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FORMATION AND ACTIVITIES OF THE SYSTEM OF COMMISSIONER’S MANAGEMENT ON RAILWAYS (1919–1921) // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2017. Issue 5 (182). P. 49-56

The relevance of the proposed project follows both from the importance and the role of the railways, which largely have decided the fate of the confrontation between the reds and the whites during the Civil War, and from extremely weak, often unilateral coverage in historical literature of the role of commissars in this confrontation. The paper deals with the formation and structure of system of railways management through commissars, with the role and importance of commissars activities in ensuring stable operation of the railways. The article discloses the activity of commissars to inform the centre on state of affairs on railways, to organize agitation-and-propaganda and cultural work on the railroads, to improve the living conditions of railwaymen and to strengthen their labour discipline. Considers the difficulties of commissars’ work, which are a result of both their insufficient educational and vocational level, and a fuzzy definition of their goals and functional duties by the Center. It is alleged that as a result of formation of commissar structure and its activity, the Soviet state was able to achieve stable operation of the railways in the difficult years of the Civil War, which was one of the main factors contributing to the victory of the reds.

Keywords: civil war, railway transportation, National commissariat of railway transportation, bolshevists, commissars, railwaymen, sociocultural aspect, labour discipline, rallies, meetings