Changing economic priorities: industry

Question 1

What did Khrushchev want to do to Soviet industry?

Answer 1

Modernise it

Question 2

What did Khrushchev propose investing in to produce more consumer goods?

Answer 2

Light industry

Question 3

Khrushchev’s reforms led to some economic modernisation.
True or false?

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In the long term, Khrushchev’s reforms were still successful.
True or false?

Answer 4

False.
In the long term, the Soviet economy went into decline

Question 5

What was Khrushchev’s vision with Communism?

Answer 5

Wanted the Soviet Union to reach Communism by 1980.
Under Communism, he believed that housing, transport and food would all be available freely.

Question 6

What were the Soviet Union’s 3 major industrial problems which hampered economic modernisation?

Answer 6

1. Military spending
2. Command economy
3. Inefficiency

Question 7

Why did military spending cause industrial problems?

Answer 7

In the context of the Cold War arms race the Soviet Union was committed to high levels of military spending.
Consequently, this limited the funds available for industrial investment.

Question 8

What is an arms race?

Answer 8

Competition to develop and produce increasingly deadly weapons.
During the Cold War the arms race focused on nuclear missiles.

Question 9

How did Stalin’s command economy cause industrial problems?

Answer 9

Was good at producing large quantities of basic goods such as steel and concrete.
However, it was not designed to create complex or sophisticated goods such as cars or radios

Question 10

How did inefficiency create industrial problems?

Answer 10

The command economy was highly inefficient; therefore it wasted resources which could otherwise have been used to modernise the economy

Question 11

When was Khrushchev’s Seven-Year Plan launched?

Answer 11

January 1959

Question 12

What did Khrushchev’s Seven-Year Plan increase the investment in?

Answer 12

Light industry

Question 13

What were Khrushchev’s Seven-Year Plan aims?

Answer 13

Increase production of consumer goods

Increase production of chemical fertilisers to support Khrushchev’s agricultural policies, such as Corn Campaign, an initiative to plant more corn

Question 14

How was the Seven-Year Plan successful?

Answer 14

Boosted production of consumer goods and chemical fertilisers

Question 15

How was the Seven-Year Plan a failure?

Answer 15

Delivered lower growth than Khrushchev had expected

Question 16

How had the Seven-Year Plan delivered lower growth than Khrushchev had expected?

Answer 16

Production of consumer goods was 5% below target

Production of chemicals was around 20% below target

Question 17

As a result of the Seven-Year Plan, ownership of what specific items increased?

Answer 17

Cars
Radios
Refrigerators
Washing machines
Television sets

Question 18

By 1966, was the Soviet Union behind or ahead of other European nations?

Answer 18

Behind

Question 19

In terms of car ownership, compare how many cars were owned in the Soviet Union vs the UK, Holland and West Germany in cars per 1000?

Answer 19

Soviet Union = 5
UK = 200
Holland = 166
West Germany = 207

Question 20

What were the 2 main reasons the Seven-Year Plan underperformed?

Answer 20

1. Khrushchev introduced contradictory reforms.
2. Khrushchev changed targets of the plan in 1962

Question 21

How did Khrushchev change the targets of the Seven-Year Plan?

Answer 21

Set more ambitious goals

Question 22

How did Khrushchev introduce contradictory reforms?

Answer 22

In 1957 he decentralised (distributed) economic planning.
However, from 1958 to 1964 his reforms re-asserted central control

Question 23

Describe economic growth under Khrushchev and Brezhnev?

Answer 23

Under Khrushchev growth rates slowed.

Trend continued under Brezhnev

By 1980, economic growth had almost stopped

Question 24

What were the 2 main reasons economic decline came about?

Answer 24

1. Refusal to change
2. Brezhnev increased military investment, diverting resources away from economic growth

Question 25

How did refusal to change lead to economic decline in Russia?

Answer 25

After 1964, major economic reforms stopped.
Therefore, long-term problems such as inefficiency and low productivity were never addressed

Question 26

By 1980, what did Khrushchev abandon?

Answer 26

Khrushchev’s commitment to building Communism

Question 27

Despite not having the commitment to build Communism, what did Khrushchev promise to provided?

Answer 27

A better standard of living

Question 28

Between 1964-85, how was Brezhnev able to achieve his promise of providing the people with a better standard of living?

Answer 28

Subsiding prices

A second economy

Question 29

How did Brezhnev achieve better standard of living by subsiding prices?

Answer 29

Government kept the prices of consumer goods low.

Question 30

What happened as a result of the government keeping prices of consumer goods low?

Answer 30

There were shortages because demand for goods was higher than supply.

Question 31

How did a second economy help Brezhnev achieve his promise of a better standard of living?

Answer 31

Tolerated growth of the black market or ‘second economy’.
Allowed Soviet citizens to buy consumer goods illegally

Question 32

Through what did Andropov attempt to address long-term problems in the Soviet economy?

Answer 32

‘Operation Trawl’

Question 33

What did ‘Operation Trawl’ do?

Answer 33

KGB officials cracked down on drunkenness and absenteeism in an attempt to boost productivity.

Question 34

Was ‘Operation Trawl’ successful?

Answer 34

Was short-lived (short-term).
Did not solve underlying problems with the economy.

Question 35

By what year was the Soviet economy stagnant (stationary)?

Answer 35

1985

Question 36

Why was the Soviet economy stagnant by 1985?

Answer 36

Successive leaders failed to solve the problems of the command economy