Features of the demography of rural areas of Kuibyshev region during the “Khrushchev thaw”

Background. This article analyzes the socio-demographic development of villag es in the Kuibyshev region (1953–1964); various forms of migration to cities have been identified, which accelerated the process of continuous decline in the rural population. This problem is becoming particularly relevant at the present stage of the development of the Russian Federation due to the increasing rate of rural population decline, which hinders Russia’s economic development. The purpose of the work is to study the features of the so cio-demographic development of rural areas of Kuibyshev region and the factors that influ enced the birth rate, mortality, family and marriage relations of the peasant population. In the period 1953–1964, there was an increase in negative trends in the demographic situation of the village due to an increase in mortality and a decrease in the birth rate, and the reloca tion of the able-bodied population to cities. Materials and methods. The analysis was based on materials from the archival collections of Samara region, the All-Russian population censuses, and demographic statistics. The methodological basis consists of: problematic chronological, comparative-historical, as well as statistical research methods. Results. The consequences of the losses of Kuibyshev village have been revealed, starting from the peri od of the Great Patriotic War, as well as the post-war period associated with the increasing outflow of peasants to the cities. The processes associated with a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in mortality in rural areas as part of the “demographic transition” that has begun, combined with a low level of provision and poor prospects for rural life, have marked a steady trend towards a decrease in the rural population. Conclusions. Negative trends in the socio-demographic development of Kuibyshev village adversely affected the state of agriculture in the region, reduced the production potential of the village, creating serious problems for the country’s economy in the future.