Nikonov Alexander

(19.08.1918 - 5.10.1995)
... Last spring I was in T
miryazevke and Listvennitsa alley asked students: "Who is Alexander NikonovN" Almost all answered: "Do not know". However, one boy said: "I think it was the president of Agricultural Academy, and a young graduate of the Faculty of Economics recalled:" Once we had a professor ... I do not know when - I did not found ". But what he is remarkable, no one knew
He was a man unusual fate, unusual career, romantic and a realist at the same time. Judge for yourself. In 1939, student, University of Latvia, a peasant's son, Alexander Nikonov becomes a member of the underground Communist Party of Latvia. In the 40-m, when in collusion with Nazi Germany Red Army entered the Baltic states, to establish Soviet power in his native Abrenskom county (now Pytalovo District of Pskov region). In the 41-m with a battalion of Latvian volunteers departed from Riga to Moscow, and with breaks in hospitals fighting to 44-year. Then two years Nikonov 1-st secretary Abrenskogo and Daugavpils ukomov the party, another five years - the secretary of the Latvian Central Committee on Agriculture, another ten years - Minister of Agriculture of the Latvian SSR. And, finally, in 1962 - only a senior fellow at the Department of Economics of the Latvian Institute of Farming. The General demoted to lieutenant. Demotion was initiated by the then ruler of Latvia AY. Pel'she. But I must say, in their own way, with the party point of view, AY. Pel'she was right. Later, back on that time, Nikonov wrote: "In the fifties, I have evolved significantly from the views of revolutionary romanticism with unshakeable faith in everything said and written, in the direction of critical thinking actually. This helped me launched a thorough analysis of what was happening in the village, and not rundown, but on the basis of systemic socio-economic study. Their views and positions I did not conceal an expression of their writing and orally, trying to put into practice. This created a confrontational situation. "
In fact, he was lucky with this demotion. And to him, and we all. Instead of yet another unfortunate official who forced the service to assert that it should be, but at home in the kitchen that he actually thinks, there was a scientist who could afford to be fair and objective ...
. From Riga Nikonov, 63 th year, moved to Stavropol, where 15 years working as the director of the Stavropol Research Institute of Agriculture
. Here we have to pay tribute to ms. Gorbachev - he sympathized with the scientific views Nikonov, as first secretary of the Regional Committee, and, apparently, contributed to the transition of Alexander Alexandrovich of Agricultural Sciences, where he worked in the CC ... No wonder many of the initiatives ms. Gorbachev in the field of agriculture were born in the Stavropol Institute, directed by Nikonov ...
. WHAT GETS THIS remarkable UCHENYYN Well, firstly, the fact that he was the last president of Agricultural Sciences - All-Union Academy of Agricultural Science named after Lenin (remember, the first president was a great Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov)
. Secondly, he has more than 300 scientific papers (and in science, he came when he was 40!), Many are still valid today. Two Nikon's accomplishments can not mention.

He is credited with the rehabilitation of our prominent agricultural economist Aleksandr Vasilyevich Chayanov, who died in Soviet prison. Nikonov was a fan of Chayanov, even in some respects, his pupil. Disciple of "default", which is too long did not dare to name the teacher. For AV professionals works. Chayanov was something of a scientific "samizdat", they have studied in secret. Thanks Nikonov, they were reissued, Nikonov himself has written numerous articles about the significance of these works, and most importantly, the rehabilitation of AV. Chayanov "ended ideological unanimity in the Soviet agro-economics, the rule was the diversity of viewpoints on the agrarian question ..." (Econ. AV. Pyetrykaw).

His latest scientific work was the monograph "The Spiral of centuries-old drama: Agricultural science and policy in Russia (XVIII - XX centuries).". The book is encyclopedic-style, it more than a thousand names - from the first Russian economist Ivan Pososhkov to the figures of our time, it describes not one but thousands of dramas. Book publicist, book - a textbook on the history of agriculture in Russia
He called me and invited me to his home. "I want to give you my book," - he said. I then worked in television and took with him the operator to take an interview at the same time. And here we are in an apartment Nikonov left to chance. I asked Alexander Alexandrovich talk about war. To give just one episode. "We were lying in the snow, on the defensive - it was in the 41-m, near Moscow - and the Germans were advancing. We could hardly contain their. Our main force was the Maxim machine gun. And suddenly he stopped, and the Germans have again risen. I crawled to the gun - a machine gunner's head no! Scary. But he has not had time to harden, and I pulled his hands from the machine gun and took his place. I work with "Maxima", I see - a German chain lay. Then the tape ended, and I reached out to the box after another. Then I burned, it became very hot ... More I do not remember. Awoke in hospital. Spent almost a year. It received its first order.

Alexander desk drawer, fumbled hand in the drawer and said:
- You know, I have a lot of prizes. On the jacket does not fit. Yes, I do not wear them again. But dearer to me than all others - this ...
In his hands lay the Order of the Red Banner.
At home I opened the book:
Why great victory in World War II ... for us so gorkaN Why it was given the ratio of loss of 1:5 in favor of protivnikaN Why the defeated countries have created a thriving economy, but a great winner - is in deep kriziseN "
. And further: "Why is our country, has a half black soil of the world, importing grain, since its not hvataetN.
. Why are we so wasteful with respect to natural resources, . so cruel to all zhivomuN Why do we forget and even persecuted those distinguished sons of Russia, . who saved the country in hard times, . taken out of the Troubles, . rallied natsiyuN Why ridiculed and grand slam gumanistovN.,
. Why are our people give their cunning for their utopian promises of modest savings, . and then this trickster elect to parlamentN Why our people are gullible for the beautiful banners and lozungamiN And why do we rush from one extreme to druguyuN When are we going to live in the mind and conscience, . value for labor and pravdeN,
. All his life he was searching for answers to questions that are probably impossible to answer one person
. But all together ...
He believed that it was time to gather stones.