"The case of Kabakovsk economic board": corruption practices in Ural in the first half of the 1930s

The study considers the daily life and administrative practices of party and economic officials of the city of Nadezhdinsk (Kabakovsk), Ural (Sverdlovsk) region, in the first half of the 1930s. On the basis of documents of party control bodies from the Center of documentation of public organizations of the Sverdlovsk Region, it analyzes the facts of illegal spending of financial and material resources for personal purposes. According to documents, the source of luxurious life of the local party nomenclature, in addition to budgetary funds, was financial resources of enterprises, organizations and institutions. The authors concluded that corruption activity of economic and party leaders adversely affected the implementation of industrialization plans. Moreover, they contributed to the growth of social tension among the population and lead to serious reputational losses of power. Illegal actions were recorded by party control bodies and some “cases” were brought to court. However, it was not the “customers” who were put on trial, but only the direct executors. The heads of government institutions, who had been convicted of corruption, suffered only symbolic punishment.