Changes in Industry Flashcards
List 4 reasons why industrialisation was important.
- The USSR needed wealth and modern weapons to fight off an invasion from another country
- Collectivisation needed to be aided by mechanisation
- Stalin was against NEP as it was not a communist idea
- This would give Stalin control over the industry which he could use to out-manoeuvre right-wing members of the Party
When was the first 5 year plan started and what did it target?
- 1928 when NEP was abandoned
- The main focus was ‘heavy’ industry; coal, iron and steel
- ‘New’ industries- electricity, rubber, chemicals and motor vehicles- were also targeted
- Consumer industries (textiles, etc.) were neglected
Who were the Gosplan and what did they do?
- The State Planning Authority
- They set targets for key industries
- They also gave them priority when allocating raw materials and manpower
Where were factories situated, why, and how were workers supplied to them?
- They were built in the East in case of invasion
- People were encouraged or forced to move to these areas
Describe Magnitogorsk’s growth.
- It practically hadn’t existed before the first 5 year plan
- 1929’s population: 25, 1932: 250,000
How did the workers respond to the high targets of the 5 year plans, and what did this mean for them?
- Workers had to work their hardest to meet Stalin’s targets, and workers who didn’t meet targets were shamed publicly
- This extreme pressure led to an increase in absenteeism
- Checks were made on absent workers and those with invalid reasons were sent to do forced labour in Siberia
How realistic were targets? (Examples)
- Although the original targets were exceeded (e.g. coal: 35 mil tonnes), the 1932-3 optimal targets (75 mil tonnes) were not reached
- Neither were the 1932 revised targets (95 - 105 mil tonnes while the actual output in 1932 was 64 mil tonnes)
When was the second 5 year plan, what in particular was focused on, and why?
- 1933-37
- Armament production trebled and heavy industry was prioritised again
- The fear of invasion had increased
Explain Alexei Stakhanovite’s relevance.
- He became a national hero after shifting 15 times the amount of coal an average coal miner would shift on the night of the 30th August 1935
- It was a set up as he had 2 helpers who moved the coal for him
- He became an inspiration and created the Stakhanovite movement
- Other workers, inspired by him, formed shock brigades that volunteered to do tough tasks
- Stakhanovites were given awards, new houses, holidays and other benefits
What happened to the Stakhanovite movement?
- Some Stakhanovites were beaten up and killed by fellow workers
- It was quietly dropped in the 1930s
What happened to the third 5 year plan? How long did it last?
- It was abandoned in June 1941 after Germany invaded
- 1938-41
How was the third 5 year plan already facing difficulties?
- Many senior workers and officials had been removed in the purges
Describe the change in coal, steel and electricity production from 1927 to 1940.
- Coal: 35 million tonnes, up by a factor of 5
- Steel: 3 million tonnes, up by a factor of 6
- Electricity: 18 million kWh, up by a factor of 5
List 3 successes of industrialisation.
- The Soviet industry improved to the point that it was the second-largest industrial power (behind the USA) by 1940
- Between 1929 and 37, education had been invested in, which had created a skilled workforce
- Incentives (such as higher wages, better housing and rare foods) were offered to educated workers
List 3 failures of industrialisation.
- Officials regularly lied to Gosplan to satisfy their unrealistic goals
- Peasants placed in factories were unskilled and inexperienced, causing a decline in quality; half of the tractors built for MTS broke down
- During the first plan there was a serious shortage of consumer goods
