Bridge Train No. 102. On the Issue of Forced Use of Labour Resources in the USSR between 1941 and 1947 (Based on the Example of the Investment in Pavlodar)

Abstract

The article discusses one of the key industrial facilities in the Pavlodar region, namely the construction of a bridge across the Irtysh river, which ensured the transportation of coal from the Ekibastuz coal deposit and the comprehensive development of the richest deposits of non-ferrous, rare, and other metals at the Maikainzoloto plant. The study also highlights the use of forcibly mobilised labour resources in its construction. Labour mobilisation provided industry with additional labour and, in wartime conditions, allowed the country to solve the problem of personnel shortages in the most complex and hazardous industries: the mining and oil refining industries, the construction of railways, etc. For the Labour Army members themselves, it turned out to be a violation of the norms of humanity and civil rights since they were deprived of the right to freely choose their place of residence or occupation. The article describes the working conditions, settlement regime, household, and food supply of labour army workers and their contribution to the construction of the most important industrial facility of the republic.