The Hero of Socialist Labour (Russian: Герой Социалистического Труда, romanized: Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991.

It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievements in Soviet industry and culture.

The third (and the last before the onset of Operation Barbarossa) was issued to nine weapons designers, including Fedor Tokarev, Boris Shpitalniy, Nikolai Polikarpov, Alexander Yakovlev and Vladimir Klimov [ru].

[citation needed] By September 1, 1971, 16,245 people (11,748 men, 4,497 women) had been awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labour.

[4] The Honorific 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,[3] or otherwise served as exemplary models of the Soviet worker.

[2] The insignia was secured to a standard 25 × 15 mm Soviet square mount by a ring through the suspension loop.