Library Trial: Piatidnevka Digital Archive (DA-PIAT) through December 5, 2024

The UC Berkeley Library has started a trial of Piatidnevka Digital Archive. The trial will end on December 5, 2024. Please provide your feedback to your Librarian for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies at Lpendse at berkeley dot edu

The Piatidnevka Digital Archive is a valuable resource for researchers studying early Soviet history, particularly between 1929 and 1931. Published six times a month, this journal documents the Soviet Union’s brief experiment with a five-day workweek. The archive provides insight into the Soviet goal of replacing traditional societal norms with innovative approaches. It contains a wealth of visual and textual materials, including photographs, articles, editorials, and commentaries that offer firsthand perspectives on this significant period.

The trial can be accessed here.

The Piatidnevka (Пятидневка, “Five Day Week”) Digital Archive stands as an invaluable asset for scholars engaged in the study of early Soviet history. Specifically focusing on the period between 1929 and 1931 and published six times per month, this illustrative journal provides critical insights into the Soviet Union’s brief but notable experiment with a five-day workweek, comprising four workdays followed by a day of rest. This initiative reflects the broader Soviet aim of dismantling traditional societal structures in favor of innovative paradigms. The archive is rich in visual and textual content, offering wonderful artistic photos, articles, editorials, and commentaries that furnish first-hand accounts of this significant phase in Soviet history. — The title page of issue of Piatidnevka for July 1930.