Production of Computing Technology in USSR: Outcomes of Implementation of Council of Ministers' Decree of December 30, 1967

E. V. Bodrova; V. V. Kalinov; V. N. Krasivskaya

doi:10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-5-451-467

Production of Computing Technology in USSR: Outcomes of Implementation of Council of Ministers' Decree of December 30, 1967

E. V. Bodrova, V. V. Kalinov, V. N. Krasivskaya

https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-5-451-467

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Abstract

This article explores the implementation of decisions made by central party-state authorities at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s regarding a shift in policy towards the development and production of computing technology in the USSR. The research is grounded in materials from central state archives, including previously classified documents from the fund of the Central Committee apparatus of the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History, which are being introduced into scientific discourse for the first time. The study presents results from a comparative analysis of production volume data reported by various agencies, along with conclusions drawn by compilers regarding the reasons for unmet targets. It emphasizes that the primary factor leading to the issuance of the Council of Ministers' Decree of December 30, 1967, was the progressive lagging behind of the USSR compared to capitalist countries in this field, despite existing achievements. It has been established that serious deviations from planned indicators were recorded from the very beginning of the decree's implementation. Key factors contributing to these setbacks included a sharp reduction in funding due to shifts in socio-economic policy priorities, miscalculations in planning, a shortage of specialists, challenges related to software provision, insufficient coordination in joint efforts with socialist countries on the Unified System of Computers project, and an underestimation of the active initiatives undertaken by Western firms.

Keywords

USSR, computing technology, Unified System of Computers, socio-economic policy, production planning

About the Authors

E. V. Bodrova

MIREA — Russian Technological University
Russian Federation

Elena V. Bodrova, Doctor of History, Professor, Head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Moscow

V. V. Kalinov

National University of Oil and Gas «Gubkin University»
Russian Federation

Vyacheslav V. Kalinov, Doctor of History, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of History

Moscow

V. N. Krasivskaya

MIREA — Russian Technological University
Russian Federation

Valeriya N. Krasivskaya, PhD in History, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Moscow

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Review

For citations:

Bodrova E.V., Kalinov V.V., Krasivskaya V.N. Production of Computing Technology in USSR: Outcomes of Implementation of Council of Ministers' Decree of December 30, 1967. Nauchnyi dialog. 2026;15(5):451-467. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-5-451-467

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