Authors

Ivan Lavrentjev¹;  ¹ University of Tartu, Estonia

Discussion

The paper explores the daily life of a Soviet metal industry plant Dvigatel based in Tallinn. With history spanning over a century, Dvigatel saw tremendous modernization effort following the end of World war II and achieved its peak performance in the 1970s. The plant was subordinate to the Moscow-based Ministry of Medium Machine Building, focusing on the nuclear and military industry needs beside less secret articles. Predominantly Russophone, both Dvigatel’s workers and leadership played a crucial role during the turbulent late-1980s, advocating against restoration of Estonian independence.  Eventually, the plant collapsed during the transition to market economy. 

Aimed at increasing workers’ motivation and improving their living conditions, the administration of Dvigatel created and ran a vast network of supportive units tasked with various activities ranging from anti-drinking campaigns to vacation packages allocation. Plant’s employees were provided with housing, healthcare, sports, culture and leisure options often exceeding those available to other people in Soviet Estonia. All of these also played an important role as an element of a motivational package, as the majority of the workers moved to Tallinn from other parts of the Soviet Union. The plant was 'a republic within a republic', as one of the employees aptly noted. 

Dvigatel is an example of a Soviet Union miniature on Estonia’s soil, where people engaged in production of progress-themed equipment and enjoyed various socioeconomic privileges. While often perceived as elitist from outside, Dvigatel’s houses were not an utopian environment. Widespread informal practices (i.e. blat) and social problems (heavy drinking, stealing, harassment etc.) were among the main challenges, as they are extensively reflected in the minutes from the Dvigatel’s party committee meetings. 

The National Archive of Estonia houses Dvigatel’s party committee documents from 1948 to 1989. While the production-related matters remain largely untouched, the study of the meeting minutes provides a valuable insight into the social and political aspects of Dvigatel’s everyday matters. With 8.000 employees at its peak, the history of this plant still remains largely unstudied. 

While workers could enjoy benefits of aforementioned services, they also submitted to severe control reaching far beyond their professional activities. The study explores the conditions that the workers of Dvigatel enjoyed in exchange for their labor and certain limitations. This paper is a part of on-going dissertation research and relies predominantly on archival material.