Economic Policies Flashcards
(31 cards)
What were the social impacts of the Emancipation of the Serfs?
- Feudal system remained unchanged
- Farming controlled by the Mir (village council) e.g. what crops to grow.
- Less land and poorer quality for serfs.
- Hardship due to redemption payments
- No longer protected by the noble landowner
What was the economic impact on the Emancipation of the Serfs?
No positive impact as traditional farming methods were still used (subsistence, strip farming)
What was the political impact of the Emancipation of the Serfs?
- Peasant unrest due to redemption payments.
- Radical groups called for the overthrow of the tsar (People’s Will).
- Paved the way for further reforms e.g. judiciary - a ‘neutral’ authority was needed.
What was the social impact of Railway Development?
Degree of urbanisation. Cultural disruption caused by movement of rural workers off the land into industry as coal and iron production increased.
What was the economic impact of Railway Development?
Industrial output doubled as a result of a seven-fold increase in railways.
Railways could ‘break bulk’ at speed (carriage of low cost high density goods such as coal and iron ore)
What was the political impact of Railway Development?
Urbanisation bred radicalisation, Bolshevik propaganda, led to opposition.
What was the social impact of Grain Exportation?
Grain shortage contributed to 1891 famine that affected Russia’s most fertile regions. Approx. 500,000 dead.
‘Hunger bread’- made of mud, weeds and chaff.
Mobility of peasants as they searched for work spread disease e.g. smallpox and typhus.
What was the economic impact of Grain Exportation?
Stabilised government finances
What was the political impact of Grain Exportation?
Peasant unrest.
Ministry of Agriculture established but officials blamed famine on the ‘character of the peasants’. Land captains were introduced to keep order in rural areas.
Appointment of Sergei Witte as Finance minister, led to a heavier focus on industry rather than agriculture.
What was the Social Impact of Witte’s Great Spurt?
Taxes raised to fund projects.
Urbanisation led to poor living conditions, public health and increase in deaths attributed to disease, pollution and dangerous machinery.
Rising birth rates, led to population growth.
WW1 cause inflation, food shortages and wide scale suffering.
What was the Economic impact of Witte’s Great Spurt?
The placement of the rouble on the gold standard in 1897 led to an increase in foreign investment.
Before the war, coal output quadrupled, iron tripled and railway track doubled e.g. Trans Siberian Railway.
WW1 saw collapse of Witte’s economy due to a focus on urbanisation.
What was the political impact of Witte’s Great Spurt?
Rural discontent due to neglect of agriculture.
Urbanisation bred radicalisation.
Workers returned to villages for harvests, spreading ideas.
Perhaps a ‘dress rehearsal’ for Stalin’s industrialisation?
Witte is dismissed in 1903.
What was the social impact of Stolypin’s Reforms?
Peasants freed from the commune.
Peasants consolidated farms, worked together and experimented with new farming techniques.
Movement away from strip farming.
What was the economic impact of Stolypin’s Reforms?
Agricultural production increased.
Plan backfired as 2 million peasants left their village communes, leading to a labour shortage in some regions.
What was the political impact of Stolypin’s Reforms?
Rural discontent as peasants felt the very best land was still not available to them.
What was the social impact of war communism?
Famine in 1921, 5 million died due to grain requisitioning.
Cannibalism.
What was the economic impact of war communism?
Agricultural production still poor as there was no incentive to grow more than needed due to requisitioning.
What was the political impact of war communism?
Opposition from peasants, burnt crops and farms.
Loss of support from groups that previously supported them such as Krondstadt sailors.
What was the social impact of New Economic Policy?
Development of a new middle class: kulak (richer peasant).
A new breed of entrepreneur, a nepman.
What was the economic impact of New Economic Policy?
Impressive short-term impact.
Increase in industrial output.
However supply of food greater than demand leading to a fall in food prices. Cost of manufactured goods remained high.
What was the political impact of New Economic Policy?
‘Compromise with capitalism’. Decision to let farmers sell crops deemed as a ‘strategic retreat’ by Lenin.
However, seen as a ‘betrayal of the Revolution’ and a ‘degeneration of Bolshevism’ by many.
Led to banning of all splits and factions within the Bolsheviks.
Divisions in the party followed Lenin’s death.
What was the social impact of Collectivisation?
(warning - this is a big boy)
‘Destroyed Russian peasantry’ according to Cohen as population of Kazakhstan fell by 75% with nomadic peasants moving to China.
Widespread man-made famine. Cannibalism. Stalin suspected peasants of hiding grain so requisition officials were spent and took it all, including personal food supplies. 5-7 million died of starvation mostly in fertile regions such as Ukraine.
Churches were turned into grain stores under Soviet Atheism.
Kulaks denounced and shot or sent to camps. 6-8 million kulaks killed.
Told ya :)
What was the economic impact of Collectivisation?
Disastrous affect on grain production. In 1930, 85 million tonnes of grain produced. In 1934 this fell to 69 million. By 1936 at pre WW1 levels.
Kulaks, the most productive farmers, were driven away from their land.
What was the political impact of Collectivisation?
Sporadic resistance to policy. Peasants burnt homes and crops and killed their cattle.
Victory in WW2 was, according to Stalin, in part through collectivisation.
