Organizational and Economic Strengthening of the USSR River Fleet: Trend of the Second Five-Years Plan (by Example of the Volga Water Transport)

Abstract

The organizational and economic activities carried out on water transport during the second five-year plan are considered. The modernization of the river fleet in the face of rising water passenger transportation is now an urgent task in the field of the national economy. This article discusses the historical and economic restructuring experience of operation of water transport on the example of the Volga steamship lines. It is shown that in the 1930-ies the USSR river transport faced the financial-economic and technical challenges. It is argued that water transport of the Volga was of exceptional importance in the transport system of the national economy: in the mid 1930-ies the Volga fleet completed more than one-third of all river transport in the USSR. However, as the author points out, the logistics of rolling stock was worn out. In addition, river transport had problems of both economic and organizational nature. It is emphasized that as a result, the pace of modernization was very slow. The data are given that in 1934 People’s Commissariat of water transport held a reconstruction on the principle of production the territorial division to improve the work and eliminate organizational weaknesses in the management of river transport. It is reported that there were established three independent steamship lines on the Volga. The author argues that in fact, such organization of transport was not consistent with the principle of transverse fission of the river, that caused difficulties in the work of the river fleet.