Demographic Policy of the Stalinist State in the Context of the «Compression» of Civil Society

Abstract

The problem of banning induced abortion as one of the tools of Stalin’s demographic policy attracted the attention of many researchers studying the demographic history of the USSR. The bulk of historians and demographers have come to a unanimous conclusion about the harshness, ineffectiveness and harmfulness of the ban. At the same time, such a complex problem as communication between civil society and the political regime in the field of demographic dynamics is left unattended. This study reveals a latent, but still acute conflict between civil society and the political regime, disclosing the mechanism of civil society resistance to the prohibition of artificial termination. The indisputable victory of the family as the key element of civil society is demonstrated.