Departmentalization as a Factor in the Deterioration of the Environmental Situation in the USSR in the 1960s–1980s, Based on materials from the Volga Region archives

DOI 10.28995/2073-0101-2026-2-385-403

For citation

Makeeva, E. D. (2026). Departmentalization as a Factor in the Deterioration of the Environmental Situation in the USSR in the 1960s–1980s, Based on materials from the Volga Region archives, Herald of an Archivist, no. 2, pp. 385-403. DOI 10.28995/2073-0101-2026-2-385-403

Makeeva, E. D.,

Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education, Samara, Russia

Departmentalization as a Factor in the Deterioration of the Environmental Situation in the USSR in the 1960s–1980s, Based on materials from the Volga Region archives

Abstract

The article presents the results of the study of departmentalism as a socio-economic phenomenon that significantly influenced the nature of natural resource management and environmental policy in the USSR from the 1960s to the 1980s. An analysis of sources and scientific literature revealed that the departmentalism factor, which played a crucial role in the functioning of the national economy, has remained insufficiently studied by historians to date. Meanwhile, the negative consequences of anthropogenic impact on nature remain a pressing issue for the Russian Federation today, necessitating a study by specialists of the Soviet experience of regulating and monitoring the actions of ministries and departments in relation to the natural environment. The purpose of the study is to identify the role of the departmental approach to the use of natural resources, which was practiced by various sectors of the national economy of the Soviet Union, in the gradual deterioration of the environmental situation in the country, which in some places reached a crisis point by the end of the 1980s. The author applied the following research methods: analysis, synthesis, generalization, analysis of statistical data, the historical-genetic method, and a systems approach. The source material used was regional archives from the Samara, Saratov, and Volgograd regions and the Republic of Tatarstan. The facts recorded in the archival documents are presented in the article as examples of departmental bias in the exploitation of natural resources by various sectors of the national economy. They demonstrate that, under the administrative-command system of economic management, every enterprise sought to meet planned targets at any cost, without regard for the environmental impacts of production activities. This often led to confrontations between ministries and departments, government agencies, and environmental protection agencies. At the same time, enterprises violating environmental legislation defended their departmental interests and often prevailed in such conflicts. In an attempt to counter this, government agencies adopted decrees and other official documents aimed at improving environmental protection in the country. However, these were not fully implemented at the local level, as enterprises were not interested, and effective mechanisms for influencing them were lacking. As a result, by the late 1980s, The environmental situation in the USSR deteriorated significantly, and in some regions even reached crisis status. Departmental influence undoubtedly played a key role in this.

Keywords

Departmentalization, nature management, transformation of nature in the USSR, planned economy, historical ecology, nature conservation, departmental interests, socio-economic history, environmental policy.

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About authors

Makeeva E. D., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education, Department of Physics, Mathematics and Teaching Methods, Professor, Samara, Russia, 8-903-300-40-94, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The article was received in the editorial office on 16.02.2025, recommended for publication on 20.03.2026.