Evolution of the Soviet bodies of governmental mine supervision and rescue work in 1921–1928 (adapted from Gornyi Zhurnal)

The article discusses formation of the Soviet bodies of governmental mining supervision and rescue in the Donbas in the 1920s. The main information sources were the publications in Gornyi Zhurnal, legislative acts, regional archival documents and proceedings of industrial conventions. The key trends and features of the industrial policy of the Soviet state in mining are determined. The mining industry required standardization of underground mining regulations and development of mine rescue work with regard to coal bed methane in the Donbas which was the leading source of metallurgical coal in the young socialist State. The mine supervision and mine rescue work in the period of the New Economic Policy is discussed, and the problems connected with the formation of the Soviet safety supervision bodies are identified. The authors propose a reconstruction model of the Soviet state policy in the sphere of safety of the coal mining industry in the 1920s as a case-study of the Donbas and the role of Gornyi Zhurnal as a leading publication in the industry.