4.4 The Soviet Society and Economy by 1941

Question 1

What percentage of people lived in towns by 1939, compared to that of 1929?

Answer 1

1929: 17%

1939: 33%

Question 2

What were the economic strengths of the USSR by 1941?

Answer 2

• Coal and oil production had vastly improved
• Spending on rearmament between 1938-41 rose from 27.5 billion roubles to 70.9 billion
• 230 tanks, 700 aircrafts and more than 100,000 rifles had been produced

Question 3

What were the economic weaknesses of the USSR by 1941?

Answer 3

• Consumer production had been cut back due to the focus on rearmament meaning goods were scarcer than that of the NEP
• The quality of good were poor (quantity over quality)
• By 1941, the economy was still not geared for war leading to soon apparent supply problems

Question 4

What were the strengths of the USSR’s society by 1941?

Answer 4

• Stalin had much more control over the people than prior, especially now in the countryside.
• The Soviets had successfully gained state ownership of all collective farms and factories

Question 5

What were the weaknesses of the USSR’s society by 1941?

Answer 5

• Stalin had created a hierarchal society where peasants were under the mercy of their collectives and workers were driven by Soviet masters
• There little regard given to both peasants and workers, who were deemed, even at manager levels, as expendable
• Low rations, poor housing and constant pressure were a result of Stalin’s determination to sacrifice people in the interest of his economic vision