THE COMPOSITION AND CONTENT OF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE MATERIALS OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE’S COMMISSARS OF THE CHUVASH ASSR ON THE MAIN ACTIVITIES DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
Authors: Karpov Aleksey V. , Mikhailova Svetlana Yu. , Muzyakova Alina L. , Kharitonov Mikhail Yu. 
Published: October 2023

The relevance of research. During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet public administration system was subjected to a severe test for strength and viability. The activities of national regulatory and administrative authorities were primarily aimed at meeting the wartime needs. One of the most important mechanisms for its implementation was state record-keeping. The historical experience of its transformation in extreme conditions seems to be in demand in modern life realities, taking into account the identified gaps in historical knowledge. The scientific novelty lies in the very formulation of the problem. For the first time, data from archival sources are linked to the issues of restructuring the organization of paperwork management at the level of a Soviet regional government institution in 1941–1945.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the main activities carried out by the Council of People’s Commissars of the Chuvash ASSR and the process of their documentation support during the Great Patriotic War.

Materials and methods. The work is based on the source studies analysis of business correspondence documents of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Chuvash ASSR, stored as part of the fund P-203 at the State Historical Archive of the Chuvash Republic.

Study results. In 1941–1945 the documentation support of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Chuvash ASSR was carried out the General Affairs Department. In military conditions, it was designed to ensure prompt transmission of information through business correspondence, which was dominated by telegrams and telephone messages. They reflected actual problems of the main activity carried out by the government of the autonomous Republic: in June 1941–1942 – calling specialists, providing the transportation service with transport and fuel, supplying the Red Army, constructing new enterprises in the rear, and others; in 1943 – in the spring of 1945 – restoring the economy of the western regions of the USSR liberated from occupation, improving urban and rural settlements, etc. others. Throughout the war, special attention was paid to working with citizens’ appeals related to the protection of their legitimate rights and interests. The business correspondence also included issues of organizing the paperwork management in the region. Along with this, there were significant changes in the style of presenting the content of business correspondence materials.

Conclusions. During the Great Patriotic War, the current agenda of the activities carried out by the government of the Chuvash ASSR changed dramatically, which strongly depended on the development of the situation at the front. The efficiency of the organizing the records management processes in the work of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Chuvash ASSR noticeably increased. The ethics of business communication significantly transformed, which was specifically reflected in the business correspondence of the period under review.