Theme 2 - Agricultural Reform under Khrushchev

Question 1

When was the launch of the Virigin Lands Inititative

Answer 1

• Early 1954

Question 2

What was the Virgin Lands initative

Answer 2

• Plan to cultivate Virigin Lands
• Mainly in western siberia and northen Kazakstan
• Used Komosomol to help build new settlements

Question 3

Key figure for early success of Virgin Lands intitative

Answer 3

• 1956
• 36 Million hectares of Virgin lands had been ploughed for wheat
• Area the size of Canda

Question 4

What were Khrushchev’s reforms to the MTS and when?

Answer 4

• 1958
• Abolished Mechanised Tractor Station
• Farms could now only access Mechanisation if they bought it outright
• Lack of Mechanics meant many fell into disrepair

Question 5

Khrushchev’s reforms to private plots

Answer 5

• 1958
• Restricted Size of plots
• Pushed for private cows to be sold to the Kholhost

Question 6

Khrushchev visit to USA

Answer 6

• 1959
• Visited USA
• Following this pushed for the implementation of Maize as a crop
• “Maize Mania”

Question 7

Flaw with Maize mania

Answer 7

• Only 1/6 ripened

Question 8

What did Khrushchev say in the USA and why did it prove to be embarrasing?

Answer 8

• 1959
• “We’ll work even better than you do”
• Needed to import grain in 1963 to avoid famine

Question 9

What happened in regards to food later in Khrushchev’s rule

Answer 9

• 1963
• Grain output dropped by 30%
• Due to poor planning and droughts
• Forced to empty foreign currency reserves to buy from USA to avoid famine

Question 10

Compare Virgin Lands with War Communism and Collectivisation

Answer 10

• All centralised policies
• Under WC grain was siezed and under VL farmers were pushed to surrender cows to state
• VL & Collectivisation both aimed to increase grain output
• Under WC & Collectivisation grain failures lead to famine, under VL famine was supressed by imports of US grain

Question 11

Khrushchev Economic

Answer 11

• 1957
• USSR split into 105 economic regions