The epidemic situation in the USSR in the 1930s (historiographical aspect)

Abstract

The goal of this article consists in determination of the key vectors and results of historical research dedicated to epidemic situation in the Soviet Union during the 1930s at the present stage of development of Russian historiography. Its relevance is substantiated by profound understanding of historical and modern trends in development of epidemic processes, as well as assessment of historical experience in the fights against epidemics. The epidemic situation in the Soviet Union during the 1930s has not previously become the subject of separate historiographical analysis. Two key vectors are determined: the first is  associated with conducting historical-demographic research; while the second in related to research on the history of establishment and development of Soviet healthcare system. It is demonstrated that the results of historical research consist in outlining the political, socioeconomic, and environmental factors of epidemic morbidity, as well as positive and negative trends in the development of healthcare system, quantitative characteristics of morbidity rate, role of infections within the structure of mortality. Historiography assesses the level and resource capacity of healthcare system, analyzes the epidemics preventive measures, characterizes the role of epidemics in the advent of demographic crises, and describes their negative impact upon the processes of demographic modernization. The conclusion is made on transformation of the approaches towards historical-demographic research: from determination of demographic crises, the scholars shifted to historical generalizations, analysis of morbidity and mortality rates based on the concept of “epidemiological transition”. The acquired results demonstrate that the development of healthcare system was based on consideration of the experience of population losses caused by epidemics, and despite the shortage of resources. In the fight against epidemics, efforts were concentrated on the preventive measures, the effective instrument of which was vaccination of population.