“All this is from our history lines”. Review: Shpringer A.E. Forgotten heroes of Kuznetskstroy. Novokuznetsk: Information and Analytical Center, 2024. 240 p.

The study of the creation of an industrial and industrial base in the USSR during the first five-year plans is interesting from the point of view of a microhistoric analysis of the socio-economic processes taking place at that time. One of its aspects is the consideration of subjects related to the biographical cross-section, everyday life and everyday life of participants in great production projects. The focus of our attention is an attempt to explore the biographies of some builders of the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Plant in the work of Novokuznetsk journalist and local historian A.E. Springer "Forgotten heroes of Kuznetskstroy". The purpose of the review is to acquaint the scientific community with the monograph published in 2024, to show its strengths and weaknesses, to determine its place in the local history of Kuzbass. The source base of the work consists of archival documents of the Kuzbass State Archive in Novokuznetsk, the Novokuznetsk Museum of Local Lore, the Scientific and Technical Museum named after academician I.P. Bardin, as well as a number of printed publications (memoirs of I.P. Bardin, I.P. Khrenov, S.M. Frankfort, D.F. Safonov, V.N. Ushatin, A.N. Pirozhkova, etc., newspapers "Bolshevik Steel"). A.E. Springer's research tells about nine biographies of people who, each in their own way, remained in the historical memory of Kuznetsk. We will learn about the difficult fates of I.P. Khrenov and the first party organizer of Kuznetskstroy A.S. Kulakov, the young years of the future famous Soviet diplomat D.F. Safonov and the future Minister of Transport Construction of the USSR E.F. Kozhevnikov, the founder of the Komsomol shock brigades at Kuznetskstroy S.M. Dzenzel, knights of the Order of Lenin M.N. Roganov and T.A. Palatkina, bridge builder V.N. Ushatina, the wife of I.E. Babel, "Princess Turandot" by A.N. Pirozhkova. Due to this, the history of Kuznetskstroy ceases to be an example of only a mass labor feat, as it acquires a human dimension. The peer-reviewed publication has both advantages (published material, coverage of little-studied aspects of the daily life of the builders of the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Plant), as well as disadvantages (location of the material, inaccuracies and typos, controversial title). As a result, the conclusion is made about the importance of A.E. Springer's work for the study of the biographical, household and everyday history of Kuznetsk. She revealed unknown pages of the biographies of the heroes of Kuznetsk, published a wealth of photographic material. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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