Shil'nikova I.V. “As they have been oppressing workers, so they will continue to oppress”: the causes of conflict in Soviet enterprises during the years of the New Economic Policy

Abstract: The system of labour relations in the Russian industry which took shape during the period of the pre-Revolution industrialisation was subjected to drastic changes after 1917. However, conflicts in their diverse forms, including their most acute manifestations (strikes), continued to be a significant indicator of the workers’ mood, of their perception of the new developments in the system of stimulating labour and organising production activity and daily life. The examination of the causes of conflict in industrial enterprises during the years of the New Economic Policy (1922–1928) is conducted on the basis of archival and published documents. Attention is predominantly focused on the question of the relationship between workers, on the one hand, and representatives of factory-plant administration and engineer-technical workers, on the other hand. The negative attitude of the workers towards “specialists” and “red directors” could result in serious and prolonged conflicts ending with assaults and even assassinations of engineers, masters, and managers. This kind of “opposition” stood in the way of the enterprises’ stable production, leading to equipment failures and losses in employee salaries. The use of microanalysis methods has allowed to investigate in detail the reasons for the workers’ discontent and to conduct a comparison of it with analogous data indicative of conflicts in the pre-Revolution Russian industry.

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