The Nature and Origins of the Stakhanov Movement

Abstract

<p>The purpose of studying the Stakhanov Movement in the Soviet Union is to examine and discover the nature of new attitudes towards work as embodied in this movement. The recognition and practice of regarding work as a creative activity; an activity which forms an essential part in the development of mans creative capacity in accordance with changes in the material conditions of society mark a turning point in the history of labour. Each historic epoch-from primitive communism to socialism- demand not only new modes of production but corresponding changes in the state of mans intellectual development. A crucial expression of such changes are reflected in new attitudes towards work and the role this activity plays in mans total activity. In examining the Stakhanov Movement, we are not only discovering the practical expressions of such changes but also emphasizing the role such changes played in eroding divisions between mental and manual labour which is of fundamental importance in creating a socialist society. The Stakhanovibes by actively participating in this process are in practice eliminating such divisions and in so doing overcoming the one sided development of man inherited from capitalism. It is to an analysis of this new Soviet Man that we now turn.</p>