Krushchev: agriculture and industry

Question 1

Opinions on Stalin’s economic reforms after his death

Answer 1

Until 1985 Soviet leaders remained convinced that Stalin’s economic model would overtake the capitalist economies

Question 2

Investment in agriculture

Answer 2

• Increased incentives - Krushchev paid farmers higher prices for their produce, he also lowered the quotas and paid extra for crops produced over the quotas, boosted farm in comes by 250% between 1952-56
• Investment in artificial fertilisers, boosting production by 40% and tractors, boosting production by 30%
• Investment in agriculture grew from 3% of the soviet budget in 1954 to 12.8% in 1959, most was invested in the virgin lands scheme

Question 3

Virgin Lands Scheme

Answer 3

• Increasing the amount of land in use, in places such as causcaus and even west siberia
• required a lot of investment, 12.8% of the soviet budget by 1959 compared with 3% in 1954
• Initially very successful, grain harvest, milk and meat production rose significantly
• Agricultural production rose by around 35.5% between 1954-58
• The scheme led to more food availibility and an increased standard of living

Question 4

The Corn Campaign

Answer 4

• September 1958
• Krushchev encouraged Ukrainian farms, to shift their farming from wheat to maize, the new farmlands as part of the virgin land scheme would farm the wheat
• The maize would feed the animals leaving more meat for the people, as a sign of good quality living standards
• It was a failure as it was based on the success of the US, due to differences in climate, lower labour productivity and inferiority of their artificial fertilisers the USSR was only able to produce half of what the US could
• The energy being put into growing maize meant that less hay was being produced to feed the animals, as a result animal feed dropped by 30% between 1954-68

Question 5

Problems in agriculture 1954 - 1956

Answer 5

• Investment in the virgin lands scheme was extensive as lands were so infertile
• Soviet agriculture was labour intensive, around 50% of Soviets worked on farms compared with 5% of the US, which produced more than double
• After the initial successes of the virgin land scheme, it began to decline, by 1964 levels were only 15% higher than in 1958, nowhere near krushchev’s goals
• Machine tractor stations shut down, meaning that farmers were unable to receive the newest farming equipment
• Centrally directed campaigns ineffective because they didn’t reflect local conditions
• Delivery of fertilisers to farms was unreliable, would often come late, sometimes bringing the wrong one
• Farms had inadequate storage facilities, went to waste
• Krushchev consistently reformed the agricultural ministries, contradictory reforms led to confusion in administration
• Krushchev’s policies and investment didn’t improve efficiency on the farms

Question 6

Industrial modernisation 1953 - 1964

Answer 6

• Stalin’s economy was very focused on heavy industry
• However newer leadership recognised that more advanced countries such as the US and Britain were more focused on light industry, high tech consumer goods, so they followed this trend
• But the planning methods that had been so successful for heavy industry wasn’t compatible with creating a modern economy

Question 7

Krushchev’s vision

Answer 7

• The purpose of the Soviet economy was to build communism
• Krushchev and all communist party members beleived thatby Stalin’s death the soviet union had reached socialism
• Krushchev stated that by 1980 the soviet union would reach communism, where food, housing and transport would be available for free and consumer goods would be cheap and widely available

Question 8

Years of maximum danger

Answer 8

Between 1958 and 62 the two superpowers reahced the brink of nuclear war on three occasions:
- Taiwan strait crisis 1958
- Berlin crisis 1961
- Cuban missile crisis 1962
This led Krushchev to abandon his hopes of peaceful competition, and led to increased military spending in the Soviet Union and in the US