Leningrad in December, 1941

The article analyzes the situation of Leningrad in one of the most difficult periods of the Siege, December 1941. During this month, the food supply was at its lowest level and the civilian mortality rate grew to alarming proportions. The article covers three important aspects of city life: food supplies, energy supply, and the structure and mortality of the population. Using a broad range of data, the article draws conclusions about the low efficiency of managing Leningrad during the first months of the Siege, which led to tragic consequences. A rigorous analysis of archival documents shows that official statistics underestimated the number of deaths in November and December 1941. The article also provides accurate data on the stocks of flour, meat, and other products in Leningrad, which makes it possible to assess the level of danger of starvation for the civilian population. The author also draws attention to problematic interaction between the city government and Moscow, including Stalin personally. The inability of local authorities to make independent decisions early in the Siege, and the reluctance to inform the central leadership about the critical situation in the city, was another cause of this tragedy. This situation was a result of the system of power that had developed in the USSR in the prewar period.This research was supported by “Russian Foundation for Basic Research”, project no. 17-01-00346 “The Siege: Decrees of the Leningrad All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks Governing Bodies. 1941–1944”