Demographic history of the USSR and Russia in the mirror of generations

Abstract

This article touches upon the problem of numeric differences in the generations, that was caused by wars, revolutions, social and economic experiments. During the 20-th century all of the population of Russia, as well as the population of the former Soviet Union was going along the demographic passage of reduction of birth and death-rates, that was historically determined. The authors point out three periods of crises in the history of the Soviet Union that were the causes of reducing the number of births in the country: 1915- 1922 - The First World War, Civil War, Famine; 1930-1936 - Collectivization, Famine, 1941-1948 - The Second World War, Famine. The reducing of birth-rate and rise of infant mortality form demographic wave during the years of crises that once appeared has been reproducing itself many times, since a reducing the child-births leads to scarcity of future mothers and so on. After the Second World War the population of Russia did not experience catastrophic changes. But social crises of the first half of the 20-th century have irreversibly changed the demographic potential of Russia.