Birth rates of the Buryatian and Russian population of the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the 1960s: trends and specifics

Abstract

The main purpose of the paper is to identify the specifics of demographic modernization on the example of the Russian and Buryatian population in the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialistic Republic in the late 1950s-1960s. It is necessary to point that the demographic process among the Buryats started much later than among the Russians, around the end of the 1940s. It followed the Japanese-Mexican model, according to which at the first stage of transition, parallel to decrease of mortality, the rates of birth temporarily increase, as confirmed by statistical data. The transition to the second stage started in the second half of the 1960s. At the same time, the third stage started among the Russian population as in the RSFSR on the whole, although with some delay. The specifics of the demographic development of the peoples under consideration can be found as a result of the analysis of the birth rates that were essentially higher among the Buryats than among the Russians during the period under review. The Buryats had the high level of birth rates due to domination of the traditional life styles, economic activity, social structure, and due to low development of urbanization. The article shows that such a trend of social development was characteristic of all peoples and countries that were at the beginning of demographic transit. Industrialization changed a lot in the traditional way of life and also made impact not only on the economy or culture, but also on the demographic transit. At first, mortality decreased and then birth rates dropped that resulted in lower data for several historical stages. Nevertheless, the new type of reproduction among the peoples of the USSR went in different ways that had an impact on their population dynamics. To sum up, the specifics of demographic development of the peoples under research were reflected in the birth rates of urban and suburban population.