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Trapped Within the Confrontation Between Unified State Political ęȱȱȱȱȱ1 by Mykola Horokh Abstract The articles uses previously unknown sources to analyze the issues of confrontation between the ȱĜȱȱȱ ȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱǻ¢ȱȮȱȃ”) and the ęȱȱȱȱǻȱȮȱȂȱȱȱ ȱěǼǯȱ is an ȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱęȱȱȱȱŗşřŖǯȱȱȱ distribution centers, cooperatives, commercial stores, the “black” market, and the card rationing system operated, the network stores were by far the only examples of open state trade where every citizen could purchase the commodities s/he needed and the network itself was the ȱ ȱ £Ȭȱ ȱ £ǯȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ USPD in the life of Dzȱȱȱ¢ȱȱ ȱȱ£ȱȱęȱ ȱ ȱDzȱȱȱȱĜ¢ǯȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ ȱŗşřŖȱȱŗşřŜǰȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱĜȱȱȱǯ Keywords: Torgsin, USDP, NKVD, trade, currency valuables he socio-economic1 conditions of the Return from Oblivion TSoviet Union in the early 1930s demanded authorities to search for alternative sources of For decades, Soviet leaders suppressed the currency revenues that would facilitate the fact that there was mass famine in Ukraine in industrialization of the country along with 1932 and 1933, while the agenda subject to a the export revenues, gold extraction, and the certain taboo. A similar approach was typical expropriation of valuables by the institutions of for other issues directly or indirectly related ȱęȱȱȱȱǻǼȱ to the tragic events. The range of unwanted and the People’s Commissariat of Internal and literally forbidden subjects also included ěȱ ǻ Ǽȱ ȱ ŗŖȱ ¢ȱ ŗşřŚǯȱ ȱ the . Its annual foreign currency plans, ȱ ȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱĜȱ sales plans, reports on incoming valuables, for Trade with Foreigners on the Territory of the explanatory notes to them, directives on USSR, broadly known under the abbreviation organizing the purchasing of valuables had of “.” State leaders expected it to best ȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ Ȃȱ ǯȱ perform by “summoning” gold, silver, platina, The category ‘not to publish’ included its jewels, and foreign currency from the citizens’ quarterly and monthly foreign currency plans, ǯȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ sales plans and plans to transfer the boosted by factors such as starvation, the short ȱ ȱ Ȃȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ǻĚǰȱ Ǽǰȱ £ǰȱ Ĵȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ the introduction of a rationing system, the antique items or jewelry. Even the Ukrainian openness of the network stores to all groups Republican Exports Council was debriefed on of the population irrespective of their social ȱĜȂȱȱ¢ȱȱȱ background. organizations, during the closed sessions.2 The 1 The article was written with the support 2 State Archive of the Dnipropetrovsk of the Holodomor Research and Education Region, collǯȱ ʇȬŗŞŘŘǰȱ descr. 1, ęȱ śǰȱ pageȱ řśǰȱ Consortium (Canadian institute of Ukrainian 42; State Archive of Chernihiv Region, coll. Studies, University of Alberta). Euxeinos, Vol. 9, No. 27 / 2019 40 Mykola Horokh mark “not to publish” can be also found on the publications mentioning ȱę¢ȱ news bulletin of the Board of the Foreign Trade increased. Thus, “The State Journal” (Lansing, Combine (F/C “Torgsin”) entitled Ǽȱ ȱ ŗśȱ ¢ȱ ŗşřŘȱ ȱ “Torgsinovets” (Torgsiner).3 The duty to about the transformation of stores £ȱȱěȱ ȱȱȱȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ therein was on the store managers.4 ěȱȱȱȱ¢ǯȱ¢ȱȱ Western and American scholars, particularly the authorities access to household gold and experts in Soviet industrialization, knew also were places where foreigners could Ĵȱ ȱ ȱ ǯȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ buy the goods they needed “at reasonable came out in periodicals. Foreign journalists prices.”7 From March to June 1933, the British and travelers informed their readers about “Manchester Guardian” and “Morning Post” Moscow’s exceptional interest in having published a series of reports by Malcolm foreign currency paid for the goods. One of Muggeridge who managed to visit the North ȱęȱȱȱ was printed in Caucasus and Ukraine. He described stores ȱ ȱ ȱ ȃȱ ȱ £ĴȄȱ where people could exchange their precious (Reno, Nevada). In the issue, dated 3 August ȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ Ĵǰȱ ǰȱ 1931, there is an article by Stanley Richardson fruits, and tea. The author warned that visiting ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱěȱȱ such points of sale was not safe since there was foreign citizens a wide range of products of ȱȱȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱĜǯ8 much higher quality than Soviet citizens could The awareness of the among foreign purchase in regular stores.ś His colleague £ȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ Charles Driscoll claimed that some of the works of publicists. Such pieces of writing ȱȱȱěȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ were authored by renowned politicians, organization were church valuables (chalices, diplomats, and experts who were visiting ę¡ǰȱȱǰȱǰȱȱĴǼȱ the USSR or used to work in the country, but and the articles that used to belong to the Tsar not by professional historians. The American family and their network.6 chemist Alcan Hirsch became interested in Between 1932 and 1933, the number of whether Soviet citizens had any access to the points of sale of the network. He described to ʇȬŘŖŜřǰȱdescr. 1, ę 324, page 4. his readers the conduct of visitors to 3 The newspaper was published by the printing house of the State Bank stores, the procedure of buying valuables, ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ŗśȱ ȱ 1933, with ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ěȱ ȱ ȱ ǯ9 a total circulation of ŗś00 copies, twice a month. The newspaper articles raised some general issues The German journalist and publicist Erich regarding the functioning of the points of sale; they listed recommendations and uncovered Wollenberg analyzed the status of Soviet ęȱȱȱ Ȃȱ. A heading ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ěȱ ¢ǯȱ “On the Grounds” included reports from regional correspondents (activists and members of editorial Among them he mentioned the “Torgsin boards of the stores’ wallpapers), which were a valuable source for studying the local peculiarities of operations. 7 “Soviets now have improved stores,” The 4 State Archive of Sumy Region, collǯȱʇȬŗŜŘşǰȱ State Journal, ŗśȱ ¢ȱŗşřŘǯ descr. 1, ę 27, page 109. 8 Malcolm Muggeridge, “Russia revealed,” The ś Stanley P. Richardson, “Tourist trade is So- ȱǰȱśȱ ȱŗşřřǯ viet’s aim,” ȱȱ £, August 3, 1931, 6. 9 Alcan Hirsch, Industrialized Russia (New 6 Charles B. Driscoll, “The World and All,” York: The chemical catalog company, Inc., 1934), The State Journal, October 2, 1931, 6. 181. Euxeinos, Vol. 9, No. 27 / 2019 41 Mykola Horokh Rouble” as a “preferential” type.10 ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ĵȱ ȱ ȱ ŗşśŖȱ ȱ ŗşŝŖǰȱ ȱ ȱ ȱȱȱĜǯȱȱȱȱȱȱ American researchers (Frederick Schuman,11 increased even more when the National John Martin,12 Alec Nove,13 Mikhail Socialists came to power in Germany. Condoide14) did not reveal any special interest ȱȱȬŗşśŖǰȱȱȱȱ in , and only randomly mentioned to can be found in the works of it in the context of their scholarly research. Ukrainian diaspora activists. They were The relations of the network and the USPD primarily works addressing the repressive are rarely mentioned in their works. Thus, in ȱȱȱȱȱ¢ǯȱ ȱŗşśśǰȱ ŗşśşǰȱȱ£ȱ ȱ¢ȱȱȱ Pavlo Liutarevych published in “Ukrayinskyi ȱȱȱȱĴȱȱȬȱ Zbirnyk” (Ukrainian Collection) numbers and Activities in the House of Representatives. facts on the famine in Ukraine in 1932 and The authors of the report focused primarily 1933. The author highlighted the as on the cooperation between US companies one of the ways to save people from starvation. and the Soviet Intourist and the All-Union The gastronomic stores had “anything Combine of that could serve as a but for bird milk” in stock.17 This kind of way cover for spies.ŗś More details can be found in out, according to Liutarevych, put visitors at the memoirs of former high-ranking western risk of facing problems with the SPD in the Ĝǰȱ ¢ǰȱ ȱ ǯȱ ȱ ǯȱ ȱ ŗşśŞǰȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ example, the German diplomat Andor Hencke detachments of the Organization of Ukrainian who served as a consul in Kyiv from 1933 to Nationalists, a monograph by Andriy ŗşřśȱ ȱ when writing about Mykulyn was published about concentration assistance received from German charities ǯȱ ȱ ȱ Ě¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ (“Aid to the Brothers in Distress,” a.o.). He of in the context of punishing citizens claimed that the Soviet Union felt a huge for “antirevolutionary relations with foreign ęȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ǯȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ¢ȱ countries.” The researcher claimed that banks easily accepted donations from other countries registered all persons’ valuables, and further for the German colonists.16 Large amounts Ĵȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ǯ18 To commemorate the 40th anniversary of 10 Erich Wollenberg, “Wages and Prices in ȱ ȱ ȱ ŗşřŘȮŗşřřǰȱ ȱ ȱ the Soviet Union,” The New International 3 (1936): 70-2. ȱęȱȱȱěȱȱȱ 11 Frederick L. Schuman, Russia since 1917: European and American media where they Four decades of Soviet politics (New York: Knopf, ŗşśŝǼǯ started publishing memories of eyewitnesses. 12 John S. Martin, A picture history of Russia ǻ ȱDZȱ ȱǰȱŗşśŜǼǯ Let us quote an article by Ivan Chynchenko 13 Alec Nove, An Economic History of the who gives a detailed account of a story by USSR (London: The Penguin Press, 1969). 14 Mikhail V. Condoide, Russian-American Anastazia Tzymbaliuk about how she lost the ǰȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ȭȱ ¢ silver candle-holders, golden rings, signets, (Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio state university, 1946). ŗś “The Communist parcel operation. Report by the Committee on Un-American Activities of the Ukrain. Freie Univ., 1979), 16. House of Representatives,” in ¢Ȭ¡ȱǰȱ 17 Pavlo Liutarevych, “Tsyfry i fakty pro first session, September 25, 1959 (Washington: United ȱ ȱ ȱ ǻ¢ȱ ŗşřŘȮŗşřřǼǰȄȱ Ukrayinskyi ȱ ȱȱǰȱŗşśşǼǰȱřȬśǯ Zbirnyk (Miunkhen) ŘȱǻŗşśśǼDZȱŞŖȬşŚǯ 16 Andor Hencke, ȱȱȱ 18 Andriy Mykulyn, Kontsentratsiini tabory v ȱȱ ȱȱȱ ȱŗşřřȮŗşřŜ (München: Sovietskomu Soiuzi (b. mǯǰȱŗşśŞǼǯ Euxeinos, Vol. 9, No. 27 / 2019 42 Mykola Horokh bracelets, and coins via , and also about ȱ ȱ ǰȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ the persecutions of her husband and her by study relations between and USPD ȱĜǯ19 was Osokina.
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