Khrushchev's Economic, Industrial, Social and Scientific Reforms

Question 1

5 points

What reforms did Khrushchev make to industry?

Answer 1

• In 1957 he broke up the central ministires and allocated their responsibilities to 105 regional councils called Sovnarkhozy.
• Booseted sectors Stalin overlooked, e.g. oil, chemicals and gas.
• Placed a greater emphasis on the production of consumer goods.
• Placed a greater emphasis on power stations.
• In 1959, the party laid out a 7 year plan which was more realistic than the 5 year plans of the 1930s.

Question 2

4 points

What was Khrushchev’s idea for the new regional councils, and how effective were they?

Answer 2

• He wanted these to be supervised more closely by the republic and district party committees.
• He wanted them to avoid waste and coordinate different branches of production more effectively.
• However, all they did was add an extra layer of beaurocracy.
• A new Supreme Council was set up in Moscow to coordinate this, however once Khrushchev was removed from power, much of his new structures were immediatly removed.

Question 3

3 points

Evidence that Khrushchev’s industiral reforms were a success.

Answer 3

• Soviet economy grew 10% per year (3x America’s growth) between 1955-1960.
• Gross national product (GNP) grew by 60% by 1965, industrial imput was up by 85% and consumer good were also up by 60%.
• Coal – 391 m tons (1955) to 578 (1965), Electricity – 170 billion kWh (1955) to 507 (1965), Tractors – 314,000 to 804,000, TV sets – 495,000 to 3,655,000, Fridges – 151,000 – 1,675,000, Retail trade – 50.2 m roubles to 104.8m.

Question 4

5 points

How did Khrushchev’s reforms improve living standards?

Answer 4

• Minimum wage was introduced in 1956, although many workers earned considerably more.
• Average household income grew 3% per year between 1960-65.
• Diet improved - less reliant on bread and potatoes.
• Things like books and public transport much cheaper than in the west. By 1966, 50% of all households had a TV and washing machine.
• Increase in housing, with free heating.

Question 5

2 points

What improvements did Khrushchev make to public transport?

Answer 5

• Diesel trains added to Russian railways and many miles of tracks were electrified.
• New lines opened into Virgin Lands to transport grain and agricultural produce.

Question 6

4 points

Evidence to show that Khrushchev’s reforms to living conditions wer failures.

Answer 6

• Priority with new housing was quantity over quality, many of the new apartments lacked running water or lifts. They were called Khrushcheby, a pun on Khrushchev’s name meaning slum.
• Whilst many families in the west began buying cars, these remained a perk of the few in the USSR.
• Some items like clothing and footwhere remained very expensive.
• Turnover of workers in factories peaked at 1/5th of the workforce - there were financial deals struck to keep workers there even though this was illegal.

Question 7

5 points

What breakthroughs did the USSR make in space under Khrushchev?

Answer 7

• 1957 - Sputnik I launched into orbit.
• Later, Sputnik II put the first living creature in Space (Laika), to celebrate 40th anniversary of the revolution.
• 1959 - USSR landed a red flag on the moon, and later in same mission took photos of dark side of the moon.
• After a successful test of bring two dogs back safely to earth, the first man Yuri Gagarin, was sent into space in April 1961.
• Valentina Tereshkova became first woman in space.

Question 8

What was one criticism of the space program?

Answer 8

It took a lot of investment of rare resources and money, which could have gone to smaller projects to help citizens.