economy and society 1929-1941

Question 1

what was agriculture like in mid 1929?

Answer 1

based on small peasant plots
a few collective farms
controlled by the mir

Question 2

what was the aim of collectivisation?

Answer 2

get grain and food to state for low prices to sell to the towns at a higher price

Question 3

what is a kolhoz?

Answer 3

type of collective farming
all land was held in common and run by an elected committee
50-100 households
all land, tools and livestock pooled together
peasants farmed as a single unit
each household had a private 1 acre plot

Question 4

what are the positives and negatives of kolhoz farming?

Answer 4

incentive created by collective pressure

danger of only working on your land

Question 5

what did Stalin’s Great Turn of 1928 do?

Answer 5

committed USSR to policy of collective farming

Question 6

why did the Great Turn happen?

Answer 6

initally was emphasises on voluntary collectivisation but was too slow
only 5% of farms were collectivised by 1929

Ural-Siberian method of forced requisitions was unpopular and caused unrest

Question 7

what was stage one of the collectivisation procces? 1929-1930 x5

Answer 7

new procurement quotes published w punishments for those who did not meet them

propaganda campaign to ‘liquidate’ kulaks

peasants driven into collectives by OGPU and red army

Red Army and OGPU indentified kulak households

rural depopulation as people migrated North to East, poorer barren land

Question 8

what were the political impacts of stage one of collectivisation?

Answer 8

by March 1930, 58% of farms collectivised and Stalin was ‘dizzy with success’
Stalin backtracked to voluntary collectivisation

Question 9

what was the effect of dekulisation in stage one?

Answer 9

15% of peasant households destroyed despite kulaks only being 4% of the population
people destroyed crops and slaughtered livestock to avoid accusations - killed 30% of livestock

Question 10

what was stage two of collectivisation? 1930-1941 x11

Answer 10

by 1941 process of collectivisation complete

most peasants in kolhoz

quotas were aroung 40% of produce

each collective under control of a communist party member

peasants were forbidden to leave the kolhoz and internal passports were introduced

some sovkhoz which were seen as ideal

sovkhoz developed slowly due to peasant opposition of some of them earning wages

1932 Law of Spikelets

creation of MTSs

state farms began to get better machinery

work remained labour intensive

Question 11

what was the 1932 Law of Spikelets?

Answer 11

introduced harsh punishment for anyone suspected of stealing collective property

1932-1940, 173 imprisoned under this law

Question 12

was is a sovhkoz?

Answer 12

farm owned and run by the state
workers paid a regular wage

Question 13

what was the political impact of collectivisation as a whole?

Answer 13

aim was to destroy stalin’s opponents- TGT intensified relations between Bukharin
ensured greater power for CPSU in rural areas secured Stalin’s personal rule
moved towards socialist society - dekulakisation and eliminated NEP capitalism

Question 14

what was the social impact of collectivisation as a whole?

Answer 14

key aims were to destroy kulaks and thier selfish spirit
devastating human impact - 5 million killed in 1932 alone
rural depopulation caused overcrowding in the cities - 19 million migrated
peasants felt betrayed by the communist party
some gains for the peasants : better education and health care

Question 15

what was the economic impact of collectivisation as a whole?

Answer 15

key aim was to raise grain production for feeding the cities
agricultural production plummeted and livestock production did not recover until the 1950s
loss of kulaks as a class lost specialist agricultralists
state procurement of grain increased as well as grain exports - 13000 new bread shops opened and rationing ended in 1935
devastating famine in the Ukraine
collectivisation reduced incentive

Question 16

what was the Great Famine?

Answer 16

1932-1934
Ukraine, Caucuses, Kazakhstan
harvests poor due to weather and made worse by large procurements
urban population grew from 26 to 40 million so more grain had to be send to towns
peasants forced to give up grain needed for their own families
anyone caught taking grain imprisoned or killed under law of spikelets
denouncing and snitching encouraged amongst children
Ukraine, OGPU sent in as quotes not met and rooted horders, leaving them to starve
requisitioned grain was often left to rot in huge dumps instead of being used to feed
mention of the famine was punishable by 5 years in prison
internal passports introduce to stop peasants escaping to the cities
referred to collectivisation as ‘second serfdom’
caused 4-5 million deaths

Question 17

what is a potembkin villages?

Answer 17

fake, idealistic villages set up to impress foreigners to suggest that collectivisation was working

Question 18

how did the party organise the FYPs?

Answer 18

set targets for heavy industry via Gosplan and Vesenkha

Question 19

how did the Commissariat for Heavy Industry organise FYPs?

Answer 19

set specific output targets for production and provided instructions about types of output, input, pricing, wages

Question 20

how did the regional administrators organise FYPs?

Answer 20

more general output targets and instruction
communicated directly with industrial enterprises

Question 21

how did industrial enterprises organise FYPs?

Answer 21

led by director or manager
had sole responsibility for meeting output targets

Question 22

what is targetmania?

Answer 22

Gosplan and vesenkha set unrealistically high targets
failure to achieve targets was a criminal offence
gosplan had to work from fake statistics
thousands of officials were dismissed

Question 23

aims of first FYP
1928-1933

Answer 23

increase production by 300%
focus on developing heavy industry
boost electricity production by 600%
double the output from light industry

Question 24

successes of first FYP

Answer 24

1500 enterprises opened
electricity production 3x
coal and iron production 2x
steel production incr 1/3
engineering industry increased output
huge new complexes built eg Magnitogorsk
huge new tractor works built
substantial achievement

Question 25

weaknesses of first FYP

Answer 25

little growth and some decline in consumer industries
small workshops declined due ot shortages and NEPMEN
chemical targets missed
lack of skilled workers created problems
transport links created bottle necks
rivalry between gosplan and vesenkha

Question 26

aims of second FYP
1933-1937

Answer 26

continue to develop heavy industry
growth of light industries and consumer goods
develop communications between industrial areas
foster engineering and tool-making
rearm after alteration in 1935

Question 27

successes of second FYP

Answer 27

4500 enterprises opened
heavy industries benefitted from plant set up in first plan
electricity production expanded rapidly
by 1937, the USSR was virtually self-sufficient in machine making and metal working
transport and communications grew rapidly
chemical industries such as fertaliser grew
metallurgy developed
targets more carefully chosen - pressure not so intense
food rationing ended and families had disposable income

Question 28

weaknesses of second FYP

Answer 28

consumer goods industries still lagging although they were showing signs of recovery
growth in footwear and food processing
oil production did not make expected advances

Question 29

aims of third FYP
1938-1941

Answer 29

emphasis on development of heavy indsutry
rapid remarmament
complete transition to communism

Question 30

successes of third FYP

Answer 30

heavy industry continued to grow
defence and armaments grew as resources were diverted to them

Question 31

weaknesses of third FYP

Answer 31

heavy industry grew unevenly
steel output didnt grow that much
oil production failed to meet targets and caused a fuel crisis
consumer industries took a backseat
many factories ran out of materials

Question 32

why were the difficulties with the third five year plan?

Answer 32

1938 there was a severe winter
diversion of materials to the military
purges of qualified personnel threw GOSPLAN into chaos

Question 33

examples of showpiece projects designed to show modernity and capabalities of USSR

Answer 33

Dnipro dam - largest in USSR, increased electrical output by 5x
Magnitogorsk - ‘steel city’ constructed in the Urals
Komosomolsk - shipbuilding hub in far East
Henry Ford - helped develop a plan at Gorky to expand car industry

Question 34

what were the economic strengths of the USSR by 1941?
x7

Answer 34

FYPs transformed the USSR and made it highly industrialised and urbanised - 33% of the nation was urban by 1939

party could claim ideological success by removing free markets and collectivised farms

by 1940, USSR - 18.4 mill had overtaken Britain - 10 mil in iron and steel production and wasn’t far behind Germany- 22 mil

significant production increase in electricity, oil… coal increased from 25 mil tonnes in 1928 to 165 mil in 1940

paved the way for victory in WW2 - rearmament spending increased by over 50 billion roubles

military capacity unmatched in Europe

collectivisation resulted in significant grain increase - 95 million tonnes from 73 million between 1928-1940

Question 34

what is a quicksand economy?

Answer 34

workers roamed from project to project nomadically
destabalised economy

Question 34

what were the weaknesses of the USSR economy by 1941?

Answer 34

development uneven across industries

consumer goods barely increased, only 500,000 cars made per year by 1940

quality of goods as poor as output targets mattered above quality

bureaucracy hindered the implementation of new schemes and local organisation was often chaotic and corrupt

when war broke out economy stuttered and had deficiencies in both quality and quantity of equipment in 1941

peasants slaughtering own livestock caused minimal increases in production, cows decreased by 1 million

grain levels remained lower than the successful years of NEP

Question 34

what was the impact of rapid industrialisation on the women?

Answer 34

women granted greater oppourtunities - 44% of workforce female
50-60% of doctors female
state nurseries and canteens
BUT
less well paid 40% less, less literate, abused in the workplace
only four women became head doctors in hospitals
maternity leave and free education reduced by 1938, liberties of 1920s reduced
Zhenotdel (womens area of party closed in 1930)

Question 34

what were the areas of progression for the managers

Answer 34

recieved a 40% bonus is targets were met
managers seemed like a new industrial elite
managers lived a comfortable life but hid extra signs of wealth

Question 34

what were the negative impacts of the Stakhanovite movement?

Answer 34

tensions between manager and workers increased
competition between workers increased
later reveales that Alexei Stakhanov was given special working conditions

Question 34

regression for managers

Answer 34

managers had to ensure that outputs targets were met
books had to be balanced or they would be accused of industrial sabotage
after 1936 they had to pay for own fuel and labour
lots of bribery and corruption
enforced sate regulations made relations between workers and managers worse
stakhanovites caused targets to increase
manager faced labour shortages as military expansion occured

Question 35

progression for workers

Answer 35

rapid industrialisation brought extensive training and opportunity to learn new skills
wage differentials introduced
increased incentive
purges hit white collar workers the hardest so new opportunities for workers

Question 35

regression for workers

Answer 35

seven day working week
long hours
lateness caused dismissal
strikes illegal
quitting job was a criminal offence
internal passports
rural depopulation - workers living in cramped communal apartments
queues and shortages
lower real wages than in 1928
poor living standards
decree of 1940 ended free labour market and increased direction of labour as war was coming
few survived on industrial camps eg Belomor canal - 700 died per day

Question 35

what was the Stakhanovite movement?

Answer 35

Alexei Stakhanov cut 102 tonnes of coal in five hours
held up as a poster boy for ideal soviet worker
recordmania increased competition
Stakhanovites would recieve superior accommodation and other material benefits

Question 36

why did the cult of stalin emerge?

Answer 36

patronage - some hoped to benefit from his rule and needed to be assured of his patronage at a political level

emotion - many had a emotional attachment to the idea of a strong central ruler in the image of the tsar or peter the great

father figure - many in the peasantry viewed him as the father of the nation many created a red corner in their homes as they would do for saints

fear - real and imagined terror caused many to embrace stalinist cult of the personality. secret and public police enforced adulation of staling

stalins role - Khruschev later insisted that stalin wanted his biography to be rewriten to praise his qualities and achievements even more

Question 37

how did falsification of history contribute to the cult of stalin?

Answer 37

‘The History of the All-Union Communist Party’ 1938 was published as the main text for schools
narrative placed Stalin at the centre of events in 1917 and CW
Trotsky and others were portrayed as ‘enemies of the people’ or assigned minor roles in the new narrative of russian history
34 million copies by 1948

Question 38

how did doctored photographs contribute to the cult of stalin?

Answer 38

imaged doctored to remove Stalin’s enemy and show him at the side of Lenin as the legitimate successor

Question 39

how did literature contribute to the cult of stalin?

Answer 39

from 1932 all writers had to belong to ‘Russian Association of proletarian writers’
expected to support stalin and messages of the state
had to adhere to socialist realism
writers had to show socialism as how it might appear in the future
used to show peasants that the move to socialism was inevitable
had to support industrialisation
increasingly literate population

Question 40

how did art / music contribute to the cult of stalin?

Answer 40

union of artists
promoted socialist realism
expected to glorify working man and shoe communities together
music had to promote nationalist messages - Glinka and Tchaikovsky

Question 41

how did propaganda contribute to the cult of stalin?

Answer 41

military lang to promote key messages
pravda promoted Stakhanovites and female workers more regularly than stalin
soviet achievment hyperbolised in fields of aviation and artic exploration and class consiousnes- pavlik morozov
there were posters, radios and films in public areas for the illiterate