The Shock worker of Communist Labour () was an official title of honour awarded in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to those who displayed exemplary performance in labour discipline (''

udarnik In the terminology of the Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc, and other communist countries, an udarnik (, plural udarniks or udarniki; rus, уда́рник, p=ʊˈdarnʲɪk), also known in English as a shock worker or strike worker (collectively ...

s''). It was awarded with a badge and certificate, as well as a cash prize. The title of shock worker (''udarnik'') had existed at least since the 1930s. However, its promotion was developed in the 1950s as part of a competition in honour of the XXI Congress of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

, to encourage a communist attitude towards work and the creation of the material-technical basis for the development of

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

and education towards a

communist society In Marxist thought, a communist society or the communist system is the type of society and economic system postulated to emerge from technological advances in the productive forces, representing the ultimate goal of the political ideology of ...

. It was also awarded through the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name ''YCL of ountry' originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YCLs includ ...

. According to ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, 'Truth') is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most in ...

'', "the main feature of the competition for the title of Shock worker of Communist Labour - as stated in the Salutation of the CPSU Union Conference by participants of the foremost competition teams and Shock worker of Communist Labour - is that it is the organically combined struggle, based on the latest science and technology, to achieve the highest productivity and education of the New Man - the master of the country, which is constantly looking ahead, daring and thoughtful. Tying together the work, learning and life, this contest has an active influence on all aspects of life and human activities, and is an important factor in erasing significant differences between mental and physical labour."''

'', 28 May 1960, p. 1

References

{{reflist Economy of the Soviet Union Honorary titles of the Soviet Union

See also

References