{"id":14758,"date":"2021-10-29T03:20:46","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T03:20:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=14758"},"modified":"2021-10-29T04:23:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T04:23:21","slug":"go-east-young-man-the-virgin-lands-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/go-east-young-man-the-virgin-lands-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Go East, Young Man: the Virgin Lands Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

From this side of the Iron Curtain, we remember \u041d\u0438\u043a\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u0430 <\/strong>\u0421\u0435\u0440\u0433\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0435\u0432\u0438\u0447 <\/strong>\u0425\u0440\u0443\u0449\u0451\u0432<\/strong> Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev<\/em>, as the man who promised the West that \u043c\u044b <\/strong>\u0432\u0430\u0441 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0445\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u0438\u043c!<\/strong> We will bury you<\/em> (which is somewhat a mistranslation and a good subject for a future blog), for his 1959 \u041a\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0445\u043e\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0431\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u044b<\/strong><\/a> Kitchen Debate <\/em>in Moscow\u00a0with then-vice president Richard Nixon, and with removing his shoe at the UN General Assembly and banging it on the podium.<\/p>\n

But he is also noted as being the leader to preside over some of the Soviet Union\u2019s most ambitious projects: his regime saw the launch of the first artificial satellite, \u0421\u043f\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a-1<\/strong>, the first manned space flight of \u042e\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u0413\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u0438\u043d<\/strong>, the first woman in space, \u0412\u0430\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0442\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u0430 <\/strong>\u0422\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0448\u043a\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0432\u0430<\/strong>, and, space aside, he dreamed up the \u041e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u0438\u0435 <\/strong>\u0446\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043d\u044b\u0301<\/strong>, usually translated into English as The Virgin Lands Campaign<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 Antony Trivet: Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

\u041e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/strong> comes from the verb \u043e\u0441\u0432\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\/<\/strong>\u043e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0438\u0442\u044c<\/strong>, which has several meanings, including \u201cto master\u201d or \u201cto develop\u201d or \u201cto settle\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u041e\u043d <\/strong>\u0431\u044b\u0301<\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e <\/strong>\u043e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0438\u043b <\/strong>\u0433\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u0443.<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>He learned to play the guitar very quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u041d\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0436\u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u043c\u043d\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0433\u043e <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u043a\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0438, <\/strong>\u0447\u0442\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0431\u044b <\/strong>\u043e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0438\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0440\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u044f\u0437\u044b\u0301<\/strong>\u043a.<\/strong>2<\/a><\/sup>You need a lot of practice to master Russian.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, of course, the topic of today\u2019s blog:<\/p>\n

\u0412 50-<\/strong>\u0435 (<\/strong>\u043f\u044f\u0442\u0438\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044f\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u044b\u0435) <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u044b <\/strong>\u0421\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u0421\u043e\u044e\u0301<\/strong>\u0437 <\/strong>\u043f\u044b\u0442\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u0441\u044f <\/strong>\u043e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0438\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0446\u0435\u043b\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0437\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043c\u043b\u0438.<\/strong>3<\/a><\/sup>In the 1950s, the Soviet Union tried to settle the Virgin Lands.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what exactly is \u0446\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043d\u0430\u0301<\/strong>? As you might be able to tell, is derived from the Russian word \u0446\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044b\u0439<\/strong> whole<\/em>. The word suggests that the land named as such is whole, i.e. has been untouched by human hands. in Povolzhye (SE European Russia), Ukraine, the Far East, Siberia, and, most notably, northern Kazakhstan were targeted for settlement.<\/p>\n

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\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 ArtHouse Studio: Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

The \u0441\u0442\u0435\u043f\u044c<\/strong> steppe<\/em> is a vast, flat grassland, dashed across wide areas of central Eurasia, including Russia and Kazakhstan, similar to the prairie of North America or the Pampas of South America. The steppe is also home to much of the world\u2019s \u0447\u0435\u0440\u043d\u043e\u0437\u0451\u043c<\/strong> chernozyom<\/em> (from the words \u0447\u0451\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/strong> black<\/em> and \u0437\u0435\u043c\u043b\u044f<\/strong> earth, soil<\/em>), which is very fertile due to high levels of humus (one M) in the soil.<\/p>\n

Eying the successful cultivation of the American prairie, Khrushchev planned to conquer this land of endless potential in his own country. \u041e\u043d \u0445\u043e\u0442\u0435\u043b \u0443\u0432\u0435\u043b\u0438\u0447\u0438\u0442\u044c \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0438\u0437\u0432\u043e\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e \u0437\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0430 \u0432 \u0421\u0421\u0421\u0420. He wanted to increase production of grain in the USSR. The 50s were a time of great change in the Soviet Union, especially after the death of Stalin. The welcome changes brought new optimism to Khrushchev\u2019s big project.<\/p>\n

\u041e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u0438\u0435 <\/strong>\u0446\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043d\u044b\u0301<\/strong> was launched in 1953 and Khrushchev gave exclusive rights to the \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0445\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0437\u044b<\/strong> sovkhozes<\/em>, large-scale state-owned farms, and attracted settlers by sending hundreds of thousands of young \u043a\u043e\u043c\u0441\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044c\u0446\u044b<\/strong> Komsomol members on a trip (called a \u043f\u0443\u0442\u0451\u0432\u043a\u0430<\/strong>) to the new land. A new region was created, and its capital, \u0410\u043a\u043c\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u0438\u043d\u0441\u043a<\/strong>, was renamed \u0426\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0433\u0440\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0434<\/strong> in honor of the project. (This city in northern Kazakhstan would later bear the name \u0410\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043d\u0430\u0301<\/strong> (\u201ccapital\u201d in the Kazakh language), and, in 2019, renamed \u041d\u0443\u0440-<\/strong>\u0421\u0443\u043b\u0442\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u043d<\/strong> in honor of the former president of Kazakhstan.) Despite the exciting first and third harvests (1954 and 1956) the excitement around the \u0446\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043d\u0430\u0301<\/strong>, however, waned, following several bad harvests. The project was doomed from the start for one simple reason:<\/p>\n

\u041d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0438\u043c\u0430\u0301<\/u><\/strong>\u043b\u0438\u0441\u044c <\/u><\/strong>\u0432\u043e <\/u><\/strong>\u0432\u043d\u0438\u043c\u0430\u0301<\/u><\/strong>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/u> <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0443\u0441\u043b\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0432\u0438\u044f <\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u0435\u043f\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0439<\/strong>.4<\/a><\/sup>The natural conditions of the steppes weren\u2019t taken into account<\/u>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 Kaboompics .com: Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

The steppe is known for dry winds that bring droughts. While the land is fertile, it is largely impossible to cultivate due to this. There was a shortage of manpower, machinery, and nowhere to store the grain. The land, developed quickly, did not have adequate infrastructure.<\/p>\n

While the \u041e\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u0438\u0435 <\/strong>\u0446\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043d\u044b\u0301<\/strong> was not a successful project, it left a legacy of optimism for the Soviet Union, of the glory days, when the Soviet Union was a great power in a bipolar world.<\/p>\n

Have you heard anything about this ambitious project? What do you know about Nikita Khrushchev?<\/p>\n