade union functionaries have always sought to transfer the conflict from the field of General shortcomings of the system in the plane of the mistakes of individual leaders and to shift the discontent of the workers in the management of enterprises, thereby redirecting dissatisfaction from the system itself to a particular leader. Conformity and the desire to negotiate with the government at the production level were natural to the workers during the conflicts.