Fokin A. A. PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian History, Chelyabinsk State University.
RESOLUTION OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPSU AND COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE USSR “ON STRENGTHENING THE STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUNKENNESS AND BRINGING ORDER TO STRONG SPIRITS TRADE’ AND THE 1960S ANTI-ALCOHOL CAMPAIGN
The paper contains the published text of the Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and Council of Ministers of the USSR “On strengthening the struggle against drunkenness and bringing order to strong spirits’ trade”, as well as an overview of measures to combat alcoholism in the 1960s. One of the main reasons for the struggle against alcohol was an increase in offenses and crime. Soviet citizens drank a lot, which affected economic performance negatively, reduced labor productivity and increased the number of injuries and deaths in the workplace. A great deal of the citizens had extremely negative attitude towards alcohol consumption and perceived it as a fault of the Soviet system. This fact served as a pretext for disaffection for the government. But strong alcoholic beverages always produced a significant revenue for the state budget. The government realized that radical measures in the implementation of the anti-alcohol campaign could cause resentment and even social protest.
Keywords: government and society; 1960s; drunkenness; moonshine production; anti-alcohol campaign.