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Russian History > industrial + social developments in towns + cities > Flashcards

industrial + social developments in towns + cities Flashcards

1
Q

what was the gosplan?

A

the state planning agency, organised the process by which industry was transformed under the five year plans

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2
Q

what did the gosplan do?

A

drew up plans + set output targets for every economic enterprise according to party directives -> gosplan set very ambitious targets, if too ambitious party leaders would revise them

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3
Q

why was the process of setting targets difficult?

A

gosplan did not have reliable stats about the economy to base targets on, esp about imports + possible exports

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4
Q

what did enterprises do if they did not meet targets?

A

falsified their production figures as there were severe punishments

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5
Q

aims of the first five year plans (1928-32)

A
  • develop heavy industry
  • boost electricity production
  • double the output from the light industry eg chemicals
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6
Q

successes of the first five year plans (1928-32)

A
  • electricity production trippled
  • coal + iron output double
  • steel production increased by 1/3
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7
Q

limitations of the first five year plans (1928-32)

A
  • no extremely ambitious targets met
  • improvements in chemical industry lagged
  • consumer industries badly neglected
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8
Q

aims of second five year plan (1933-37)

A
  • continue growth of heavy industry
  • boost light industry; chemicals, electricals, consumer goods
  • develop communications
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9
Q

successes of second five year plan (1933-37)

A
  • some large scale communication projects
  • rapid growth in electricity production + chemicals
  • new metals eg copper + tin
  • steel output trebled
  • coal production double
  • USSR self sufficient in metal goods + machine tools by 1937
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10
Q

limitations of second five year plan (1933-37)

A
  • oil production failed to meet its targets
  • consumers were still short of some products
  • while overall quantity increased, quality till tended to be very low
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11
Q

aims of third five year plans (1938-42)

A
  • rented emphasis on heavy industry
  • promote rapid rearmament
  • complete the transition to communism
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12
Q

successes of third five year plans (1938-42)

A
  • some strong growth in machine engineering
  • defence industries developed exceptional models eg T-34 tank
  • spending on rearmament doubled between 1938-40
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13
Q

limitations of third five year plans (1938-42)

A
  • other areas stagnated after defence was prioritised
  • oil production failed to meet its targets causing a fuel crisis
  • lack of specialists due to Stalins purges
  • German invasion of 1941 disrupted the plan, causing it to end early
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14
Q

what factors made the five year plans hard to achieve?

A
  • never been tried before
  • initial success happened in the context of Wall Street crash 1929 + Great Depression
  • effectiveness of 3rd yr plans reduced bc of growing threat of nazi Germany which diverted finds into defence + rearmament
  • stalins increasingly authoritarian + repressive regime, where any criticism of the system was likely to viewed as treason
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15
Q

what projects were created by the 5 yr plans?

A
  • dnieprostroi dam
  • Moscow metro
  • Moscow voiga canal
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16
Q

details about dnieprostroi dam

A
  • constructed between 1927-32
  • a dam generating hydro-electric power
  • one of largest power stations in the world at the time
  • dam increased soviet electric by power by 5 times
17
Q

details about Moscow metro

A
  • constructed between 1932-1937
  • first underground railway system in ussr
  • peasants moved from countryside to city
  • massive recruitment campaigns to find unskilled labourers to construct the metro
18
Q

details about Moscow-Volga canal

A
  • constructed between 1932-1937
  • 128 km canal
  • connected Moscow to five seas + improved links to industrial centre of Gorky
19
Q

what were the new industrial cities built?

A

Magnitogorsk: gigantic steel plant + town of 150,000 people, built in Urals away from USSR’s western borders

Komsomotsk: several shipyards in east Russia built to open up this area to development

20
Q

how were foreign companies involved in the five year plans?

A
  • recruited to provide expertise to develop new industries
  • Moscow metro designed by Br specialist from London Underground
  • Henry Ford advised USSR on its car industry, trained soviet engineers in USA + helped design car plant at Gorky
21
Q

what were the dangers of working with foreign companies?

A
  • secret police arrested several br engineers working on Moscow metro as suspicious of spying
  • OGPU concerned about detailed knowledge of Moscow geography
22
Q

who were Stakhanovites?

A

workers who exceeded their targets + held as an example for others - named after Aleksei Stakhanov, a coal miner who exceeded mining target by high amount, declared soviet hero + rewarded with bonus and awards

23
Q

how did stakhanov turn into propaganda movement

A
  • people competed to beat his record + it sped up targets
  • it was for the good of USSR not personal gain
  • introduced stakhanvoties competitions in different industries
24
Q

why were stakhanovites a problem?

A
  • not popular with managers as meant their efforts increased production targets
  • not popular w other workers as made them look bad
25
Q

working + living conditions of managers

A
  • had to find ways of meeting targets while avoiding problems with workers -> received bonuses for exceeding targets but could be put on trial or imprisoned for failing to meet targets
  • from 1936, factories had to pay for their own raw materials, labour + fuel out of their salaries which meant careful accounting.
  • managers responsible for applying state regulations in the work place, these not popular with workers + led to protests
  • any attempts by managers to reduce pressure on workers could lead to accusations of wrecking (sabotage)
26
Q

working + living conditions of workers

A
  • long working hours over six days a week to achieve first five year plan
  • from 1938, labour books recorded workers employment, skills + any disciplinary issues
  • absenteeism or lateness could result in dismissal, eviction from house + loss of benefits, 1940 absenteeism became a crime
  • most city workers lived in crowed communal apartments with few amenities + little privacy
27
Q

how did workers benefit?

A
  • far more opportunities to progress than under tsarist
  • training programmes widely available to improve skills
  • wage increases in second five year plans
  • stalins purged removed white collar workers + intellectuals, opportunities for workers
28
Q

working + living conditions of women

A
  • by 1940, 43 % of workforce was women, state provisions of nurseries, child clinics allowed mothers to work
  • as prices increased, women entered the workforce to help earn income to sustain their families
  • managers who were under pressure to achieve targets would employ workers wives + daughters
  • although by 1940 women earned around 40% less than men, advances had been made
29
Q

success of the five year plans

A
  • soviet economy probably grew at 5-6% per year between 1928-40
  • ussr became major industrial power
  • impressive results in heavy industry growth, light industry also started to deliver more consumer goods
  • created opportunities for ordinary workers to develop new skills + progress in their careers
  • sense of pride in the communist system
30
Q

weaknesses of five year plans

A
  • social downsides inc deteriorating living conditions + working conditions that were dominated by strict labour discipline
  • fear of missing targets created an environment of bribery + corruption, focus on quantity rather than quality
  • success was built on prison camp labour + very low prices paid to collective farms for very high quota of grain even during famine

Russian History (7 decks)

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