The Stakhanovite movement was a movement that formed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. It is named after Alexei Stakhanov, who in 1935 exceeded the established coal production limit at a mine, for which he was awarded the highest award, the gold star of the Hero of Socialist Labor.
Stimulated by the state, the Stakhanovite movement involved intensive labor activity in order to increase labor productivity and improve economic growth. Workers were employed in various industries and consumer sectors, such as agriculture.
However, the Stakhanovite movement also became an instrument of state control and oppression, which oppressed those who were not capable of working with the same speed and diligence. Ultimately, the Stakhanovite movement was reduced to propaganda and a popular myth about Stakhanov, his extreme productivity, and the orders and medals he received for his labors.
Alexey Stakhanov worked in the mining industry until the end of his life. After World War II, he was elected as a people’s deputy of the USSR and held various government positions. He died in 1977 at the age of 72 and was buried in the city cemetery in the city of Torez in the Donetsk region. Monuments were erected to him in the Soviet Union and streets and enterprises were named in his honor.