Relations of economic and political elites in Kuzbass in 1980s

This article deals with the relationship of economic and political elites in Kuzbass in 1980s. In particularthe article is concerned with the role of economic executives in social and economic life of the region. The author notes that thesolution of many social questions in miners' towns and settlements depended on economic executives and that influenced on their relationswith local party and state executives. A point of view is cited of one of the most authoritative "mining generals", V.P. Romanov,on the economic executives' role in the existing political system. The position of the branch-wise departments is considered with respectto territories. It also deals both with the elements of solidarity of the regional economic elite with the ranking industrial organs and withthe elements of divergence of their interests. Being subordinate to the Ministry of coal mining industry economic executives tended tofind an economic independence. The relationship between economic executives and local party organs and also the position of branchdepartments towards the territory are considered in the article. The author analyses the regional economic elite's tendency to go out ofthe committee's control. It is also emphasized that sometimes their interests did not coincide. The activity of the regional economic elitein the years of the perestroika is analysed, the time when coal metallurgical generals came out flat against the centre's appointee to theposition of the first secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The paper deals with the activitiesof the regional and union economic elite in the period of the mining strike in 1989, and with the ambition of "mining generals" for usingthe mining strike as a lever of pressure on the centre. Particularly, it emphasizes the "mining generals" tried to stop the miners' strikeand to suppress their ambitions. The results of the miners' strike for its direct participants, the "mining generals", the Ministry of coalmining industry are analysed. Economic executives of metallurgical plants and factories of military-industrial establishments in Kuzbassused the results of the miners' actions. Economic executives got rid of political committees' control after getting out last miners of themines and factories, and having come under the jurisdiction of Russian government they got rid of control of the Ministry of coal miningindustry. The consequences are also analysed of the beginning of some market reforms for directors of coal and metallurgical industry ofthe region when in the result of property redistribution the latter passed into the ownership of representatives of the centre. The startingradical market reform activated mass closing of mines and sharp aggravation of the social situation in the region resulting in the "railwar". One of the results of reforms became the limit of property and this property passed into the hands of representatives of the centre.Because of the insufficiency of practical experience and knowledge of business management economic executives could not obtainbenefit in the conditions of forming market. Frequent rotation of formerly all-powerful "mining generals" at the will of new ownersspeaks for their incertitude.

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