Statistical Support of the Leadership of the Country During the Great Patriotic War

Abstract

The article covers some of the results of the study on the management and activities of the national statistical bodies during the Great Patriotic War. The authors analyzed several historiographic issues connected to the research area and related to more or less major publications on the history of the national state statistics. It is argued that there is an extreme shortage of scientific publications on archival materials about the activities of the CSB under the State Planning Committee of the USSR and its territorial bodies in 1941–1945. The specifics of managing statistical work activities during the war period are shown to provide country leaders with the necessary statistical information, primarily for operational management decisions in extreme conditions. The process of transforming the content of basic statistical work and statistical methodology to wartime realities. In this context, organizational and substantive aspects of urgent censuses (resources and production capacity) are relevant. The article formulates conclusions and proposals for further study and generalization of experience with the operation of the national state statistics in extreme conditions.