The daily life in the virgin and fallow lands in 1954–1964

Doi: 10.33876/2311-0546/2019-45-1/80-87

Abstract

Based on the records of management documentation, periodicals, memoirs of contemporaries, the article presents an overall picture of the daily life of virgin lands (tselina). The study showed that upon arrival to the new land volunteers were often forced to live in the severe conditions of lack of infrastructure. They had to live in tents or field trailers. At the same time, settlers themselves could improve their living conditions by building state-farm (sovkhoz) settlements. Such work required a lot of effort. The average working time was 12–14 hours a day, regardless of the age, length of service and experience of a volunteer who arrived to the virgin lands. Earnings ranged between 500–1400 rubles per month in average. Food supply system in the new land development areas was essential to support the physical strength of the volunteers. However, as contemporaries remember, the food was unsatisfactory. The diet, as a rule, was monotonous, in view of which workers often staged strikes. In the end, gradually the infrastructure in the virgin lands acquired the level usual for the Central Russia. In particular, leisure time outside the virgin lands was spent in cinemas, clubs, libraries, amateur circles, holding sports competitions. However, social security was in poor condition as well as medical care. Not all medical centers worked; there was a constant lack of doctors, which led to increased injuries. Many volunteers who came to the new lands had no experience in agriculture – in this regard, medicine played an important role in the daily life of virgin lands. New settlers also faced a number of problems, which led to disruption of the usual daily life. In particular, cases of hooliganism caused by alcoholism, fights with lethal outcomes were frequent in the new lands. The indigenous population was often hostile to visitors. In addition, the residents of virgin lands were harmed by the military, who conducted nuclear weapons tests in the vicinity of new farms. In the end, the new settlers were able to cope with the difficulties they were facing and in a short time established a large-scale production of grain crops. Due to this, the country was able to temporarily overcome the food issue that had become urgent in the post-war period.

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