Nikolay Nikolayevich Baransky (; – 29 November, 1963) was a Soviet economic geographer, founder of Soviet Rayon (Regional) school of economic geography, and corresponding member of Soviet Academy of Sciences (1939); he was a

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...

(1962) and winner of the Stalin Prize (1952).Баранский Николай Николаевич

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

Biography

Nikolay Baransky was born in Tomsk into the family of a teacher. In 1898 he joined

Russian Social Democratic Labour Party The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party (RSDWP) or the Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDP), was a socialist political party founded in 1898 in Minsk, Russian Empire. The ...

(RSDLP). In 1899 he graduated from grammar school with a gold medal and entered law department of

Tomsk University The National Research Tomsk State University, TSU () is a public research university located in Tomsk, Russia. The university, which opened in 1888, was the first university in the Asian part of Russia and, in practice, the first Russian unive ...

. During his studies, he continued to be engaged in public work. In 1901 he was excluded from university for participation in a student demonstration. Soon after that, he wrote his first geographical work, concerning the property stratification of immigrants in the villages of the Barnaul district (published in 1907). In 1902 joined Siberian social-democratic group, which later joined the Siberian Social-Democratic Union–RSDLP Committee. In 1906–08 he was engaged in revolutionary activity, has been three times arrested, long time was in custody. After release from prison, he left party and lived in Ufa. In years 1910-1914 Baransky studied at economic branch of Moscow commercial institute. After graduation, he worked in the

Zemgor Zemgor ( or Объединённый комитет Земского союза и Союза городов; literally ''United Committee of the Union of Zemstvos and the Union of Towns'') was a Russian organization created in 1915 to help the gove ...

committee. In 1917 he joined the ranks of

Menshevik-Internationalists The Menshevik-Internationalists were a faction inside the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Mensheviks). The faction, representing the left-wing inside the party, emerged in May 1917. It was joined by a number of political leaders returning fr ...

(in 1920 he became a Bolshevik). In 1919-20 he worked in

Supreme Soviet of the National Economy Supreme Soviet of the National Economy, Superior Soviet of the People's Economy, (Высший совет народного хозяйства, ВСНХ, ''Vysshiy sovet narodnogo khozyaystva'', VSNKh) was the superior state institution for mana ...

. Baransky led research in areas of regional economic geography and geography of cities. Baransky is the author of several textbooks on economic geography of the USSR for high schools, works on social and economic geography and economic cartography. Nikolay Baransky was awarded three

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

, two other orders and medals. He died in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, and is buried on

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

. In

Tomsk Tomsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, on the Tom (river), Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. It has six univers ...

, memorial plaque is placed on the house where he lived. Volcano on

Iturup Iturup (; ), also historically known by #Names, other names, is an island in the Kuril Archipelago separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. The town of Kurilsk, administrative center of Kurilsky District, is located roughly mi ...

island and street in

Alma-Ata Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in southern Kazakhstan, near the border wi ...

are named in his honour.

Teaching and scientific activity

* In 1920–21 he taught at the Siberian higher party school, in 1921 has moved to Moscow where he taught in a number of educational institutions: * 1921–29 – the Higher party school * 1927–30 – 2nd Moscow university, professor, chair of economic geography founded by S. V. Bernstein-Koganom * 1929 – Baransky has organized Department of economic geography of the USSR at

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

geographical faculty, was its manager in 1929–1941 and 1943–1946 * 1933–38 professor at Institute of the world economy and world politics. Chair of economic geography * 1936–40 professor in 2nd Moscow State University, Chair of economic geography In 1939 Baransky was elected corresponding member of

Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It united the country's leading scientists and was subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (un ...

. In 1946 he was nominated for election to full member of Soviet Academy of Sciences, but refused the nomination and supported

Lev Berg Lev Semyonovich Berg, also known as Leo S. Berg (; 14 March 1876 – 24 December 1950) was a leading Russian geographer, biologist and ichthyologist who served as President of the Soviet Geographical Society between 1940 and 1950. He is known f ...

. Under the direction of Baransky, Soviet regional school became dominating in the field in the Soviet economic geography. Baransky authored several textbooks on economic geography of the USSR for high schools, works on social and economic geography and economic cartography.

Honours and awards

, the Order of Lenin and the gold medal "Hammer and Sickle" (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, 28 March 1962) – for outstanding achievements in the development of economic geography * Three

(1946, 1953, 1962) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1945) *

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in sports, production, scientific research and socia ...

(1940) * Honoured Scientist of RSFSR (1943) * Stalin Prize (1952) * Gold Medal of PP Semenov-Tyan-Shan-Union Geographical Society (1951).

Works

* Economic geography of the USSR: the review on State Planning Committee areas. М; Л: Giza, 1926 * the Short course of economic geography. М; Л: Giza, 1928. * Geography of the USSR: the Textbook for high school. М: Учпедгиз, 1933. * Economic geography of the USA.: p. 1: the General review. – М: Institute of the international. Relations, 1946. * the Historical review of textbooks of geography (1876–1934). М: Географгиз, 1954. * Economic geography in high school. Economic geography in the higher school: Сб. Articles. – М: Географгиз, 1957. * Economic geography. Economic cartography. – М: Географгиз, 1960. * the Technique of teaching of economic geography. M.:Учпедгиз, 1960.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baransky, Nikolay 1881 births 1963 deaths 20th-century geographers People from Tomsk People from Tomsk Governorate Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Russian Social Democratic Labour Party members Corresponding Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Academic staff of Moscow State University Tomsk State University alumni Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Stalin Prize Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Geographers from the Russian Empire Revolutionaries of the Russian Revolution Revolutionaries from the Russian Empire Soviet geographers Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery

Biography

Teaching and scientific activity

Honours and awards

Works

See also

References