Prohibition in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union
Prohibition in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union existed during 1914–1925. The Russian term is сухой закон (sukhoy zakon, lit. 'dry law').
Russian Empire
[edit]The Tsars monopolized the sale of vodka in the 16th century. By the mid-17th century, one-third of the population's working men were indebted to the government's taverns, which generated substantial revenue. Peter I used this debt to compel military service.[1]
Prohibition was introduced under the rule of Tsar Nicholas II in 1914, at the outset of World War I. It banned the sale of hard liquors, such as vodka, except in privileged establishments.
This curtailment cost the government an estimated billion rubles annually. However, authorities believed the move was needed to improve wartime economic productivity, social orderliness, and military recruitment.[2][3] Michael Demitrovitch Tchelisheff, credited with leading the prohibition, opposed alcohol because he personally believed that drunkenness benefited autocratic rulers.[2]
Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union
[edit]
The Tsar abdicated following widespread protests regarding food shortages, which took place on Women's Day in March 1917. This precipitated the Russian Revolution of 1917, during which time Vladimir Lenin rose to power.[3]
Lenin retained the prohibition, which remained in place through the Russian Civil War and into the period of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union. However, following Lenin's death, Joseph Stalin repealed the prohibition in 1925 and brought back the state vodka monopoly system to increase government revenue.[4][5]
Following Stalin's death, the Soviet Union held three major anti-alcohol campaigns. The first was held during Nikita Khrushchev's rule in 1958,[6] the second during Leonid Brezhnev's tenure in 1972,[7][8] and the third (and biggest) was held during Mikhail Gorbachev's years from 1985 to 1988.[9]
Prohibition from 1985 to 1988
[edit]On May 7, 1985, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution titled “On Measures to Overcome Drunkenness and Alcoholism, and to Eradicate Moonshine Brewing.” The authorities were combating the rise in registered alcohol consumption — from 1960 to 1980, this figure (excluding moonshine) increased from 4.6 liters to 10.5 liters per person (actual consumption was estimated at 14 liters). Mortality rose from 6.9 per 1,000 people in 1964 to 10.8 in 1984.
On June 1, the sale of alcoholic beverages was restricted to between 2:00 p.m. and 7 p.m. These measures led to the closure of some liquor stores and an increase in the price of regular vodka from 4.70 rubles to 9.10 rubles. The campaign also dealt a serious blow to winemaking: vineyard areas decreased from 200,000 hectares to 168,000 hectares, and attempts were made to destroy the reserves of the famous Crimean winery “Massandra.”
As a result of the anti-alcohol campaign, life expectancy increased from 67.7 years in 1984 to 69.8 years in 1987, and mortality dropped from 10.8 per 1,000 people (1984) to 9.9 (1987). Alcohol sales revenue fell by 10.8 billion rubles (from 46.5 billion to 35.7 billion rubles). However, the restrictions sparked widespread public dissatisfaction, along with a recorded increase in drug addiction, substance abuse, and moonshine production. In October 1988, under public pressure, the anti-alcohol campaign was effectively discontinued. Nevertheless, the restrictive laws formally remained in effect until 1990.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Fedun, Stan (2013-09-28). "How Alcohol Conquered Russia - Stan Fedun - The Atlantic". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ a b The New York Times Current History: the European War, February, 1915 by Various. Retrieved 30 March 2018 – via www.gutenberg.org.
- ^ a b Herlihy, Patricia (2017), Savona, Ernesto U.; Kleiman, Mark A.R.; Calderoni, Francesco (eds.), "The Russian Vodka Prohibition of 1914 and Its Consequences", Dual Markets: Comparative Approaches to Regulation, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 193–206, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-65361-7_12, ISBN 978-3-319-65361-7, retrieved 2023-09-28
- ^ "How Alcohol Conquered Russia - Stan Fedun - The Atlantic". The Atlantic. 2013-09-28. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ D. Christian, Prohibition in Russia 1914–1925. Australian Slavonic and East European Studies, vol. 9 (1995), pp. 89–108.
- ^ "Г. Г. Заиграев. Государственная политика как фактор алкоголизации населения (PDF)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ Приказ Минздрава СССР ОТ 24.08.1972 № 694 о мерах по дальнейшему усилению борьбы против пьянства и алкоглизма Archived 2009-02-18 at the Wayback Machine (там же приводится и постановление от 16 мая)
- ^ "Радио «Маяк»: Идейный компромисс для нетрезвеющего народа". Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ Decree of the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium "On the Increased Struggle against Hard Drinking and Alcoholism", May 16, 1985 (Указ Президиума Верховного Совета СССР «Об усилении борьбы с пьянством и алкоголизмом»)
- ^ "Антиалкогольная кампания 1980-х годов в СССР". Kommersant (in Russian). April 7, 2025.
