Wrecking (Russian: вредительство or vreditel'stvo, lit. "inflicting damage", "harming") was a crime specified in the criminal code of the Soviet Union in the Stalin era. It is often translated as "sabotage"; however, "wrecking", "diversionist acts", and "counter-revolutionary sabotage" were distinct sub-articles of Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code) (58-7, 58–9, and 58-14 respectively), and the meaning of "wrecking" is closer to "undermining".
Distinctions among the three categories in the sub-articles:
Diversions were acts of immediate infliction of physical damage on state and cooperative property.
Wrecking was deliberate acts aimed against normal functioning of state and cooperative organisations, such as giving deliberately wrong commands.
Sabotage was non-execution, or careless execution, of one's duties.
As applied in practice, "wrecking" and "sabotage" referred to any action which negatively affected the economy, including failing to meet unrealistic economic targets, allegedly causing poor morale among subordinates (e.g. by complaining about conditions of work), lack of effort, or other incompetence. Thus, it referred to economic or industrial sabotage in the very broadest sense. The definition of sabotage was interpreted dialectically and indirectly, so any form of non-compliance with Party directives could have been considered a 'sabotage'.[1][2][3]
"Wrecking" in the Soviet Census of 1937
One of the show trials involving charges of "wrecking" was that of official coordinators of the 1937 Soviet Census. The census was organised with great expectations from the government that it would confirm the superiority of the Soviet economic and social model, with Stalin publicly declaring in 1934 that the Soviet Union was gaining at least 3 million citizens per year. The census questions and procedure were prepared for several years by a commission of professional statisticians and demographers, but then significantly changed by Stalin and other members of the Central Committee to better match their political goals – the collection phase of the census was shortened and the procedures simplified.
The results obtained from the census were at least 8 million people short of the expected outcome and immediately classified. The formal organizers were accused of "wrecking" and sent to camps, and the shortage was officially presented as caused by their negligence and acts of sabotage. The actual measurement error, as estimated by statisticians in the 1990s, did not exceed 1.5%, and the disappointing result was caused by the huge loss of life that occurred during collectivization, the Famine of 1932–1933, including in Ukraine (Holodomor), and the mortality rates in the Gulag.[3]
Cultural depictions
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in his book of the prison camps of the Soviet Union, The Gulag Archipelago, describes Nikolai von Meck, an engineer who advised placing heavier-than-average loads on freight trains for the betterment of the economy. He was convicted of being a wrecker and shot — his supposed crime being that he had overloaded the trains for the purpose of wearing out the rails faster.[4]
^ abVolkov, A G (1990). "Перепись населения 1937 года: вымыслы и правда (originally published as Перепись населения СССР 1937 года. История и материалы/Экспресс-информация)" [Census of 1937: Fact and Fiction (originally published as Population census of the USSR in 1937. History and materials / Express information)]. История статистики (in Russian) (3–5, part II): 6–63. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
wrecking, soviet, union, wrecking, russian, вредительство, vreditel, stvo, inflicting, damage, harming, crime, specified, criminal, code, soviet, union, stalin, often, translated, sabotage, however, wrecking, diversionist, acts, counter, revolutionary, sabotag. Wrecking Russian vreditelstvo or vreditel stvo lit inflicting damage harming was a crime specified in the criminal code of the Soviet Union in the Stalin era It is often translated as sabotage however wrecking diversionist acts and counter revolutionary sabotage were distinct sub articles of Article 58 RSFSR Penal Code 58 7 58 9 and 58 14 respectively and the meaning of wrecking is closer to undermining Contents 1 Types of wrecking 2 Wrecking in the Soviet Census of 1937 3 Cultural depictions 4 See also 5 NotesTypes of wrecking EditDistinctions among the three categories in the sub articles Diversions were acts of immediate infliction of physical damage on state and cooperative property Wrecking was deliberate acts aimed against normal functioning of state and cooperative organisations such as giving deliberately wrong commands Sabotage was non execution or careless execution of one s duties As applied in practice wrecking and sabotage referred to any action which negatively affected the economy including failing to meet unrealistic economic targets allegedly causing poor morale among subordinates e g by complaining about conditions of work lack of effort or other incompetence Thus it referred to economic or industrial sabotage in the very broadest sense The definition of sabotage was interpreted dialectically and indirectly so any form of non compliance with Party directives could have been considered a sabotage 1 2 3 Wrecking in the Soviet Census of 1937 EditOne of the show trials involving charges of wrecking was that of official coordinators of the 1937 Soviet Census The census was organised with great expectations from the government that it would confirm the superiority of the Soviet economic and social model with Stalin publicly declaring in 1934 that the Soviet Union was gaining at least 3 million citizens per year The census questions and procedure were prepared for several years by a commission of professional statisticians and demographers but then significantly changed by Stalin and other members of the Central Committee to better match their political goals the collection phase of the census was shortened and the procedures simplified The results obtained from the census were at least 8 million people short of the expected outcome and immediately classified The formal organizers were accused of wrecking and sent to camps and the shortage was officially presented as caused by their negligence and acts of sabotage The actual measurement error as estimated by statisticians in the 1990s did not exceed 1 5 and the disappointing result was caused by the huge loss of life that occurred during collectivization the Famine of 1932 1933 including in Ukraine Holodomor and the mortality rates in the Gulag 3 Cultural depictions EditAleksandr Solzhenitsyn in his book of the prison camps of the Soviet Union The Gulag Archipelago describes Nikolai von Meck an engineer who advised placing heavier than average loads on freight trains for the betterment of the economy He was convicted of being a wrecker and shot his supposed crime being that he had overloaded the trains for the purpose of wearing out the rails faster 4 See also EditSocialist emulationNotes Edit Heller Mikhail 1988 Cogs in the Wheel The Formation of Soviet Man Alfred A Knopf ISBN 978 0394569260 Kravchenko Victor 1988 I Chose Freedom ISBN 978 0887387548 a b Volkov A G 1990 Perepis naseleniya 1937 goda vymysly i pravda originally published as Perepis naseleniya SSSR 1937 goda Istoriya i materialy Ekspress informaciya Census of 1937 Fact and Fiction originally published as Population census of the USSR in 1937 History and materials Express information Istoriya statistiki in Russian 3 5 part II 6 63 Retrieved 15 May 2021 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 1973 The Gulag Archipelago 1st ed Harper amp Row pp 44 45 ISBN 0 06 080332 0 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wrecking Soviet Union amp oldid 1129499365, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
