What is "udarnik"

n. (context historical English) shock worker; a super-productive worker in the Soviet Union and the other countries from the Soviet Bloc

[[Image:Plakat mayakowski gross.jpg|right|thumb|right| Agitprop poster by Vladimir Mayakovsky: "Hurry to join shock brigades!"

'' - Do you want it? Then join. 1. Do you want to defeat the cold? 2. Do you want to defeat the hunger? 3. Are you hungry? 4. Are you thirsty? Hurry, join the advanced examplary labour group.'' ]]

Udarnik is an East Slavic and Yugoslavian term for a superproductive worker in the Soviet Union and the other ex-communist countries. The term is derived from the expression "udarny trud" for "superproductive, enthusiastic labour", which is often translated as strike labour (udar "shock, strike, blow"), and udarnik as strike worker, respectively.

Related terms are "Shock labour team" (udarnaya brigada, often translated as strike brigade) and " Udarnik of Communist Labour" (Ударник коммунистического труда), a Soviet honorary title. This is in contrast to the phrase shock troops, which is a translation from a German term.

This terminology is also seen in texts related to work in other Communist states, most notably in the People's Republic of China, North Korea, People's Republic of Bulgaria and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.