The Private World of Soviet Scientists from Stalin to Gorbachev

226 Pages·2017·3.662 MB·English

by  Maria Rogacheva

The Private World of Soviet Scientists from Stalin to Gorbachev sheds new R
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light on the complex transition of Soviet society from Stalinism into the g
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post-Stalin era. Using the case study of Chernogolovka, one of dozens of h
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scientific towns built in the USSR under Khrushchev, Rogacheva explains v
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what motivated the scientific intelligentsia to participate in the late Soviet
project and what it contributed to the stability of the USSR. Rogacheva
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traces the history of this scientific community from its creation in 1956 oh
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through the early Gorbachev period to paint a nuanced portrait of the P

Sr Soviet Scientists from
living conditions, political outlook, and mentality of the local scientific taiv
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intelligentsia. Utilizing new archival materials and an extensive oral history it
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project, she argues that Soviet scientists were not merely bought off by the t W Stalin to Gorbachev
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Soviet state, but that they bought into the idealism and social optimism of Go
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the post-Stalin regime. Many shared the regime’s belief in the progressive old
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development of Soviet society on a scientific basis, and embraced their b o Maria A. Rogacheva
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increased autonomy and privileged status. hS
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Maria A. Rogacheva is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Studies at
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the College of William and Mary.
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Cover image: Dubovitskii and his scientists
(Dubovitskii, Merzhanov and Atovmian)
© Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics
of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The Private World of Soviet Scientists from Stalin to
Gorbachev
ThePrivateWorldofSovietScientistsfromStalintoGorbachevshedsnew
lightonthecomplextransitionofSovietsocietyfromStalinismintothepost-
Stalinera.UsingthecasestudyofChernogolovka,oneofdozensofscientific
townsbuiltintheUSSRunderKhrushchev,Rogachevaexplainswhatmoti-
vatedthescientificintelligentsiatoparticipateinthelateSovietprojectand
whatitcontributedtothestabilityoftheUSSR.Rogachevatracesthehistory
of this scientific community from its creation in 1956 through the early
Gorbachevperiodtopaintanuancedportraitofthelivingconditions,political
outlook, and mentality of the local scientific intelligentsia. Utilizing new
archival materials and an extensive oral history project, she argues that
Soviet scientists were not merely bought off by the Soviet state, but that
theyboughtintotheidealismandsocialoptimismofthepost-Stalinregime.
Many shared the regime’s belief in the progressive development of Soviet
society on a scientific basis, and embraced their increased autonomy and
privilegedstatus.
mariaa.rogachevaisaVisitingAssistantProfessorofGlobalStudiesat
theCollegeofWilliamandMary.

The Private World of Soviet
Scientists from Stalin to
Gorbachev
Maria A. Rogacheva
CollegeofWilliamandMary
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107196360
DOI:10.1017/9781108164696
©MariaA.Rogacheva2017
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2017
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabySheridanBooks,Inc.
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ISBN978-1-107-19636-0Hardback
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URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
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accurateorappropriate.
To my Parents, with much love

Contents
ListofFigures pageviii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 AnUnusualTestingGround:BuildingaTownintheMarshes,
1955–1962 23
2 ChildrenoftheGreatPatrioticWar:TheFormationofSoviet
Scientists,1930–1955 49
3 “WeWereBuildingaTownforOurselves”:EverydayLifein
Chernogolovkainthe1960sand1970s 75
4 Scientists,Ideology,andtheCommunistPartyinChernogolovka 108
5 ChernogolovkaScientistsbetweenLoyaltyandDissent:
TheSovietInvasionofCzechoslovakiaandtheLiubarskiiAffair 131
6 ScientistsbehindtheIronCurtain:TravelingAbroadinthe1960s
and1970s 152
Conclusion 175
BiographicalNotes 181
Bibliography 188
Index 203
vii
Figures
1.1 FirstStreet(Pervaiaulitsa)inChernogolovka,1962 page24
1.2 NikolaiSemenov(right)andFedorDubovitskii(left) 33
3.1 Chernogolovkaunderconstruction,1964 82
3.2 FirstStreet(Pervaiaulitsa)inthemid-1960s 83
3.3 VladimirEnman(right)athisgardenplot,1960 88
3.4 VsevolodGantmakher(secondfromtheright),Chernogolovka
ca.1964 97
4.1 EvgeniiPoniatovskii,YuriOsipyan,andVeniaminShekhtman
(lefttoright)atthePresidiumoftheSovietAcademyof
Sciences,1971 125
4.2 ChernogolovkascientistsattheNovember7thDemonstration,
1986 127
viii