Theme 2 - Stagnation of the Economy under Brezhnev

Question 1

Compare Khrushchev’s vs Brezhnev’s thinking

Answer 1

• Khrushchev focused on Grandiose plans
• Brezhnev saw the failures of such grand plans (e.g Virgin Lands Scheme) and chose to focus on small measures (e.g increasing incentives for Peasants)

Question 2

How did Brezhnev reform procurement prices? How did this impact retail prices? What effect did this have

Answer 2

• Increased procurement prices especially for meat
• But kept Retail prices low
• Created a massive state subsidy system

Question 3

What was the size of the Soviet procurement subsidy system

Answer 3

• $33 Billion
• By 1981

Question 4

When & How did Brezhnev reform the workday system?

Answer 4

• 1966
• Replaced with small yet guarentted salary for agricultural workers & gave them a share in bonus’s

Question 5

What was Brezhnev’s stance of private plots

Answer 5

• Encouraged them - increased size to 1.2 acres per household

Question 6

What was the output of Private plots? Why is this suprising

Answer 6

• By 1978 provided:
• 1/3 of meat and eggs, 1/4 of all output
• BUT only 1% of cultivated area

Question 7

What was the focus of Brezhnev’s investment in agriculture?

Answer 7

• Agricultural infrastructure
• Storage, refrigeration, roads etc.

Question 8

Who was in charge of Agriculural investment? Did they recieve blame for its failure

Answer 8

• Gorbachev
• Didn’t recieve blame for failure

Question 9

• What % of investment was agricural? What was the problem with this?

Answer 9

• 25%
• 1 rouble investment would only yield 0.39 back

Question 10

What type of farm did Brezhnev favour?

Answer 10

• Sovkhozy (Larger farm)
• 2x the size of Kolkhozy

Question 11

Compare Sovkhozy vs Kolkhozy at the start and near the end of Brezhnev’s rule

Answer 11

• Sovkhozy rose form 13k in 1967 to 20,500 in 1978
• Kolkhozy fell 36k in 1967 to 26,700 in 1978

Question 12

Overview of Brezhnev agriculture

Answer 12

2 decades following Khrushchev only difference was reinstatement of ministry of agriculture

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Question 13

Brezhnev feeling towards the peasants

Answer 13

• Wanted to improve the lives of the peasants
• But alligence to Stalinist collectivisation meant little could be done

Question 13

Poverty stat for collective farms

Answer 13

• Early 1960’s
• 75% of collective farm workers lived below the poverty line

Question 14

Where there any social security improvements? Did they materialise?

Answer 14

• Collective workers given access to social security
• But law does not alway mean reality

Question 15

What was China doing during Brezhnev’s reign

Answer 15

• Decollectivising and moving towards and NEP eske system of co-opertatives
• Loyalty to Stalinism and Sino-Soviet split meant Brezhnev couldnt follow

Question 16

State of Agriculture by late Brezhnev

Answer 16

• By 1980 agriculture had followed industry into stagnation

Question 17

Diet of Soviet citizens

Answer 17

• Early 1970’s Soviets ate 2x bread and potateos and half the meat of the USA

Question 18

Brezhnev policy on grain imports

Answer 18

• Continued to import expensive US grain and artifically supressed bread price

Question 19

Describe disturbances in brezhnev’s reign. What did this demonstrate?

Answer 19

• 1960’s riots over price of bread
• Showed that political stabilty was linked to cheap food

Question 20

When were Kosygin’s reforms passed

Answer 20

• September 1965

Question 21

What were Kosygin’s reforms

Answer 21

• Enterprises could keep profits to reinvest
• Workers could share in success of company

Question 22

When were Khrushchev’s reforms recalled? And what were they

Answer 22

• September 1965
• Sovnarkhozy (De-centralisation) was cancelled and central ministry’s re-established

Question 23

Compare Overall growth targert 9th vs 10th 5yr plan

Answer 23

• 9th: 43&
• 10th 36%

Question 24

Compare heavy industry growth 9th vs 10th 5yr plan

Answer 24

• 9th 46%
• 10th 38%

Question 25

Compare consumer goods growth 9th vs 10th 5yr plan

Answer 25

-9th: 37%
10th: 32%

Question 26

Compare agriculture growth 9th vs 10th 5yr plan

Answer 26

• 9th 13%
• 10th: 17%

Question 27

Dates of 9th 5yr plan

Answer 27

-1971 to 1975

Question 28

Dates of 10th 5yr plan

Answer 28

• 1976 to 1980

Question 29

What was the growth in the economy throughout the 1970’s? Why was this? Describe consumer goods?

Answer 29

• Growth at 2%
• Due to Crisis in Agricuture; Militarty spending; Bottlenecks in Manufacturing
• Increase in disposable income but no consumer goods to spend the money on

Question 30

Quote about decay of economy

Answer 30

• The decay of the economy cann be reflected in the bottle

Question 31

How available was Vodka

Answer 31

• Vodka was readily available

Question 32

Describe the frequency of drunkenness & response

Answer 32

• Introduction of Sobering up stations
• 1979 15 to 30 million people used them

Question 33

What does Pravda say in 1982

Answer 33

• Blames Alcholism for deserted building sites on Monday and Friday afternoons

Question 34

Labour laws and Alcholism

Answer 34

• Workers could not be removed if they smelled of Alchol
• Drunk train drivers had to be given thier job back after a certain time

Question 35

How did Brezhnev attempt to combat Drunkeness

Answer 35

• Law against parasites
• People grabbed off the street & questioned why they were not in work. An insufficient reason would land you a fine
• Significantly increased resentment

Question 36

What was the signifiance of Leninst - Marxist theory as a subject

Answer 36

• Leninist Marxist theory was a compulsory subject
• Lead to a generation where it was soley a boring subject they were forced to sit through

Question 37

Describe soviet standards in healthcare, eduction and unemployment

Answer 37

• Virtually no unemployment
• High healthcare standards
• Education was free

Question 38

Statistic of US emmigre’s about USSR

Answer 38

• 60% were satisifed with living conditions in USSR

Question 39

Household consumption in Brezhnev era

Answer 39

• 1965 to 1980
• 40% increase
• But nothing to spend it on - long que’s at the shop