Soviet Party Authorities in Restructuring the Kuzbass Coal Industry in 1941–1945: Historiographic Aspect

Kuzbass was one of the main Russia’s industrial centers during World War II. The local coal industry had to be totally restructured, but the role of the Soviet Party leadership in that process remains understudied. The article traces the evolution of the views of domestic historians on the role of the party and Soviet leadership in the restructuring of the Kuznetsk coal industry during the Great Patriotic War. By applying the periodization, problem-chronological, and comparative-historical methods to reliable historiographic sources, the author revealed the influence of the public administration on the local coal mining and periodized the organizational changes in the Kuzbass coal mining during the war. The pre-war studies focused on the peripheral location and were primarily of a statistical nature: in the 1920–1930s, Kuzbass was far from being a major coal mining center. The 1940s saw an increase in publications about Kuzbass due to its significance for the Soviet rear. However, these works were mostly applied research because the country needed to mobilize its entire resource base, and all coal mining studies had a practical aim. In the 1950s, the number of publications declined only to go up in the 1960s, when the emphasis shifted to the importance of political governance in the region during the war. In the postSoviet and modern period, the study of military mining restructuration became more popular, many authors turning to the role of political power in the matter. Today, as new archival materials become more available, the problem acquires new aspects. The following issues, however, still remain beyond the scope of scientific interest: the state management of the Kuzbass coal industry during the Great Patriotic War, the interaction between the regional and central government bodies, the logistical support for mines, the restructuring of miming management, etc.