Transformation of Soviet 'Corporate Society' and System Collapse: Exploring the Role of Companies in Consumption

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K01806
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 07070:Economic history-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Fujiwara Katsumi 大阪大学, 大学院人文学研究科(外国学専攻、日本学専攻), 教授 (50304069)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ソビエト / 消費社会 / 企業社会

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The company's role in consumption was greatly influenced by the goods, with corporations largely responsible for distributing housing, vacation homes (dachas), and automobiles. Moreover, the company's presence was dominant in Siberia and the Far North, as well as in company towns. Both company management and the Communist Party were involved due to the difficulty in obtaining these goods. However, in most cases, the Communist Party was not involved, and the role of the trade union was greater than that of company management. Additionally, from a long-term perspective, the market, including the secondhand market, gradually expanded. Over time, the significance of companies in consumer goods procurement gradually decreased due to the expansion of the consumer goods market, and citizens became more independent from companies and the state in their purchasing decisions.

Free Research Field

ソビエトおよびロシアの経済

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、70～80年代ソ連の企業が消費財調達に関与してきた理由と、その変化を検討した。「労働者供給部」の役割や、企業管理部、労働組合、共産党の関係が、本研究で新たに解明された。より一般的には、消費財調達への企業関与の度合いから、消費者の企業（および背景にある国家）からの自立の進行を明らかにした。企業外でのネットワークの形成は、企業という狭い空間に閉じ込められていたソ連の人々の視野を広げ、そのことが、ソ連崩壊に帰結する下からの声に繋がったと考えられる。さらに、その後の企業（および国家）と市民の関係が、現在のロシア社会を知る一つの鍵であると示すことができたのは、本研究の社会的意義である。