THE PRINCIPLES OF PERSONNEL POLICY IN THE SOVIET ROCKET PRODUCTION IN THE PERIOD OF "KHRUSCHEV''S THAW"

Abstract

Purpose and methods. The missile production was a new high-tech branch, that was created in the USSR on the eve of the Caribbean crisis. It allowed to defend the interests of the country on the international scene. This process has demanded the solution of a personnel problem. Stalin’s repressions were terminated and it was necessary to find other mobilization mechanisms allowing to solve personnel problems. The declassified documents and the principles of the theory of modernization are the base of this article and they allowed to analyze the principles of personnel policy in missile production, that had success in implementation of the Soviet rockets program. The solution of this problems is article purpose. Results. During this period there was a refusal of the isolation and caste shown in activity of small Council of chief designers led by S.P. Korolev to the middle 1950-x in favor of the competition between chief designers and the design organizations headed by them. New talented the designers: M.K. Yangel, V.N. Chelomey, V.P. Makeev and others had appeared. The Soviet planned economy had problems of limitation of resources and short terms of the state orders. In these conditions the competition sometimes had destructive results: the aspiration not to receive new responsible projects, but to improve old (for example, refusal the S.P. Korolev from development of missiles of mine based); or to the overestimated requirements in relation to the power when developing new projects, the last was especially peculiar to V.N. Chelomey. S.P. Korolev and V.P. Glushko's conflict is known, but the similar conflicts were between all leading designers, except for V.P. Makeev who has focused on development to a highly specialized perspective ballistic missiles for submarines. Scientific novelty. On the basis of studying of the declassified archival materials the following conclusion has been drawn. Economic mechanisms, for example, awarding, improvement of living conditions were important factors of stimulation of labor collectives. Actually it was necessary to use elements of market economy and to refuse partially from the Soviet principle of equalizing of income of workers. Noneconomic methods of stimulation in this sphere haven't brought the desirable results and their use was limited. As a result the Soviet rocket production has reached in days of "Khruschev's thaw" of high growth rates.