Opening of a memorial plaque to the outstanding Russian economist Nikolai Kondratiev (1892-1938). Moscow, November 9, 2026.
In the 1920s Kondratiev developed the theory of large economic cycles ("Kondratiev cycles"). He supported the deepening of market mechanisms in the Soviet economy, championed the development of "Russian capitalist enterprises" and peasant farms, without abandoning the planned model.
Kondratiev's views provoked Stalin's sharp rejection. In 1928 the economist was persecuted in the media and fired from Narkompin, and in 1930 he was arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison. Stalin's letters have been preserved, where he hoped to force Kondratev to "spit on himself politically, while simultaneously recognizing the strength of Soviet power and the correctness of the collectivization method." without success
On September 17, 1938, Nikolai Kondratiev was shot at the Komonarka training ground.
Half a century later, China would follow the path of Kondratiev's "market socialism", achieving extraordinary results. And the Soviet Union will soon collapse.