1939 in the Soviet Union

1939 in the Soviet Union
Year	1939
Country	Soviet Union

1939 in the Soviet Union was a pivotal year marked by high-stakes diplomacy, military engagements, intensified political control, and significant cultural and scientific activity under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. The Soviet Union navigated treaties with Nazi Germany and conflicts on its western borders while pursuing industrial and scientific programs tied to the Five-Year Plans. Domestic life reflected the continuing impact of the Great Purge, collectivization, and central planning.

Incumbents

The head of state was Mikhail Kalinin as Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Congress of Soviets, with Vyacheslav Molotov serving as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and Vyacheslav Molotov also prominent in the Politburo. Joseph Stalin held the posts of General Secretary and Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, while Kliment Voroshilov was a notable military leader within the Red Army command structure.

Major Political Events and Policies

The year saw continued repercussions of the Great Purge, with arrests, trials, and executions affecting members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the NKVD, and the Red Army. Interior security policies under Nikolai Yezhov and later Lavrentiy Beria reshaped personnel in the NKVD and influenced appointments across the People's Commissariat of Defense. Internal administrative measures affected Ukrainian SSR leadership and the Byelorussian SSR bureaucracy, while party decisions at the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) congresses guided implementation of the 1936 Constitution provisions in practice.

Foreign Relations and Military Actions

Diplomacy was dominated by the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, signed alongside the German–Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty and secret protocols that affected the partition of Poland. The Soviet invasion of Poland in September followed the deterioration of relations with Finland and led later to the Winter War, while border clashes with Japan at Khalkhin Gol earlier in 1939 influenced Soviet–Japanese relations. The Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—faced Soviet pressure leading to mutual assistance pacts that altered the balance in Baltic history. Relations with United Kingdom and France were strained amid failed negotiations and competing alliances involving Winston Churchill's later policies and Édouard Daladier's decisions.

Economy and Industrial Developments

Industrial policy prioritized heavy industry and armaments within the framework of the Second Five-Year Plan and preparations for the Third Five-Year Plan. Expansion of metallurgical complexes in the Ural Mountains, growth of coal production in the Donbass, and development of new factories in Magnitogorsk and Krasnoyarsk reflected investment in steel and machine-building sectors tied to the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry. Agricultural output remained affected by collectivization policies in regions such as the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, with grain procurement targets enforced by the Gosplan and related commissariats.

Social and Cultural Life

Cultural policy under the Central Committee emphasized socialist realism promoted by figures like Andrei Zhdanov, while writers associated with the Union of Soviet Writers and artists in the Soviet film industry produced works aligned with state directives. Theatre in Moscow and exhibitions in Leningrad showcased productions influenced by directives from the People's Commissariat for Education (Narkompros). Repressive measures affected intellectuals, including arrests of authors and directors connected to the Great Purge, and institutions such as the Moscow Art Theatre operated within constraints set by cultural commissars.

Science, Education, and Technology

Scientific institutions like the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and technical institutes in Moscow State University advanced research in physics, aviation, and engineering relevant to military modernization, with engineers from the Soviet aviation industry and designers such as those in the OKB bureaus working on aircraft and tank designs. Education policy continued mass literacy campaigns linked to the People's Commissariat for Education (Narkompros) and technical training in industrial centers, while Soviet achievements in chemistry and metallurgy were promoted by institutes under the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry.

Notable Births and Deaths

Notable births in 1939 included future cultural and scientific figures who would be associated with institutions like the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and artistic organizations such as the Union of Soviet Writers and the Bolshoi Theatre. Prominent deaths included political and military leaders purged during the Great Purge whose removals altered the Red Army and NKVD leadership.

Category:1939 by country Category:Years in the Soviet Union