Great trials eve: Kursk biofactory in 1938 – at the beginning of 1941

Relevance. The historians are very interested in Soviet industry history facts. A special attention is paid to management methods of Soviet production, the advanced activity standards introduction, the organization of employees and workers social culture at enterprises etc. Obviously, the work teams’ success of in USSR depended much on the skillful and effective enterprise administration management. So the agro biological industry experience analysis on various levels of its development could be very useful for market economics. It also could help to create agricultural and industry programs both in Russia and in some districts of it.

The purpose of this study is to review documentary history sources of the largest USSR agro-biological industry enterprises, the Kursk Mallein-Tuberkuline Biofactory.

Objectives is to restore Kursk Mallein-Tuberculin Biological Factory managers’ biography in 1938 – the first half of 1941.

Methodology. As the author’s methodological base there were the objectivity and historicism principles. There was also used a historical-genetic, chronological ideographic (narrative) and retrospective methods among the special historical methods. I would like to point out an ideographic (narrative) method, this one helped to describe Biofactory individual events in its history, helped to explore those people biography that had made a significant contribution to its development.

Results. A comprehensive study based on archival and printed sources allowed us to restore both Kursk Biofactory director Akim Fedorovich Kurkin biography and the enterprise development history during the Great Patriotic War.

Conclusion: Industrial biological production first of all tuberculin and mallein in USSR was organized at Kursk biofactory and it had become a monopolist of its production by 1941. So, on the Great Patriotic War eve Kursk Biological Factory fulfilled the production plan thanks to Kurkin’s professional skills and enterprise team only.

1. Operational plan of veterinary measures in the RSFSR for 1928-29. Moscow: Novaya derevnya; 1929. P. 38–39. (In Russ.)

2. RGAE (Russian State Archive of Economics). F. 8383. Op. 1. D. 200. (In Russ.)

3. RGAE. F. 8383. D. 203. (In Russ.)

4. GAKO (The State Archive of the Kursk region). F. R-770. Op. 2. D. 44. (In Russ.)

5. Bezgin V.M., Kozlov V.E., Rakhmanin P.P., et al. How it was. On the 120th anniversary of the Russian agrobiological industry and the Kursk biofactory: facts, events, memories. Kursk: Izd-vo KGSKhA; 2016. P. 196-199. (In Russ.)

6. Minenko I.F. Women's contribution to the development of the agrobiological industry of the Kursk Region. In: Mudrova S.V., Rudkovskaya M.M., Ershova N.M. (eds.) Women's labor in Russia and in the world: history, traditions, features. Moscow: REU im. G.V. Plekhanova; 2024. P. 808-816. (In Russ.)

7. Saltyk G.A., Minenko I.F. The fate of the accountant of the Kursk biofactory M.N. Ivanov. In: Tul'skie chteniya ‒ 2024. Tri izmereniya politicheskoi istorii Rossii: ideologiya, politika, praktiki: sbornik nauchnykh statei po materialam Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (s mezhdunarodnym uchastiem) = Tula readings ‒ 2024. Three measurements of the political history of Russia: ideology, politics, practices: a collection of scientific articles based on the materials of the All-Russian scientific and practical conference (with international participation). Yaroslavl'; Moscow: Kantsler; 2024. P. 317-330. (In Russ.)

8. Saltyk G.A. The verdict is final, not subject to appeal (on the repressions in the Kursk Region in 1937-1938). Kursk: Izd-vo KGU; 2004. P. 51-63. (In Russ.)

9. GAOPI KO (The State Archive of Socio-political history of the Kursk region). F. P-1. Op. 89. D. 3021. (In Russ.)

10. GAOPI KO. F. P–2878. Op. 2. D. 405. (In Russ.) 11. GAOPI KO. F. P–1. Op. 89. D. 30. (In Russ.)

11. Mazalova E.M. My memories. In: Bakulov I.A., Shevyrev N.S. (eds.) Kursk biofactory. By the centenary of the biological industry of Russia. Kursk: Kursk; 1996. P. 430. (In Russ.)

12. Andryushchenko D.F. Industry meeting of Stakhanovites and specialists of bacillary factories. Sovetskaya veterinariya = Soviet Veterinary Medicine. 1936;(8):82-83. (In Russ.)

13. GAOPI KO. F. P-1352. Op. 1. D. 5. (In Russ.)

14. GARF (The State Archive of the Russian Federation). F. R-6757. Op. 2. D. 55. (In Russ.)

15. GAKO. F. R-3636. Op. 1. D. 7. (In Russ.)

16. GAKO. F. R-3636. Op. 1. D. 2. (In Russ.)

17. Kostin P.E. They did not lose faith in the best. In: How it was. On the 120th anniversary of the Russian agrobiological industry and the Kursk biofactory: facts, events, memories. Kursk: Izd-vo KGSKhA; 2016. P. 438. (In Russ.)

18. GAOPI KO. F. P-1352. Op. 1. D. 9. (In Russ.)

19. GAKO. F. R-3636. Op. 1. D. 9. (In Russ.)

20. GAOPI KO. F. P-1. Op. 1. D. 2399. (In Russ.)

21. GAKO. F. R-3636. Op. 1. D. 5. (In Russ.)