Chapter 22 Flashcards
What percentage of industrial capacity had the GPW destroyed
70%
How did opposition to the West impact Soviet satellite states immediatly after the GPW
US Marshall Aid was turned down, and instead Cominform and Comecon was introduced
Main Stalinist industrial policies after GPW, and how successful were they
Revive Ukraine, and overtake USA in industrial capacity (not complete revival, and second to the USA)
Evidence of USSR benefitting from German industry after GPW
Whole plants transferred from East Germany as reparations, such as the German Opel factory was relocated to Moscow
What were the main issues that Khrushchev faced industrially when from 1953
- Output targets were assessed by weight, resulting in heavy industry being favoured over light
- Massive ammounts of capital investment was requried to reach a stand-still
How did Khrushchev attempt to decentralise economically
- Sixty Moscow ministries abolsihed
- USSR divided into 105 economic reigons, each with its own local economic council (sovarkhoz) to plan and supervise economic affairs
How did Khrushchev fail to decentralise economically
New supreme economic council establihsed in 1959 to supervise a new seven year plan, yet just added another layer of bureaucracy and measures were quickly abandoned in 1965 after Khrushchev’s fall
What did the 1959 seven year plan emphasise
- 40-hour week
- 40% wage increase by 1965
- Expansion in consumer goods and chemical industry
Evidence of an increase in consumer goods under Khrushchev
- Aeroflot cooperation was subsidised to offer cheap long-distance air travel
- Refrigerator output grew from 151 thousand to 1675 thousand from 1955-65
How close was the USSR to overtaking the USA economically under Khrushchev
No where near
How successful was Khrushchev’s focus on consumer goods
Only a 2% growth in 1964
Successes and faliures of USSR space exploration
- In 1957 first satellite Sputnik launched
- Photos of the dark side of the moon were taken
- In April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space
- Yet, the instrumentation was unsophisticated and inferior to that of the USA
How many farms were left operational following the GPW
1/3
What contributed to agricultural hardship immediatly after the GPW
1946 saw the worst drought since 1891
Stalin’s main agricultural policies following GPW and their success
Higher taxes on produce from private plots to increase production, yet production still behind industry and not to levels of 1940
What changes did Khrushchev introduce to incentivise peasants to increase production
- Reduce taxes
- Cut quotas on private plots
- Collectives able to choose how to use their land
- Peasants who didn’t possess animals no longer required to deliver meat to the state
When were Virgin Land Schemes launched
Early 1954
What were the Virgin Land Schemes
Cultivate grazing lands in Western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan
How much virign land was ploughed for wheat
35.9 million hectares
How successful were Khrushchev’s initatives to reduce private plots
Provided half of their income dispite representing 3% of cultivated area
Why did Khrushchev focus on maize production
Produced high tonnage per hectare and could be used for both human consumption and animal fodder
Why were Khrushchevs farms still not mechanised
Few farmers were capable of carrying out repairs on tractors, and peasants were not prepared to pay stations to service the machinary
Why were the Virgin Land Schemes deemed a faliure
- A poor 1963 harvest meant grain had to be imported, even from USA
- Maize cornflakes were rejected in favour of buckwheat porridge
Overriding statement for as to why Khrushchev’s economic initatives failed
Too many different intitives were carried out without sufficient thought so failed
