1.2 Limited attempts at reform after 1964

Question 1

What was the result of Krushchev’s dismissal as general secretary? (6)

Answer 1

• resulted in the abandonment of most of his problematic policies
• but mostly economic policy stayed the same
• reforms pushed for further attempts to stimulate creativity and innovation and improve prouctivity
• their efforts were resisted by conservatives
• in 1965, new leadership abolished Regional Economic Councils set up by Krushchev and placed more power into centre of planning apparatus
• Gosplan given greater powers of co-ordination

Question 2

Kosygin Reforms (3)

Answer 2

• in 1965, Alexei Kosygin, the prime minister launched a series of reforms to increase creativity within the descision-making process and improve productivity
• little was achieved because reforms were implemented by officials who were unenthusiastic about them
• the focus on bonuses for profit encouraged some enterprises to make fewer, more expensively priced items instead of mass production of more needed items

Question 3

Reforms under Brezhnev (2)

Answer 3

• in 1973, major industrial complexes were joined with scientific institutions to ensure the latest technology was applied to production ‘an alliance of the working class with science’
• in 1974, the system of targets was further centralized, in an attempt to move away from using only output figures to focus more on cost and profit

Question 4

result of brezhnev’s reforms (3)

Answer 4

• attempts to adopt new technology were limited by the rigid command economy
• managers feared losing production while new machinery was installed in factories
• result was that new equipment was often left to rust

Question 5

Ninth five-year plan (3)

Answer 5

• emphasis on consumer goods
• rate of growth in consumer goods higher than heavy industry
• goals were not fullfilled, but growth was impressive and living standards rose

Question 6

Agriculture during Brezhnev (10)

Answer 6

• power was returned to Ministry of Agriculture and there was a move away from Krushchev’s approach to trying to find quick solutions
• virgin lands scheme abolished
• heavy investment in agriculture continued
• bigger role for production on peasant’s private plots
• result was a steady rise in production
• steadt decline in worker’s productivity, unskilled workforce, machinery broke ofte, bad roads, food often rotted
• one problem was the failure of food production to meet rising demands, meant a shortage of foodstuffs in shops
• this gap wa made up by private production
• brigade system introduced to increase productivity, which allowed peasants in collectives to from work brigades that could descide how profits were used and distributed. experiment was abandoned because due to it wokring party officials feared a return to family farming
• little was changed to agriculture overall

Question 7

when was Andropov general secratary?

Answer 7

1982 - 1984

Question 8

attempted reforms under Andropov (5)

Answer 8

• attempts to improve economic performance
• he didn;t want to change system, but instead make it wokr better by a tougher mor disciplined approach
• focus was removal of corruption from within system (false figures)
• wished to improve labour discipline, with government spot checks looking for slackers
• did not make andropov popular, and only achieved resentment