khrushchev economy

Question 1

what were K’s aims

Answer 1

wanted to improve standard of living
make economy more productive + less inefficient

Question 2

by 1952 production was below what years level and productivity was below what other years level

Answer 2

production below 1940 levels
productivity below 1913 levels

Question 3

what changes were made to collective farms

Answer 3

-individual collective farms given greater local decision making powers
-MTS abolished
-Agrogodas created
-prices for state procurement increased
- more investment in equipment + fertilisers

Question 4

by 1955 what % increase was there in the number of tractors available

Answer 4

30% increase

Question 5

when was the Virgin Land Scheme launched (VLS)

Answer 5

september 1953

Question 6

what did the VLS hope to do

Answer 6

increase productivity by cultivating wheat in previously unfarmed lands

Question 7

what areas did the VLS take place in

Answer 7

western Siberia, Northern Caucasus + Kazakhstan

Question 8

how many acres were brought under cultivation for the VLS

Answer 8

6 million acres

Question 9

from what % to what % did agricultural investment grow by from 1954-59

Answer 9

from 3% to 12.5% per annum

Question 10

how was the VLS initially successful

Answer 10

-agricultural production did increase from 1953-58
-higher standard of living
-400% increase in farm labourer’s wages

Question 11

by what % did grain, milk, and meat production increase by 1953-58

Answer 11

35.3%

Question 12

what % increase did labourer’s wages undergo through the initial successes of the VLS

Answer 12

400% increase

Question 13

what were the negatives of the VLS

Answer 13

-very expansive + needed a lot of irrigation
-labour intensive
-harvests were failing by 1959

Question 14

what % of the Soviet population worked on farms compared to what % of the US population to produce double the amount of food

Answer 14

44-54% of Soviet population compared to 5% of the US population which produces double the amount of food

Question 15

agricultural production was what % higher in 1964 than 1958

Answer 15

15% higher

Question 16

when was the Corn Campaign introduced (CC)

Answer 16

september 1958

Question 17

what did the CC hope to do

Answer 17

convert farmers in Ukraine to grow maize rather than wheat
the maize would be used to feed animals so there would be more meat for Soviet consumers

Question 18

why was the CC a failure

Answer 18

only produced 50% of corn per hectare that US farms produced

Question 19

by what % did animal feed production decrease by in 1958-64

Answer 19

30% decrease

Question 20

what were the successes of agriculture

Answer 20

-back in the centre of economic planning
-incomes of farmers doubled
-1953-58 food production increased by 51%

Question 21

by what % did food production increase by from 1953-58

Answer 21

51%

Question 22

what were the failures of agriculture

Answer 22

-MTS abolishment made it difficult to obtain modern equipment
-campaigns weren’t appropriate to local climate conditions
-lack of storage facilities led to waste
-agricultural investment was cut
-still inefficient
-lack of animal fodder
-imported grain from US + Australia

Question 23

in 1960 agricultural investment was cut from what % a year to what %

Answer 23

from 12.7% a year to 2%

Question 24

what industrial changes did K make

Answer 24

destalinisation
-less centralisation = 105 regional economic councils -> Sovnarkhozy
-removed harsh labour laws
-managers given more influence in factories
-growth of chemical + consumer goods

Question 25

what was the working week reduced from and to under destalinisation

Answer 25

from 48 hours to 41 hours

Question 26

what % of profits were managers allowed to keep

Answer 26

40% of profits

Question 27

by how much did fertilisers increase by

Answer 27

19 million tonnes

Question 28

by how much did synthetic fibre production increase by

Answer 28

it doubled

Question 29

by what % did consumer goods increase by from 1959-65

Answer 29

increased by 60%

Question 30

which plan focussed on consumer goods

Answer 30

seven year plan 1959

Question 31

what was the Soviet economic growth in the 1950s compared to the US

Answer 31

USSR = 7%
USA = 2.9%

Question 32

why had economic grwoth slowed by 1964

Answer 32

-K continuously introduced economic reorganisation = short lived/counter productive
-decentralisation = no central coordinatin
-target driven economy still = quantity over quality