Stalin's plan for the transformation of nature
Encyclopedia
The Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature was put forth by Joseph Stalin
in the Soviet Union
in the second half of 1940s, with the corresponding propaganda
motto
and catch phrase
, great transformation of nature . Styled in the traditions of Stalin's personality cult, it referred to the Decree of the USSR Council of Ministers and All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Central Committee
of October 20, 1948 «О плане полезащитных лесонасаждений, внедрения травопольных севооборотов, строительства прудов и водоемов для обеспечения высоких устойчивых урожаев в степных и лесостепных районах Европейской части СССР» (translation:"On the plan of shelterbelt plantation, introduction of grass crop rotation, construction of ponds and reservoirs to ensure high crop yields in the steppe and forest-steppe areas of the European USSR"). It was a follow-up of the 1946 drought and subsequent 1947 famine, which led to estimated deaths of 0.5-1 million people.
canals was built in the steppe belt
of southern Soviet Union, and in the deserts of Central Asia
.
A project was put forth for planting of a gigantic network of shelterbelts across the steppe
s of southern Soviet Union
, similar to what had been done in the northern plains of the United States
in 1930s.
A number of huge projects were launched in land improvement
, hydroengineering, and in supporting areas. Planned to be carried out until 1965, they were abandoned after the death of Stalin, and heavily criticized during destalinization, largely because they were under the control of now discredited Agronomist Trofim Lysenko
. Despite their drawbacks in planning and implementation, they were based on ecological principles which have re-emerged in modern times.
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the second half of 1940s, with the corresponding propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
and catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
, great transformation of nature . Styled in the traditions of Stalin's personality cult, it referred to the Decree of the USSR Council of Ministers and All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of October 20, 1948 «О плане полезащитных лесонасаждений, внедрения травопольных севооборотов, строительства прудов и водоемов для обеспечения высоких устойчивых урожаев в степных и лесостепных районах Европейской части СССР» (translation:"On the plan of shelterbelt plantation, introduction of grass crop rotation, construction of ponds and reservoirs to ensure high crop yields in the steppe and forest-steppe areas of the European USSR"). It was a follow-up of the 1946 drought and subsequent 1947 famine, which led to estimated deaths of 0.5-1 million people.
Major projects
A network of irrigationIrrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
canals was built in the steppe belt
Steppe belt
A steppe belt is a contiguous phytogeographic region of predominantly grassland , which has common characteristics in soil, climate, vegetation and fauna.A forest-steppe belt is a region of forest steppe....
of southern Soviet Union, and in the deserts of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
.
A project was put forth for planting of a gigantic network of shelterbelts across the steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
s of southern Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, similar to what had been done in the northern plains of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1930s.
A number of huge projects were launched in land improvement
Land improvement
Land improvement or land amelioration refers to investments making land more usable by humans. In terms of accounting, land improvements refer to any variety of projects that increase the value of the property...
, hydroengineering, and in supporting areas. Planned to be carried out until 1965, they were abandoned after the death of Stalin, and heavily criticized during destalinization, largely because they were under the control of now discredited Agronomist Trofim Lysenko
Trofim Lysenko
Trofim Denisovich Lysenko was a Soviet agronomist of Ukrainian origin, who was director of Soviet biology under Joseph Stalin. Lysenko rejected Mendelian genetics in favor of the hybridization theories of Russian horticulturist Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin, and adopted them into a powerful...
. Despite their drawbacks in planning and implementation, they were based on ecological principles which have re-emerged in modern times.
See also
- Environment of RussiaEnvironment of Russia-Treaties and international agreements:Russia is a signatory to a number of treaties and international agreements:Party to:Signed, but not ratified:-Environmental issues:...
- Aral seaAral SeaThe Aral Sea was a lake that lay between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south...
- Great construction projects of communismGreat construction projects of communismGreat construction projects of communism was a term used for a series of ambitious construction projects undertaken in 1950s on the command of Joseph Stalin....
- Northern river reversalNorthern river reversalThe Northern river reversal or Siberian river reversal was an ambitious project to divert the flow of the Northern rivers in the Soviet Union, which "uselessly" drain into the Arctic Ocean, southwards towards the populated agricultural areas of Central Asia, which lack water.Research and planning...
- Great Plains ShelterbeltGreat Plains ShelterbeltThe Great Plains Shelterbelt was a project to create windbreaks in the Great Plains states of the United States, and was launched in 1934. President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the project in response to the severe dust storms of the Dust Bowl, which resulted in significant soil erosion and...