Revisiting Soviet environmental policy 1953-1982

: “A Leninist concern for the preservation of nature!”

Abstract

The story of the Soviet environment is complex, and the re-framing of this story within the wider field of environmental history is well underway. The policy of the Soviet state towards nature has historically been described as a policy of domination and exploitation. This well-established image is based on a very real history of calamity in environmental welfare. However, within Soviet environmental history there is a duality between this record of rampant destruction and a much less visible but very real struggle for environmental protection. This struggle is underappreciated. This dissertation will explore the environmental policies of the Khrushchev and Brezhnev administrations, focusing on this awakening of environmental consciousness and its development through the decades. The first chapter examines the standing of science and technology, revealing both a relative haven for conservation, and a steady increase in the salience of environmental protection in the eyes of the administration. The evolution towards a greater salience of environmental issues is a recurring theme. Chapter two focuses on developments in law and efforts to construct an effective model of environmental administration. Here a more consistent application of environmental law over time can be observed, as well as the movement towards wider public involvement with conservation, and the laying of foundations for an effective centralised environmental ministry. Chapter three focuses on the rethink of Philosophy and economic policy that commenced in the late 1960s, and the final chapter details the gradual elevation in the importance of environmental policy for the USSR on the world stage. By focusing on these crucial elements of policy, another story becomes clear, in which a constant battle for the protection of nature runs parallel with bureaucracy and the conflicting interests of growth and development. Today this story is becoming more recognised. Over thirty years, environmental policy evolved from a position of obscurity and insignificance, to one of importance and visibility within the Soviet political landscape.

Date of Award	24 Jan 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Claire Knight (Supervisor)