Chapter 22

Question 1

What were the USSR’s severe economic strains following World War Two?

Answer 1

70% of industrial capacity was destroyed, the USSR faced a huge defence budget, Lease-Land Act was ended

Question 2

What aid did Stalin notably refuse in 1947 and what two bodies did he introduce instead?

Answer 2

He refused US Marshall Aid, and instead established the Cominform and Comecon

Question 3

What was the Cominform?

Answer 3

The Communist information bureau (1947) which aimed to couter Western propaganda

Question 4

What was the Comecon?

Answer 4

The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (1949) to coordinate the economic growth of the Soviet bloc

Question 5

What were the aims of the Fourth Five Year Plan, 1946-50? - Heavy Industry

Answer 5

To ‘catch up’ with the USA, to rebuild heavy industry and transport, to revive the Ukraine

Question 6

What were the results of the Fourth Five Year Plan, 1946-50? - Heavy Industry

Answer 6

The USSR became 2nd to the USA in industrial capacity, most targets in heavy industry met, workforce increased to 77 million, industrially stronger than pre-war

Question 7

What were the aims of the Fifth Five Year Plan, 1951-55? - Heavy Industry

Answer 7

Continuation of development of heavy industry and transport, consumer goods and housing investment (Malenkov)

Question 8

What were the results of the Fifth Five Year Plan, 1951-55? - Heavy Industry

Answer 8

Most growth targets were met, national income increased 71%, Malenkov lost leadership in 1955

Question 9

What were some of the issues of the Stalinist system by 1953?

Answer 9

Ministers of Moscow set different industrial targets for each enterprise, too few administrators, enterprises were judged solely on their output targets, resources were not efficiently used

Question 10

What were Khrushchev’s most crucial decentralisation developments?

Answer 10

Sixty Moscow ministries were abolished and the USSR was divided into 105 economic regions, with their own councils

Question 11

What were Khrushchev’s shifting priorities from heavy industry to modern industry?

Answer 11

Vast expansion of chemicals industry, housing factories to produce prefabricated sections for new flats, increased production of consumer goods, greater exploitation of USSR’s resources

Question 12

In terms of transport, how had this changed under Khrushchev?

Answer 12

Many railway lines were electrified and were expanded, as was air transport (now including passenger travel)

Question 13

How had space travel changed under Khrushchev?

Answer 13

The USSR launched the first artificial satellite (Sputnik) and took a dog, Laika, into orbit, and Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space

Question 14

How much had coal output changed from 1955 to 1965?

Answer 14

It changed from 361 million tons to 578 million tons

Question 15

What were the most obvious weaknesses of Khrushchev’s modernisation techniques?

Answer 15

Heavy spending on armaments and the space race distorted the economy, especially as the USSR could not surpass the USA’s economy

Question 16

What was the economic growth of consumer industries in 1964?

Answer 16

2%

Question 17

Why was Stalin’s agriculture in a desperate state following the war?

Answer 17

Only a third of farms were left operational due to the scorched earth policy, 1946 had the worst drought since 1891 and many animals were destroyed

Question 18

What were the aims of the Fourth Five Year Plans, 1946-50? - Agriculture

Answer 18

To force the kolkhozes to deliver agricultural products, to revive the wheat fields of the Ukraine

Question 19

What were the results of the Fourth Five Year Plans, 1946-50? - Agriculture

Answer 19

State procured 70% of harvest, output off kolkhozes increased, incentives remained low, lagged behind industry, agricultural theories were inaccurate

Question 20

What were the aims of the Fifth Five Year Plans, 1951-55? - Agriculture?

Answer 20

Continuation of the Fourth Five Year Plan’s aims plus Khrushchev’s initiative to develop ‘virgin lands’ and build ‘agrocities’ from 1953

Question 21

What were the results of the Fifth Five Year Plans, 1951-55? - Agriculture

Answer 21

Agricultural production still behind industry, not yet to level of 1940

Question 22

How did Khrushchev criticise Stalin’s agricultural policies in 1953?

Answer 22

He critiqued Stalin’s encouragement of particular farming methods as counter-productive and scientifically dubious

Question 23

What incentives were introduced to incentivise peasants to produce more?

Answer 23

The price paid for grain was raised, state procurement quotas were reduced, taxes were reduced, quotas on private plots were cut, collectives set their own targets

Question 24

What other agricultural changes were designed to increase production?

Answer 24

Increase in the number of farms connected to the energy grid, 1962 campaign for more chemical fertiliser, increasing use of farm machinery, encouragement to merge collectives

Question 25

What was the Virgin Lands Scheme?

Answer 25

Khrushchev launched a campaign for western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan to be cultivated and settled on, with 35.9 million hectares being ploughed for wheat

Question 26

Why was the Virgin Lands Scheme less successful than initially appearing to be?

Answer 26

Climatic conditions had not been taken into control, land was worked too intensively, soil rapidly became infertile, bad harvest in 1963

Question 27

What were some of the weaknesses of Khrushchev’s other agricultural schemes?

Answer 27

Failed to encourage peasants to put more effort into their work, state officials kept altering prices, farm management reduced worker output, over-enthusiasm of local management

Question 28

What was social change like under Stalin?

Answer 28

Peasants lived at 20% of the wage of an industrial worker, poor diets and scarce housing and services, working week at wartime levels

Question 29

How were women affected by social change under Stalin?

Answer 29

Women were expected to make up for the war effort and represented a third of all workers

Question 30

What wiped out savings in 1947?

Answer 30

A 90% devaluation of the rouble

Question 31

What kind of consumer goods became more widely available under Khrushchev?

Answer 31

Radios, televisions, sewing machines and refrigerators

Question 32

How did taxation change under Khrushchev?

Answer 32

In 1958, compulsory voluntary subscriptions to the state were abolished, and both the bachelor and childless taxes were removed

Question 33

How were workers affected by Khrushchev’s social change?

Answer 33

Hours of work were reduced (40 hour week), wage equalisation campaign, more responsibilities of trade unions, widely available education

Question 34

What were the limitations to Khrushchev’s social changes?

Answer 34

Privileges such as non-wage payments, commodities, healthcare and holidays still existed, cars were only available for elites, significantly lower living standards than other countries

Question 35

What kind of social restrictions were lifted under Khrushchev?

Answer 35

Restrictions on the reading of foreign literature, listening to foreign radio, travel abroad, televisions and sports were lifted

Question 36

How were the youth were greatly affected by these cultural changes?

Answer 36

They were more Westernised and introduced to different dress and music such as jeans, rock and roll, jazz, make-up, greased hair, slang and movies

Question 37

What is the name of the author who enjoyed the freedoms of cultural changes, writing ‘Not by bread alone’ in 1956?

Answer 37

Vladmir Dudinstev

Question 38

Why did artists not enjoy complete cultural freedom?

Answer 38

Khrushchev’s own tastes were quite conservative as he disliked Modernism and works that outright challenged Communism or the Soviet State were outlawed

Question 39

Which author and book sparked intense scrutiny in the USSR, forcing the book to be published elsewhere?

Answer 39

Boris Pasternak, ‘Dr Zhivago’

Question 40

How did atheism play a greater role in society under Khrushchev?

Answer 40

It was on the school curriculum and all other religions were forbidden, children were banned from church services

Question 41

How much were Orthodox churches reduced by from 1959 to 1965?

Answer 41

From 22,000 to even under 8,000 by 1965

Question 42

What did the 22nd Party Congress of 1961 state about ethnic minorities?

Answer 42

It stated that the ultimate aim was for ethnic distinctions to disappear and for a single common language to be adopted