Hero of Socialist Labour

Hero of Socialist Labour
	Medal "Sickle and Hammer" of the Hero of Socialist Labour
	Awarded by the Soviet Union
Type	Honorary title
Eligibility	Soviet citizens
Awarded for	Exceptional achievements in national economy and culture
Status	Reintroduced as "Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation"
Statistics
Established	27 December 1938
First awarded	20 December 1939
Last awarded	24 December 1991
Total awarded	20,812; 105 people with two awards; 16 people with three awards;
Related	Hero of the Soviet Union; Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation

Hero of Socialist Labour (Russian: Геро́й Социалисти́ческого Труда́, romanized: Gerój Socialistíčeskogo Trudá) was an honorary title of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. It was the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture. It provided a similar status to the title Hero of the Soviet Union that was awarded for heroic deeds, but unlike the latter, was not awarded to foreign citizens.

History

Street decoration with portraits of Heroes of Socialist Labour. Leningrad, 1984.

The Title "Hero of Socialist Labour" was introduced by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union on December 27, 1938.[1]

Originally, Heroes of Socialist Labour were awarded the highest decoration of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin, and a diploma from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.[1] In order to distinguish the Heroes of Socialist Labour from other Order of Lenin recipients, the "Hammer and Sickle" gold medal was introduced by decree of the Presidium on 22 May 1940,[2] to accompany the Order of Lenin and diploma.

The first recipient of the award was Joseph Stalin, awarded by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on December 20, 1939. The second recipient was machine gun designer Vasily Degtyaryov (2 January 1940). The third (and the last before the onset of Operation Barbarossa) was issued to nine weapons designers, including Fedor Tokarev, Boris Shpitalny, Nikolai Polikarpov, Alexander Yakovlev and Vladimir Klimov. Post-1945 recipients include Mikhail Kalashnikov, Nikolay Afanasyev, Emilian Bukov, Alexander Tselikov, Dmitri Shostakovich, German Korobov, Peter Andreevich Tkachev, and Andrei Tupolev.

By September 1, 1971, 16,245 people (11,748 men, 4,497 women) had been awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labour. One hundred and five people (80 men, 25 women) have been awarded multiple "Hammer and Sickle" medals. By 1991, at the dissolution of the Soviet Union, over 20,000 people had been awarded the title.

In the history of the USSR, 16 people became Heroes of Socialist Labour three times:

In March 2013, Vladimir Putin issued a decree establishing a title considered to be its successor, "Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation".[3]

Statute

The Honorary title "Hero of Socialist Labour" was awarded by the Presidium to citizens who made significant contributions to the advancement of Soviet industry, agriculture, transportation, trade, science and technology, or otherwise served as exemplary models of the Soviet worker.

Heroes of Socialist Labour who attained further exceptional achievements were awarded a second "Hammer and Sickle" medal and bronze busts of the Heroes were to be constructed in their hometowns to mark the occasion.[2] Thrice Heroes of Socialist Labour were to have their busts placed near the planned Palace of Soviets, but this was never implemented as the Palace of Soviets was never built.

Only the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union could deprive a person of this title.[2] The insignia "Hero of Socialist Labour", like the "Hero of the Soviet Union" Gold Star Medal, is always worn in full on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other orders and medals, placed above them. If worn with honorary titles of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.[4]

Award description

The Honorary title "Hero of Socialist Labour" was designed by the artist A. Pomansky. The gold star medal of the Honorary Title "Hero of Socialist Labour" was a five-pointed star with smooth dihedral rays on the obverse, the diameter of the circumscribed star was 33.5 mm. In the centre of the obverse, a relief hammer and sickle respectively of 14 and 13 mm. It weighed 15.25 grams.[2]

The reverse was plain and was surrounded by a slightly raised rim. In the centre, the relief inscription "Hero of Socialist Labour" (Russian: "Герой Социалистического Труда") in 2mm high letters, the award serial number was inscribed just above in 1mm high numbers.[2]

The insignia was secured to a standard 25 X 15mm Soviet square mount by a ring through the suspension loop. The mount was covered by a red silk moiré ribbon. On the reverse of the mount was a threaded stub and nut to secure the award to clothing.[2]

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References

"Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 27, 1938" (in Russian). Legal Library of the USSR. 1938-12-27. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
"Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 22, 1940" (in Russian). Legal Library of the USSR. 1940-05-22. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
"Russia seeks new generation of 'heroes'". BBC News. 1 May 2013.
"Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 7, 2010 No 1099" (in Russian). Russian Gazette. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2012-02-25.

Oruzhie Magazine, Page 9, Issue 5 1998 & Issue 6 1998.
"Солдат удачи" номер 9 (72) 2000 Д.Ширяев "Кто изобрел автомат Калашникова"

External links

(in Russian) History of the award
(in Russian) Legal Library of the USSR

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[sovietdecree1938-1] "Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 27, 1938" (in Russian). Legal Library of the USSR. 1938-12-27. Retrieved 2012-02-25.

[sovietdecree1940-2] "Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 22, 1940" (in Russian). Legal Library of the USSR. 1940-05-22. Retrieved 2012-02-25.

[3] "Russia seeks new generation of 'heroes'". BBC News. 1 May 2013.

[decree1099-4] "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 7, 2010 No 1099" (in Russian). Russian Gazette. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2012-02-25.

Orders, decorations, and medals of the Soviet Union
Highest grade of distinction	Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of Socialist Labour Mother Heroine
Honorary titles	Honoured Military Pilot of the USSR Honoured Military Navigator of the USSR Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR Honoured Test Navigator of the USSR Honoured Pilot of the USSR Honoured Navigator of the USSR Honoured Inventor of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR People's Doctor of the USSR People's Architect of the USSR People's Teacher of the USSR
Civil and military orders	Order of Victory Order of Lenin Order of the October Revolution Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Order of Ushakov Order of Kutuzov Order of Nakhimov Order of the Red Star Order of the Patriotic War Order of Alexander Nevsky Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Order of Glory Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" Order of the Red Banner of Labour Order of Friendship of Peoples Order of the Badge of Honour Order of Maternal Glory Order of Labour Glory Order of Honour Order "For Personal Courage"
Military medals	Medal "For Courage" Medal "For Battle Merit" Medal of Ushakov Medal of Nakhimov Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR" Medal "For Distinction in the Protection of Public Order" Medal "For Distinction in Military Service" 1st class Medal "For Distinction in Military Service" 2nd class Medal "For Strengthening Military Cooperation" Medal "For Impeccable Service" Medal "Veteran of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
Second World War medals	Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad" Medal "For the Defence of Odessa" Medal "For the Defence of Sevastopol" Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" Medal "For the Defence of the Soviet Transarctic" Medal "For the Defence of Kiev" Medal "For the Capture of Berlin" Medal "For the Capture of Budapest" Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg" Medal "For the Capture of Vienna" Medal "For the Liberation of Prague" Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" Medal "For the Liberation of Belgrade" Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Medal "For the Victory over Japan" Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st class Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" 2nd class Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
Civil medals	Medal "For Labour Valour" Medal "For Distinguished Labour" Medal "For the Salvation of the Drowning" Medal "For Courage in a Fire" Medal "Veteran of Labour" Medal "For the Restoration of the Donbass Coal Mines" Medal "For the Restoration of the Black Metallurgy Enterprises of the South" Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" Medal "For Construction of the Baikal-Amur Railway" Medal "For Transforming the Non-Black Earth of the RSFSR" Medal "For the Tapping of the Subsoil and Expansion of the Petrochemical Complex of Western Siberia"
Jubilee medals	Jubilee Medal "XX Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" Jubilee Medal "40 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" Medal "In Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Leningrad" Medal "In Commemoration of the 1500th Anniversary of Kiev" Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Soviet Militia" Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"
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