Lysenkoism

Lysenkoism refers to a pseudoscientific movement in biology and agriculture that was prominent in the Soviet Union from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. It is named after Trofim Lysenko, a Soviet biologist who rose to prominence and became the de facto director of Soviet biology. Lysenkoism rejected Mendelian genetics and Darwinian evolution, favoring instead Lamarckian inheritance, the idea that acquired characteristics can be passed on to offspring. Lysenko claimed that environmental conditions could rapidly alter plant traits and that these changes could be inherited.

The movement gained favor with the Soviet leadership, particularly Joseph Stalin, who saw it as a way to advance Soviet agricultural production and challenge Western scientific thought. Lysenkoism became official state policy, leading to the persecution and dismissal of many established geneticists and biologists who adhered to Mendelian principles. These scientists were often accused of being bourgeois or anti-Soviet. The practical implementation of Lysenkoist agricultural methods, such as vernalization (exposing seeds to cold temperatures) and stressing plants to induce heritable changes, often resulted in crop failures and contributed to famines.

While Lysenkoism dominated Soviet science for decades, its scientific basis was weak and it was largely discredited internationally. After Stalin's death and particularly during Nikita Khrushchev's era, the influence of Lysenkoism gradually waned. By the mid-1960s, it had been officially repudiated in the Soviet Union, and modern genetics was reinstated. The legacy of Lysenkoism serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of politicizing science and the suppression of scientific inquiry.