Accidental Death and Men’s Responsibility to the State in the Soviet 1970s

• In Event: Death by Misadventure: Reporting and Understanding Accidental Death in the Russian and Soviet Past

Abstract

In 1968, Soviet demographer Boris Urlanis reported in Literaturnaia Gazeta that Russian men were dying younger due to drinking, smoking, and accidents. His report set off a national discussion of responsibility for men to take care of themselves, making accidents a matter of personal responsibility rather than ill luck and re-ordering the responsibility of citizens to the state.

Author

• Tricia Starks, U of Arkansas