Agricultural + Social developments In countryside PT1 - Collectivisation 1929-1941 Flashcards
Collectivisation 1929-1941
What is the background of Starlin’s collectivisation plans?
- Starlin committed the USSR to collective farming as a part of his ‘great turn’ 1928. There were good justifications for launching collectivisation in 1929 + it coincided with stalin 5year plans but was a social/political crusade as well as economic
- Initially the emphasis was put on voluntary collectivisation, persuading peasants of working via posters.
- This had a limited effect. By 1929 less than 5% of all farms had been collectivised + Starlin believed grain procurement difficulty was caused by the ‘Kulaks’ and in December 1929 announced he’d ‘annihilate the kulaks as a class’
What is the difference between Forced + Voluntary collectivisation?
Voluntary collectivisation = when peasants chose to convert farms to state farms willingly and give the gov grain and yield whereas Forced collectivization is what Stalin imposed in 1929 after voluntary failed (only 5% collectivised)
Explain the 1st stage of Forced Collectivisation 1928-1930
- Gov began campaign w propaganda to separate peasants + kulaks to ensure they turned against one-another + punished peasants who failed to keep up w deliveries.
- By end of 1929 gov began programme of all-out forced collectivisation + peasants driven into collectives by local party members using the OGPU + Red Army + were used to exclude or deport kulaks.
- In January 1930 Stalin announced 25% of grain farming areas were to be collectivised that year + thus brutal treatment used to melt out kulaks which was equally propaganda to warn + frighten peasants into making them join collectives.
- By March 1930 58% of peasant households had been collectivised using this propaganda + force + Starlin ‘dizzy with weakness’ re-introduced voluntary collectivisation to be permitted until end of year however this reduce collectives to only 20%.
Why did Starlin want the Kulaks destroyed as a class?
The Kulaks were richer peasants who were wealthy enough to own and + hire labour + Bolsheviks regarded them as capitalist peasants.
There resources + money went against socialist ideals but also meant they had more power and would be the first to form against the government and cause resentment. Therefore they were a threat. However They were also skilled, which meant Starlin eradicating them was also equally a disadvantage for Russia, particularly during collectivisation.
Explain the 2nd stage of Collectivisation
Forced collectivisation was reimposed by March 1931 with two main types of state farms;
1 - Kolkhoz
2 - Sovknoz
Kolkhoz - typical state farms created by combining small individual farms into cooperative stricture. The average K contained 75 families + livestock. Peasants had to;
- Deliver a set quota to the state
- Share any profit/goods left over after procurement among the collective member according to no. of labour days individuals worked
- Under control of a party member acting as chairman of the farm ensuring control in rural areas
- They forbade peasants leaving + used internalised passports
Sovkhoz - Relatively smaller no of Sovkhoz however were usually larger than Kokhnoz + people were recruited from other farms for specialised large-scale production. This type of arming was deemed particularly suited to grain.
- Peasants also received a wage working in Sovkhoz.
What was the Impact of Collectivisation on the Peasants + Kulaks during the 1930s?
By Feb 1930 the party claimed that half of all peasant households had been collectivised presenting it as a huge breakthrough/sucsess whereas In reality, it was an agricultural disaster, the most enterprising peasants (Kulaks) had been shot or deported as they opposed the process which meant Russia was lacking skilled workers and ability. Agricultural production had been disrupted + thousands of animals slaughtered with 25/30% of cattle, pigs + sheep dead.
- Starlin was aware further peasant resistance could lead to a collapse of production + backtracked, in 1930 writing officials had moved far too fast ‘dizzy w success’ Seeing what could get most productivity out of peasants was essential + so Starlin ended forced collectivise tactics returning to voluntary for a year but peasants simply abandoned collectives.
What major problem took place between 1932-1934 as a result of ‘forced collectivisation’ ?
The Famine of 192-1934
The USSR subjected to famine which killed around 7 million. It was hard to forgive as the government refused to admit any failure of collectivisation as it had become such a powerful weapon to break down peasant resistance.
Collectivisation + grain requisitioning continued + by 1931 state had collected 22.8 million tons of grain, enough to feed cities, export and still finance industrialisation - and yet there was still a mass famine due to;
- The chaos + upheaval of forced collectives
- Lack of farming knowledge + effective skills (lost in the persecution of kulaks)
- Lack of animals
Despite the famine + starvation:
- Strict law saw grain had to be handed over by The Law Of Seven Tenths which imposed 10 year sentences for stealing socialised property + later changed to death sentence.
- Decrees in August + December gave 10 year imprisonment for stealing grain + meat.
What were the consequences of the famine of 1932-4?
Millions died:
- There famine was made worse by and human error but collectivisation harshly exacerbated the economic situation as peasants were squeezed so tightly w grain production requirements.
- The persecution of kulak class contributed too as hug lack of skilled labour + knowledge
Nevertheless - by 1934 70% of peasant households were collectivised
Overall how successful was the policy of Collectivisation?
Collectivisation was a brutal + slow way of Starlin achieving his economic goals and the political impact was equally important for Stalin.
- For the first time the soviet regime had extended it power across the countryside, ensuring the peasants would never again be able to resist the regime which reinforced starlings control within the USSR.
- Class difference’s in countryside were abolished + apart from existence of small private slots any remains of capitalism had been destroyed.
From this perspective certainly within the years of 1932-41 the communist regime was successful in modernising a sustainable agriculture and economical prospects,
- However there were many agricultural failures, and collectivisation had enormous consequences for millions of Russian people and the policy almost failed due to peasant resistance
What were the successes of collectivisation?
- 1932 The party claimed half of all peasant households had been collectivised
- Stalin did achieve his aims for procurement of grain. By 1941 98.0% of state farms were collectivised
- 1930 he allowed peasants to have a private slot of land in the Kolkhoz from which any produce became the private property of the individual. This was very successful peasants made full use of it however private slots only made u less than 4% of private land in the USSR but they produced between 25 and 35% of agricultural output
- The kulak situation was good politically as it ensured the major threat/obstacles couldn’t rise up and juxtapose the regimes plans + It was this brutal treatment of kulaks which as used to frightened poorer peasants forcing them to join the collective
Despite the many sufferings + weaknesses of logistical side of the plan objectives were met and so it is successful in achieving its aims.
What were the failures of collectivisation?
- The Initial ‘voluntary’ aims were met with limited effect as by 1929 less than 5% of all farms in Russia had been collectives
- In 1932 the party claimed half of all peasant households had been collectivised presenting it as a major breakthrough ,whereas in reality it was an agricultural disaster, 25/30% of cattle, pigs and sheep being killed by 1939 in order to prevent them being requisitioned amounting to the toll of over 40 million animals
- At least 600,000 deaths from 1929 to just 1933.
- Communist regime produced enough food, and yet failed to ensure there citizens were fed. This failure was so severe millions died despite the 22.8 million tones of grain that had been collectivised.
- Law of seven eight tenths + decrees in august saw 10 years in prison for stealing grain or food before peasant quotas were fulfilled which from one perspective can be seen as a successful policy as it certainly deterred sabotage and but but was incredibly harsh + brutal at a time were people starved because of the regime themselves.
State the 3 Key Aims of Collectivisation in Russia
- Control of Peasants
- Produce enough food
- Finance Industrialisation + exportation
