4.1 Economic and agricultral Developments Flashcards
1
Q
econ 1945-53
4th 5 year plan aims
A
- 1946-50
- to catch up w usa
- rebuild heavy industry + transport
- revive the Ukraine - 1/3 expenditure allocated here
2
Q
econ 1945-53
4th 5 year plan detail
A
- use of extensive reparations from East germany
- maintences of wartime controls on labour force - long hours, low wages. high targets]
- canals and HEP plants
3
Q
econ 1945-53
4th 5 year plan results
A
- USSR 2nd to us in industrial capital
- most heavy industry targets met
- production doubled
- uberan workforce increased 67-72 mil
- industrially stronger than pre-war
4
Q
econ 1945-53
5th 5 year plan aims
A
- 1951-55
- dev heavy industry and transport
- consumer goods, housing + services recieve stronger investment
5
Q
econ 1945-53
5th five year plan details
A
- continued 4th five year plan but resources diverted to rearmerment during Korean war (50-53)
- After stalins death, Malenkov reduced expenditure of military and heavy industry
6
Q
econ 1945-53
5th five year plan results
A
- most growth target smet
- NI increased 71%
- Malenkov changes met opposition resulting in him loosing leadership
7
Q
agriculture 45-53
4th 5 year plan details
A
- Massive state direction: high quotas for grain and livestock/low peasant wages
- Higher taxes on produce from privare plots and private land absorbed in the war returned to kolkhozes
- Tree plantations, canals and irrigation ditches to make more land usable
- Followed Ideas of scientist Trofim Lysenko
8
Q
agriculture 45-53
4th 5 year plan aims
A
- force Kolkhozes to deliver agriculture products
- revive wheat fields of ukraine
- transform nature + revitalise barren land
9
Q
agriculture 45-53
4th five year plan results
A
- State precured 70 per cent of 1946 harvest, leaving peasants with little
- Output of kolkhozes increased (and food rationing ended 1947) but not to 1930s levels
- Incentives remained lowr
- Almost a half of output carne from private plots
- Lagged behind industry
- Lysenko’ ideas perpetuated inaccurate theories which held farming back.
10
Q
agriculture 45-53
5th five year plan aims
A
- Continuation of the Fourth Five Year Plan’s alms plus Khrushchev’s initiative to develop virgin lands
and build ‘agrocities’ from 1953
11
Q
agriculture 45-53
5th five year plan details
A
- High procurement levels maintained
- Expansion of agriculture in formerly uncultivated areas
12
Q
agriculture 45-53
5th five year plan results
A
Agricultural production still behind industry and not yet to level of 1940
13
Q
Decentralization and Industrial Planning under Krushchev
Industrial Targets and Administration
A
- Moscow-based ministers set industrial targets for enterprises, often out of touch with local conditions.
- system became increasingly complex and inefficient as the number of enterprises grew.
- too few administrators to manage the system effectively.
- Enterprises judged on fulfilling output targets, given bonuses accordingly.
- Exceeding targets led to higher targets the next year, discouraging managers from innovation and improvement.
14
Q
Decentralization and Industrial Planning under Krushchev
Disincentives and Inefficiencies
A
- Output targets usually assessed by weight, favoring heavy goods over lighter, possibly more desirable items.
- Inefficient resource use required increasing capital investment to maintain growth, leading to stagnation.
15
Q
Decentralization and Industrial Planning under Krushchev
Sixth Five-Year Plan (1956)
A
- Launched with over-optimistic targets
- abandoned after two years.
- new 7 year plan announced 1959 w/ Supreme Economic Council supervising
16
Q
Decentralization and Industrial Planning under Krushchev
Decentralization in 1957
A
- Sixty Moscow ministries abolished.
- USSR divided into 105 economic regions, each with its own local economic council (sovnarkhoz) to plan and supervise economic affairs.
- had political motive: removing Malenkov’s men from central ministries and expanding Khrushchev’s patronage network in localities.
- shifted industrial management to local Party officials, fostering greater decentralization.
17
Q
industrial change under Krushchev
7 year plan 1959
A
- improved living standards
- 40h work wek
- 40% wage rise by 1965
- vast expansion of chemicals industry, fertilisers and artificial fibres
- housing factories to produce prefabricated sections for new flats
- increased production of consumer goods
- greater exploitation of USSR’s resources - natural gas, oil and coal - and building of power stations.
18
Q
industrial change under Krushchev
Communications and Technology
A
- Impressive displays at the 1958 Brussels World Fair.
- Railways: Many lines electrified or converted to diesel; network expanded.
- Air Transport: Expanded with Aeroflot offering subsidized, cheap long-distance travel, often undercutting railways.
19
Q
industrial change under Krushchev
space achievements
A
- 1957: USSR launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik.
- 1957: Sputnik II took a dog, Laika, into orbit.
- 1959: Red flag placed on the moon; pictures of the dark side of the moon taken.
- 1959: Icebreaker Lenin launched, the world’s first civil nuclear-powered ship.
- 1961: Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.
- 1963: Valentina Tereshkova became the first female cosmonaut.
20
Q
Result of Industrial Change
Decentralization and Bureaucracy
A
- Khrushchev’s decentralization measures added another layer of bureaucracy.
- The system was abandoned in 1965, shortly after Khrushchev’s fall from power.
21
Q
Result of Industrial Change
Standards of Living
A
Standards of living improved, but quality of life still had severe limitations.
22
Q
Result of Industrial Change
Economic Distortion
A
- Heavy spending on armaments and the space race distorted the economy.
- USSR narrowed the economic growth gap with the USA but did not overtake it.
23
Q
Result of Industrial Change
Industrial Growth
A
- Soviet industrial growth slowed significantly from 1958.
- Growth rate fell from over 10% per annum in the previous decade to 7.5% in 1964.
- Consumer industries experienced only a 2% growth in 1964.
24
Q
Agriculture Under Khrushchev (1953-64)
Criticism and Initial Actions
A
- 1953, Khrushchev criticized Stalin’s agricultural policies and unreliable statistics.
- highlighted grain output and livestock numbers were lower than in the last years of tsarist Russia.
- Despite criticizing Stalin’s methods, he continued to support some scientifically dubious ideas, like those of Trofim Lysenko.
25
# Agriculture Under Khrushchev (1953-64)
Incentives and Reforms
- Raised state procurement prices for agricultural goods (grain prices up by ~25% between 1953-1956).
- Reduced state procurement quotas.
- Reduced taxes and made them payable based on plot size rather than livestock ownership.
- Cut quotas on private plots and removed the meat delivery requirement for peasants without animals.
- Allowed collectives to set their own production targets and manage their land.
26
# Agriculture Under Khrushchev (1953-64)
Infrastructure and Production Increases
- Connected more farms to the electricity grid.
- Launched 1962 campaign for increased use of chemical fertilizers.
- increased use of farm machinery, disbanded Machine Tractor Stations in 1958, converted them into repair stations.
- Merged collectives to create larger farms, halving the number of collectives from 1950-1960.
27
Virgin land scheme
- Aimed to cultivate previously unused grazing lands in western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan.
- By 1956, 35.9 million hectares of virgin land were ploughed for wheat.
- Massive campaign to attract farmers and Komsomol members to settle and work on these new farms.
- Resulted in a significant increase in cultivated land, contributing to agricultural production.
28
Krushchev other agriculture campaignes
- New Crop Campaigns: aiming to address food shortages and enhance fodder production.
- 1959 USA Visit: After visiting 1959, promoted production of maize-based products e.g. cornflakes
- Campaign Against Private Cows: encouraging their transfer to collective farms.
- 'Agrocities' Concept: = large collective farm towns to modernize rural living and work conditions, though this idea remained unrealized.
29
Krushchev agriculture results
- private plots remained significant contributors to peasant income and produce sales.
- Constant price alterations by state officials led to difficulties in planning and frustrations among farmers, impacting output negatively.
- Virgin Lands Scheme saw declining success due to unforeseen climatic conditions, land erosion, and soil infertility.
- Over-enthusiastic implementation led to unsound agricultural practices and limited productivity gains.
