Economic developments 1917-1941

Question 1

How was Russia facing economic collapse by 1918?

Answer 1

• Not enough grain being transported into cities due to
  1. Transport disruption due to ww1.
  2. Peasants subsistence farming

Knock on effect:
Workers left factories to search for food in rural areas

Question 2

How did Lenin Believe state capitalism would be a solution to economic problems in 1918?

Answer 2

• Nationalising industry –> more efficient

- Employ experts to run Industries

Question 3

Why weren’t all industries nationalised in State capitalism?

Answer 3

-Lenin thought this would provoke a counter revolution. Bolshevik still a minority (even in St peterserberg) -not enough man power.

ie coal mines remained private.

Question 4

What ideological aim did State capitalism bring about?

Answer 4

-Nationalisation of Land

Question 5

What main problem was there regarding grain under state capitalism?

Answer 5

-High inflation => low confidence in Bolshevik Rouble => food seen as more valuable=> Hoarding & subsistence =>food shortages in cities

Question 6

What was the Versenka used to do ?

Answer 6

1. Re- Establish worker discipline
2. Ensure factories were properly managed
3. coordinate economic production

Question 7

How did the Versenka go about in achieving it’s aims?

Answer 7

• Unit work–> increased incentives
• Factories under control of well paid bourgeois specialists
• Small factories not nationalised - Some given back to capitalist

Question 8

What caused the Beginning of the “Red Terror” and what was it?

Answer 8

• Assassination Attempt on Lenin (August 1918)

- Wave of reactionary violence- deaths of 500,000

Question 9

What was War Communism and it’s aims?

Answer 9

-Reorganisation of the economy to cope with strains of civil War
=>High levels of centralisation to ensure victory

Aims:

• high levels of industrial production
• Efficiently allocate workers
• Maintain food production to feed everyone.

Question 10

How Was War Communism implemented?

Answer 10

• Forcible Grain requisitioning -> Food Dictatorship
• Rationing:Class based system.Red army=priority. High class=Less food (contradictory to equality)
• Labour Discipline: Fines if late, internal passports to stop fleeing
• Nationalisation of Industry: Bourgeois specialists as managers
• Banning of Private Trade: At expense of Consumer goods –> Black Markets

Question 11

Was war communism Succesful?- Acted as Motivation for N.E.P

Answer 11

• Production fell by 80%

- Urban cities decreasing in pop ( searching for food)-Contrary to socialist objective to increase size of proletariat.

Question 12

Why did Lenin Introduced the NEP?

Answer 12

• Realised some economic liberalisation to the peasants was needed if the regime was to survive.
• Uprisings ie Krondstat and Tambov. Demonstrated regime was not safe.
• Bread shortages in the cities.

Question 13

What was The Krodstat uprising and why was it significant?

Answer 13

Insurrection of Soviet sailors, soldiers against the Bolshevik government in response to economic and social policies and food shortages under War Communism.

Significance: Krondstat previously supported Bolsheviks, hailing them heroes of the 1917 revolution.–> Showed just how unpopular the Bolsheviks had become.

.

Question 14

How was the N.E.P introduced?

Answer 14

• Grain requisitioning abolished: Replace with ‘tax in kind’.
• Small businesses reopened
• Ban on private trade removed: +Strengthened consumer goods.Food flowed more easily into the cities
• Sate control: kept control of heavy industry, industry organised into trusts.

Question 15

How was The N.E.P a failure ?

Answer 15

• Money was reintroduced into economy–> Created Nepmen and more Kulaks .(Contrary to socialist objective)
• Agriculture was still very backward. ie usage of ploughs (5 mill)
• Plots of land were too small for any modern technology => Inefficiency

Question 16

Why was the N.E.P abandoned?

Answer 16

• Didn’t help with the production of industrial goods
• Russia =NOT SELF SUFFICIENT (relied on western goods )
• Economic downturn (1926)
• Inconsistent with socialist ideology

Question 17

What was the great Turn?

Answer 17

-Stalin’s belief that the economic trajectory of the USSR should be through mass Industrialisation

Question 18

What were Stalin’s reasons for the Great turn?

Answer 18

1. USSR was weak and underdeveloped after ww1 and civil War
2. Less western dependency -specially looming ww2 threat.
3. Ideological Reasons - only way for a socialist state to exist - Mass Industrialisation (Large proletariat)
4. Stalin wanted to show he was a capable leader

Question 19

What was collectivisation?

Answer 19

-Merge farms and taken under State control

Question 20

What were the motivations for collectivisation?

Answer 20

1. Ideological purpose-> Abolish Private property. Nationalise Land
2. Collectivisation=possible alternative to reverse N.E.P’s agricultural failing’s

3 .Mass Farming, New tech could be used => More Efficient. Solution to farming of scale.

Question 21

What was the Policy of mechanisation?

Answer 21

• Process of Improving farming methods via usage of machinery–> Boost production
• Went hand in hand with collectivisation?

Question 22

What were the successes of Collectivisation?

Answer 22

-More Successful in the Acquisition of grain than the N.E.P. -increase in exports

• Freed up Labour in the Countryside(less people required to work land proportionately –> encourage urban migration
• > Boost industrial production
• -> converting to proletariat (ideological aim )

-60M people into Farms within 2 months

Question 23

What were the Failures of collectivisation?

Answer 23

• Collective farms were far less productive than private farms. 7% -Majority of production.
• Grain requisitioning: Peasants destroyed and hid grain rather than give it to gov.

-Grain production decreased: 83.5 MT to 67MT in 1934
=>Led to a famine in Ukraine.Unable to meet high demands. Gov responded by requisitioning livestock–> exacerbated the situation.

Question 24

What was the Aims of the five year Plans?

Answer 24

1. Industrialise the Economy
2. Catch up on the world stage - “100 years behind”
3. Eliminate the short comings of the N.E.P

Question 25

How did Foreign influence help the development of the five year plans?

Answer 25

• Stalin drew on advice from foreign engineers

- Russia lagging behind- avoid mistakes made by western powers during industrialisation

Question 26

How did the centrally planned economy help the USSR in the 30’?

Answer 26

-Avoid the boom and bust period of Capitalism in the 30’s (Crash of 29)

Question 27

What were living conditions like during the five year plans?

Answer 27

• Shortages on consumer goods- Plans prioritised heavy industry
• -> rationing

-Rural migration –. housing crisis

Question 28

What were working conditions like during the Five Year plans?

Answer 28

• Food was rationed- Apart from three good years
• 7 days a week, lateness and absenteeism were criminalised
• Internal passports were introduced - tied to factory ( No different to Tsarist Reigeme.

Question 29

Did the Five year Plans Actually produce results?

Answer 29

• Increase in industrial output of raw materials.

- > I.e coal 35.5 MT (1928) –> 76.3 MT (1933)

Question 30

How did the five year plans achieve their primary goal of Industrialisation?

Answer 30

• High ambitious targets- despite many lying
• Building of new factories
• Increase of transportation ie Moscow train lines (1935)
• ->Increase productivity

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Question 31

What were three consequences of the high, ambitious targets under the FYP’s

Answer 31

• Falsification of statistics
• No quality control
• stifled innovation.