At the Watershed: 1958 and the Beginnings of Lake Baikal Environmentalism

In August 1958, one of the most visible and dynamic environmental protection movements in Soviet history exploded onto the public stage. In an effort to shield Lake Baikal and its surroundings from the effects of an aggressive industrial development campaign in eastern Siberia, the proponents of Bai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Slavonic and East European review (1928) 2015-01, Vol.93 (1), p.147-180
Main Author: Breyfogle, Nicholas B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Economic development
Environmental conservation
Environmental movements
Environmental Protection
Environmentalism
Freshwater fishes
Hydroelectric power
Industrial development
Lakes
Leadership
Limnology
Political Campaigns
River water
Russia
Russian Federation
Siberia
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Water pollution
Watersheds
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Summary:In August 1958, one of the most visible and dynamic environmental protection movements in Soviet history exploded onto the public stage. In an effort to shield Lake Baikal and its surroundings from the effects of an aggressive industrial development campaign in eastern Siberia, the proponents of Baikal alerted the Soviet public and its leadership to the threats of such economic agendas to the natural world. This article tells the story of the first stage of the multi-decade history of Lake Baikal environmentalism, from its genesis in 1958 to 1961. Coming out in advance of Rachel Carson's 1962 Silent Spring, the story of the Baikal environmentalists highlights the existence of an influential, local-level, scientist-driven environmental activism in post-war Soviet Russia and also asks us to rethink the place of the Soviet experience in the global development of environmentalism.
ISSN:0037-6795
2222-4327
DOI:10.5699/slaveasteurorev2.93.1.0147