Soviet Agricultural Trade Unions 1917–70

Abstract

The only study of its kind in English, this book examines the Soviet view of the role and function of agricultural trade unions, describes their organization, and analyses the composition of their membership and the political purposes reflected by changes in membership. Union finances as well as activities in the area of labour protection, regulation of working conditions, and social security are also discussed and analysed in detail. Statistical data on union membership, their jurisdictional framework, and a chart showing the evolution of the unions are presented in the appendices. A selected bibliography and a glossary of important terms and abbreviations are provided. This is a thorough study of a subject important to economists and political scientists interested in the Soviet Union. Based on archives only recently made available, this study examines Canada's relations with the Soviet Union between the first and second world wars. It shows how Canada's policy toward Russia was influenced by the economic and foreign policies of Great Britain and the Soviet Union, by the revolutionary policies of the Comintern, by Canada's attempt to act independently of Britain in external affairs, and by politicians and ethnic groups within Canada. The author explores the relationship between the Communist Party of Canada and the Russian Comintern, and the effects of these activities of Canadian communists on Canada's political and commercial relations with Russia. Students of Canadian foreign policy and leftist history will find this work an important contribution