Russian Empire was the world's largest exporter of the grain.Even in a world war, when all European countries were forced to go to rationing supplies to the population in our country, bread and other products could be freely bought in the store.
problems began later, after October 1917.The new economic policy seems to be agreed to them, but it turned out that she - not seriously, and not for long ...
the horrors of collectivization, famine and many other consequences of the practical implementation of Marxism on one sixth of the land says a lot.Then there was the war, which could be attributed to deprivation and hardship.Now, if it is not cursed, since we would be healed ...
Soviet leadership has always tried to solve all the problems with the simplest means.In the complex lacked any overall development nor the patience.
After Stalin's death, the new Secretary of the CPSU, this time not general, but first, think again about how to finally feed the people.On a large map of the Soviet Union drew attention to smooth contoured lines (that Stalin spent a ruler) large and sparsely populated Kazakhstan.And if you take and sow it with wheat?
Start of development of virgin lands in February 1945, was initiated by Kazakh Communist Party at the VII Congress of the Kazakh SSR.However, the scale were not those required for the solution of the grain problem in the Union scale.The local initiative had to be supported.
February 23, 1954 was convened by the Central Committee plenum, which directly raised the issue of increasing cultivated areas in different regions of the USSR, including the Urals, Siberia, the Volga region and even the Caucasus, but it was clear that the main arena of the revolutionary agrarian reform will be Kazakhstan.It was announced the beginning of the development of virgin lands.Closing Date plenum, March 2, has become historical.
staged large-scale tasks: to sow 13 million hectares, get a billion pounds of the crop.What do you need?People and technology.Most recently, workers, and free, unlimited amounts could deliver the Gulag.Now had to act differently.Start of development of virgin lands was accompanied by a massive propaganda campaign to glorify the "settlers", dared to defy nature itself.Enthusiasm often took place on the silver screen than in real life, the material demanded reinforcements.People are lured benefits and lifting aids.In addition to them, and even issued a loan - 10 thousand for 10 years, while it was necessary to pay only 6 500 rub.And free travel.
No one could have predicted the result, which gave rise to the development of virgin lands.Year 1955 has suddenly become fruitful, to which, of course, no one is ready.Export of grain was nothing, and nowhere else.About such things as elevators and other infrastructure in those heroic years of wonder.
enthusiasts reshivshiesya for resettlement, found themselves in an extremely harsh environment.Living in tents and had dugouts, the climate was harsh.In addition, the social composition proved uneven, to keep order in the construction camps became difficult.They traveled to the Kazakh steppes not only Komsomol volunteers, but also people with a criminal past and sometimes present.
Start of development of virgin lands has created another problem - environmental.The fertile layer appeared unusually thin, his deep plowing has led to soil erosion and dust storms.The lack of a scientific approach and appropriate agronomic research (and they simply do not have time) yielded dismal results, one of which was the reduction of the performance of the livestock sector, the traditional agriculture of Kazakhstan.
on the scale of social and agrarian reforms virgin epic had no equal.650 thousand people from different Soviet republics settled in Kazakhstan.As further practice, almost half a million of them could remain in their native lands, without prejudice to the case.
Semidesyatiprotsentny planned increase agricultural production turned more modest numbers - 15%.Start of development of virgin lands was not prepared.In the mid-Fifties enjoyed popularity among the people someone amateur parody of propaganda song, composed specially for the heroes of virgin soil, "They're coming settlers, those cheerless ...ยป
