Communist Economy Flashcards
(15 cards)
Stalins problem with NEP
-Anti communist as had capitalist selfish attitudes
- The night taxation of peasants had led to them hiding grain (only 80% of expected tax revenue was collected in 1927)
1st five year plan (1928-1932)
-Set targets of tripling heavy industry output ( in the end coal and iron output doubled not tripled)
- Wanted Russia to become industrial power to rival the west
- Led to building one industrial towns like Magnitogorsk
- neglected consumer goods
-caused chaos in industry as managers used illegal techniques (bribery and stealing) to meet targets in desperation.
2nd five year plan ( 1933-137)
-rapid electricity production
- transport grew
- Russia became self sufficient in metal making
-Consumer goods still behind
-Final years of plan disrupted by purges
-Areas neglected to spend on defence
3rd five year plan( 1938-1941)
-continued heavy industry growth
- defence spending was massive
-Largely disrupted by purges
- industries were moved away from west to avoid nazis which caused disruption
- ended early due to ww2
Collectivisation (1929 onwards)
- Stalin launched collectivisation and dekulakisation in 1929
- dekulakisation removed 10 million of best farmers
- led to peasants killing 30% of farm animals to avoid kulak label
- massively high quotas meant peasants had no grain for themselves
- Caused 1932-33 famine which killed around 7 million
- peasants who resisted quotas were forced to pay up grain by red army and secret police
- law of seventh eights in 1932 introduced harsh punishments for stealing from farms
- By 1935 food supply was so poor government had to allow peasants and I sell produce on private plots which was move away from communism
- By 1941 100% of peasant households were collectivised
State capitalism
Lenin believed bolsheviks didn’t currently have power to create a socialist economy so resigned pressure to attempt it
Decree on land(1917)
Encouraged peasants to continue to seize land
War communism (1918-21)
- done in response to civil war
- grain requisitioning where farmers were paid very little amount for the grain which reduced their motivation to work
- kulaks could have entire crop seized
- nationalisation of all industry by 1920 e.g iron works
- caused hyper inflation aswell as falling population and cases of cannabilism
Opposition to war communism
-Tambov revolt (1920-21) involved 70,000 peasants fighting against red army who used poison gas
- Kronstadt revolt- where sailors who had been Bolshevik demanded better treatment of workers
NEP
-following 1921 economic change was needed
-private Ownership was allowed
- private’s trade and end of grain requisitioning allowed farmers to sell leading to agricultural production rising
- scissor crisis of 1923 as industrial growth lagged behind
-nepmen bought from peasants and sold to cities
4th five year plans 1946-50
- aimed to rebuild heavy industry and catch up with USA
- 85% of investment dedicated to heavy industry and armaments
-Russia became 2nd to USA in industrial capacity
-workforce increased by 10 million
5th five year plan ( 1951-55)
-continuation of heavy industry
- resources diverted to rearmament during Korean War
- national income increased
6th five year plan( 1956-57)
- aimed to make soviet economy decentralised
- sixty Moscow ministries abolished
- USSR was divided into 105 economic regions which were each given its own local economic council
- also weakened male job as it removed his men in economic ministries
Seven year plan(1959-65)
- focused on consumer goods
- doubled rate of housing construction
- huge investment in space race
- railway development
Virgin lands scheme (1954)
- Aimed to bring millions of acres of unused grass land under the plough
- intially went well as 1956 harvest was record breaking year for grain production and over half came from virgin lands
- However long term failure as caused soil became exhausted
- then a 1963 drought meant the grain harvest was so bad that imported grain from USA was needed.
- specific drive for maize was mistake as it was never ripe
