Agricultural + Social developments in the countryside PT2 -Aims + Results of First 5 Year Plans

Question 1

How well planned were the 5 Year Plans?

Answer 1

The 5YP for Industry were ambitious + far-reaching. They envisaged transformation of Soviet Union into a great Industrial power + that central planning would replace capitalist markets as the main device for manging the economy.

But the plans soon hit problems + central planning system found it couldn’t cope w demands it’d imposed on itself.

The 1st FYP was marked by outrageous targets + thus workers suffered - but despite all the problems the plans were successful in many respects.

Question 2

How were the Five Year Plans Organised?

Answer 2

• The plans put central-planning at the forefront of the Soviet economy. The State decided what was produced, where and how rather than it being determined by workers or consumers - like it would be in capitalist economy which proved disastrous for everyday consumers goods.
• The Peoples Commissars was responsible for calculating more detailed plans for different regions + enterprises
• Targets were backed by law so failure to meet targets were criminal offences + bonuses were paid to enterprises which exceeded their plan target.
• Major industries by 1934 = Heavy Industry, Light Industry, Timber and Food.

Question 3

What was Gosplan?

Answer 3

Gosplan = The State Planning Commission
- Had originally been set up in 1921 but was given the job of working out the figures - the input of each industry would need + the output each needed to produce to meet overall targets for the plan.

Question 4

State the key features of the 5 Year Plans

Answer 4

Plans in the 1930s = dominated by emphasis on development of Heavy Industry + Stalin + Supreme economic council agreed line share of investment would go to coal, iron + seal industries. This would = soviet being less reliable on the West for goods + become more self-sufficient

Citizens asked to sacrifice their standard of living inn short term for long-term objectives as they were driven by need to develop heavy industries to protect themselves form west.

• Plans always declared a year ahead of schedule
• Spectacular projects conceived to demonstrate might of the new soviet industrial machine

Question 5

What was the role of Foreign participation in the 5 Year Plans?

Answer 5

Significant aspect of industrial development in early 1930 was the involvement of foreign companies + individuals like specialist engineers and skilled workers to help build new factories or exploit new resources, ie Russian engineers were trained by FORD in the USA.

Question 6

Explain the Aims of the 1st 5 Year Plan

Answer 6

• Increase production by 300%
• Focus on development of heavy industry like coal, iron + steel, oil + machinery
• Boost electricity production by 600% (double output from light industry)

Targets were set incredibly high (optimum targets) + intended to force managers + workers to devote there maximum efforts to the programme + fulfilment of the plans. Those involved in administration + carrying out plans went to great lengths to ensure they delivered + statistics showed huge improvement - but there was abundance of corruption + false reports built into the system.

Question 7

Explain how the 1st 5 Year Plan develops

Answer 7

When launched = enthusiasm but likely due to ‘over enthusiastic’ reporters keen to show loyalty + in reality none of the major targets were met - however investment did bring some new growth;

• Electricity output doubled + heavy industry increased by a 3rd.
• However chemical(light) industry + house building targets were not met + more neglected.

Optimum targets set high expectations + targets increased by an astonishing amount ie Iron up from 6- 19 million tonnes!

Some suggest plans were more a socialist fantasy than a rational calculation but party leaders believed in 2/3 years country would = socialist economy + money would be abandoned. In this sense - 5YP seen as propaganda device rather than to drive soviet citizens forward + increase sense of urgency. But targets placed enormous pressure on workers + managers so bribery, corruption were rife and many managers turned to illegal deals to meet them.

Question 8

List the successes/ achievements of the 1st 5 Year Plan?

Answer 8

• Coal + Iron output doubled
• 1500 enterprises were opened
• Electricity production trebled
• Engineering industry developed + increased output of machine tools

Question 9

What were the failures /weaknesses of the 1st 5 Year Plan?

Answer 9

• Very little growth + even a decline in consumer industries ie house building + food processing
• Small workshops were squeezed out due to drive against Nepmen
• Lack of skilled workers created major issues + workers constantly changed jobs creating instability.
• Chemical targets were not fulfilled

Railways being unable to cope with demand caused underproduction due to factories being held up + managers refused to admit anything was ever wrong out of fear of being labelled disloyal so covered up these problems meaning they remained unsolved.

Question 10

Overall how successful was the 1st 5 Year Plan?

Answer 10

In reality, targets were not met.

• The great depression drove down the price of grain + raw materials so the USSR couldn’t earn enough from exportation to pay for all machinery needed.
• Huge amount of investment went toward agriculture due to collectivisation
• The major problem was that people lied out of fear which meant all the problems were covered up.
• The soviet economy was kick-started + there was impressive growth in the economy and substantial achievements.

Question 11

What were the aims of the 2nd 5 Year Plan (1933-37) ?

Answer 11

• Continue development of Heavy Industry
• Promote growth of light industry such as chemicals + also consumer goods
• Develop communications to provide links between cities + industrial areas

In comparison to 1st plan - the 2nd 5YP put more emphasis on consumer goods but heavy industry did remained the priority.

Question 12

What were the Key features of the 2nd 5 Year Plan (1933-1937) ?

Answer 12

• Leaders were prepared to acknowledge the problems that resulted under the 1st 5YP + the speed of industrialisation between 1929-1932
• The 2nd plan was revised + targets were scaled back + emphasis placed on consolidation. There = specific targets for each industry + training schemes encouraged workers to learn ley skills to tackle the shortage in skilled labour.
• The plan had some success particularly in ‘the good years’ between 1934-1936 and managed to produce electric power + chemical/electrical production grew rapidly. In 1936 the plan changed slightly w greater emphasis on food processing + footwear and oved from focus on quality of goods rather than quantity.

Question 13

What were the successes/ achievements of the 2nd 5 Year Plan?

Answer 13

• By 1937 the USSR was virtually self-sufficient in machine making and metal working
• Electricity production expanded rapidly
• Chemical industries such as fertilizer production were growing
• Transport + communications grew rapidly

Question 14

What were the weaknesses/ failures of the 2nd 5 Year Plan?

Answer 14

• Consumer goods industries were still lagging, although they were showing signs of recovery. There = growth in footwear + food processing but not enough
• Oil production did not make the expected advances.

Question 15

Overall how successful was the 2nd 5 Year Plan?

Answer 15

Stalin overreached himself in the 1st plan whereas the 2nd plan was focused on consolidation and in the ‘three good years’ pressure was not too high + families had more disposable income

• Overall there was less pressure and covered up problems within the system however consumer goods remained dreadful but heavy industry (the priority) remained thriving.

Question 16

When did each of the three 5 Year Plans take place?

Answer 16

1st 5YP - 1929-1932
2nd 5YP - 1933-1937
3rd 5YP - 1938- 1941

Question 17

What were the aims of the 3rd 5 Year Plan?

Answer 17

• Renewed emphasis on development of Heavy Industry
• Promote rapid rearmament
• Compete transition to communism

Heavy - once again remained man beneficiary

Question 18

How successful was the 3rd 5 Year Plan?

Answer 18

• Heavy industry continued to grow ie machinery + engineering but was uneven across the country
• Defence and armaments grew rapidly

Weaknesses;

Steel output grew insignificantly

• Oil production failed to meet targets leading to a fuel crisis
• Consumer industries once again took back seat + many factories ran out of raw materials..

Overall the 3rd plan ran into difficulties in 1938 due to exceptionally hard winter + diversion of materials to the military there were shortages and the death of good officials following starlins purges.

Question 19

What were the successes of all of the 5 year plans?

Answer 19

Soviet economy probably grew at 5-6 % each year between 1928-1940

• Several branches began from almost nothing + the 1st 5YP had impressive gains
• Between 1928-1932 industrial workforce doubled

Plans permitted huge growth in armaments industry, aircraft and in some cases with quality super to anywhere else in the west and arguably the party had achieved the main aims they set out to as they transformed the soviet economy.

Question 20

What was the stakhanovites movement?

Answer 20

Stakhanovites movement emerged after Aleksis Stakhanov a coal miner in the Dom Basin managed to cut an extraordinary 102 tonnes of coal with his pneumatic pick in 5 hours + 45 mins in august 1935 which was far more than a miner could produce in 14 times that length of time.

He was hailed as a prime example of human determination + perfect socialist man giving everything to producing resource’s for his country, the stakhanovites became the hardest working people.

It was an ideal propaganda technique for gov trying to create a proletariat culture based on team work + sacrifice + was later revealed it was a propaganda stunt as Aleksis had been given mass support in order to achieve that amount of mining but it was successful at the time.

Question 21

What as it like for workers throughout the 1930s?

Answer 21

Despite communist talks of ‘proletarianisation’ the living and working conditions were incredibly bad.

• Drive for industrialisation brought tough measures, a 7 day working week + longer hours. Arriving late or skipping work could lead to dismissal + lack of housing + benefits. Damaging machinery or leaving without permission was a criminal offence
• Nevertheless there was a certain amount of enthusiasm from workers in early years of industrialisation as an extensive training contract was set up + opportunities for advancement by gaining new skills which increased productivity.

Stalin’s ‘purges’ meant there were available positions at the top however despite his announcement in 1933 “life has become better(.)more joyous” In reality everyday life remained grim, cities were extremely cramped and many lacked basic necessities.

Question 22

What was life like for Women throughout the 1930s + during industrialisation?

Answer 22

Despite communist doctrines of ‘equality’ in 1929 female workers who represented 29% of workforce were largely concentrated in lowest paid jobs requiring the least skill + were routinely paid less than men

Zhenotdel = The Department of the Russian communist party devoted to Women’s affairs was forcibly closed in Jan 1930 + no longer drive toward increasing female labour.
Female workers did begin entering soviet industry in unprecedented numbers by 1935 + constituted 42% of workforce of all industrial workers flooding into education, healthcare + administration + became a valuable labour resource.

The Party enrolled women from 1936 in technical training programme’s + tried to me accessibility easier so No.s of well paid women increased however still the average women earned 40% less than men.

Question 23

What was Life like for Managers during the 1930s?

Answer 23

Industrial enterprises were placed under control of directors/managers who had the unenviable task of ensuring the output targets were met by workers . Fulfilling quotas whilst having limited control over there resources, wages and prices was a challenging task.

Managers were competitive + did best to negotiated the largest workforce, a manger received a bonus if he did better than expected. But Mangers could be put on trial, imprisoned or even executed for failing to fulfil targets whilst also needing to ensure he couldn’t be charged with ‘wrecking’ (economic/industrial sabotage ie lowering morale) so the pressure they faced was immense

Managers also expected to apply state regulations in the workplace - National ‘work norms’ which governed how much each labourer expected to do + the rules making it difficult for mangers to earn respect or good will of his labour force and often workers would form against managers to get them imprisoned or punished.