Chapter 3: Economic And Social Developments

Question 1

The state of agriculture when Khrushchev came to power ?

Answer 1

• there were fewer animals in the USSR than before the revolution
  -farmers income was far to low because of the low state procurements prices
  -productivity was very low
  -high taxes on farmers were a disincentive to progress
  -there was a historical lack of investment and innovation
  -famine was not a distant memory in the minds of peasantry

Question 2

What were Khrushchev aims for agriculture ?

Answer 2

-increase the process paid to collective farms (Kolkhozes) for their agriculture products
-open up new crop-growing regions (the virgin land scheme)
-introduce crop changes such as maize to feed livestock, increase butter and milk production

Question 3

What was partial decentralisation ?

Answer 3

It was Khrushchev implementation of his agricultural reforms into the hands of local party organisations

Question 4

What did Khrushchev focus on within agriculture?

Answer 4

-cultivating land through virgin land scheme
-raising prices that the state paid for agriculture products
-reducing procurement quotas so the kolkhozniks had incentive to produce more
-quota on kolkhozniks private plot were cut so money produced would to straight to the household
-increasing production machinery and fertilizers
-encouraging collective farms to join together to create state farms
-urban dwellers no longer allowed to keep cattle

Question 5

Why was agriculture a pressing priority for Khrushchev ?

Answer 5

-there was a lack of historical investment and innovations, farmer were losing income and had to pay high taxes.
- feared that the USSR will not become self sufficient which could lead to have to trade with the west

Question 6

How did Khrushchev aims for agriculture fit with what he focused on his reforms ?

Answer 6

-he cultivates land for his new virgin land scheme and wanted to increase pay for farmers by cutting their taxes down

Question 7

What problem might Khrushchev experience in trying to implement his agriculture reforms ?

Answer 7

-many urban dwellers could no longer cattle leaving 12.5 million families affected
-decentralisation and encouraging collective farms created tension with the state of communism

Question 8

What was the virgin land scheme ?

Answer 8

-it was designed to utilise new land for agriculture production by transforming the land into arable pasture

Question 9

When was the virgin land scheme implemented ?

Answer 9

August 1954

Question 10

How many people joined the virgin land scheme

Answer 10

Around 1.7 million

Question 11

How many Komsomol took part of the virgin land scheme ?

Answer 11

300,000

Question 12

By 1956 how much grain was produced ?

Answer 12

-more than 125 million tons of grain grown the largest yearly production to soviet union witnessed

Question 13

What were the failure of the virgin land scheme ?

Answer 13

-lack of detailed planning
-20% of all soviet investment in agriculture
- the 1963 harvest was so poor that grain had to be imported form the west highlighting the short term success
-each harvest was unpredictable
-living condition for the ones who cultivated land were very poor
-not enough machinery
-the dry land conditions in Kazakhstan were not favourable for grain production and soil erosion cause problems

Question 14

What were the successes of the virgin land scheme ?

Answer 14

-grain production increased to 125 million in the 1950s
-land brought under cultivation increased by 40 m of headquarters

Question 15

What was the role of Komsomol ?

Answer 15

They were union Leninist young communist league members who were to cultivate land

Question 16

The successes of Khrushchev agriculture policies ?

Answer 16

-raising the prices that the state paid for agriculture products produced a rapid increase in production
-taxes were reduced and collective farmers has their own autonomy
-increase in average wages in the kolkoz of 68% from 1915 to 1958
-by 1956 virgin land scheme contribute over 50% total grain harvest for the USSR

Question 17

Failures of Khrushchev agriculture reforms ?

Answer 17

• the virgin land scheme was a waste of land power and land because only 1/6 of maize was harvested
  -production pressures led to massive frauds
  -prices offered were often less than the cost of production
  -wages remained so low that farmers put more efforts into their private plots
  -closing of MTS led to lack of storage space and farmers lacked expertise to maintain machinery

Question 18

What led to the 1962 protests in novocherkassk ?

Answer 18

-rioters broke into the city soviet HQ due to the shortages which caused the government to raise prices
-this resulted into shooting dead of 24 people

Question 19

What were procurements prices ?

Answer 19

The prices paid by the government goods

Question 20

How much of the USSR agriculture produce came from private plots ?

Answer 20

30%

Question 21

How much cultivated land was made up of private plots ?

Answer 21

3%

Question 22

How was the soviet industry i the 1950s ?

Answer 22

-industry heavy based on mines and coals
-east lacking industries
-soviet industry had been dominating by heavy industry
-planned economy had inherited problem high production focused on high quantity not quality
-wasted potential lots of coals and lignite not yet discovered or mined
-lack of focus on consumer goods and light industries

Question 23

What were Khrushchev aims within industry ?

Answer 23

-he wanted to lessen dependence on heavy industry and give greater prominence to light engineering and chemicals
-wanted to see the administrative systems streamlined and decentrlaised
- catch up and overtake the waste within a few years
-reorganisation of industry structure and management

Question 24

What successes where in Khrushchev aims ?

Answer 24

-lead in space technology and missile programme
-introduced policies with remarkable vigour and enthusiasm
-shift to consumer industry

Question 25

What failure were in Khrushchev aims ?

Answer 25

-USSR still highly committed to military development
-fifth plan year developed to seven plan year in 1959 but began actual performance in 1965

Question 26

What were Khrushchev reforms ?

Answer 26

• seven year plan light industry and production of consumers goods were supposed to grow faster than heavy industry
  -planned economy
  -wanted to improve the sovnarkazy efficiency of soviet industry by decentralising economic control down to regional level

Question 27

What were the success of industrial policies ?

Answer 27

-the industrial sector performed better than then agriculture sector
-in 1956 the minimum wage was introduced
-production levels increased
- increase number of consumer goods by 1960, 50% of households has a TV and a washing machine
-impressive achievement in transport, diesel trains were added and many miles of track were electrified
- increased number rates for light industry

Question 28

What were the failures of Khrushchev industrial policies ?

Answer 28

-heavy industry carried on outpacing production of consumer goods meaning consumer goods were very bad quality
-the implementation of a central planning was far to complex of a task
-products based on quantity rather quality e.g many new apartment lacked running water or lifts and there remained a serious housing shortage
-managers remained fearful of innovation therefore new production methods were not introduced for fear of disrupting production
-production was wasteful

Question 29

What were the failures of industry ?

Answer 29

• central planning worked well for heavy industry production so it didn’t work when it shifted to benefit light industry
  -central planning was inherited conservative therefore lacked innovation
  -state and party officials were also to powerful to allow investment to be moved from them to consumer product

Question 30

What was the name of the state planning agency which was originally created in the 1920s and decided on the 5 and 7 year plan ?

Answer 30

Gosplan

Question 31

What were Khrushchev successes within social reforms ?

Answer 31

-millions of new prefabricated apartment blocks were built know as khrushchyovka
- income rose by around 30% between 1960 and 1964
-there were big increase in pension and social security benefits
-introduction of minimum wage, shorter hours, longer holiday and maternity leave
-pay rise for farm workers
-absence of work was no longer a criminal offence
-all students were provided with work experience opportunities

Question 32

What were Khrushchev negatives within social reform ?

Answer 32

-new apartments were low quality, hastily built and sometimes unsafe
-pay rises for farm workers came at cost the state farms often reduced the amount of land that workers had for their crops which they used ti live on and to sell for cash

Question 33

What was the cultural Thaw ?

Answer 33

It was a period from the mid 1950s when repression and censorship in the soviet union were eased under the party leader Khrushchev

Question 34

Why was the thaw introduced and how it would be achieved ?

Answer 34

-This was designed to get the regime some basis of popular consent rather than relaying on blind obedience
- achieved by partly improving living standards and allowing more freedom to citizens

Question 35

What was the term the thaw inspired by ?

Answer 35

Inspired by a book published by Ilays Ehrenburh in 1954 after Stalin deaths the thaw which reflected a loosening of control after Stalin deaths

Question 36

What was the wider social and cultural impact of the thaw ?

Answer 36

• citizens could get access to wider range of foreign literature and films
  -listen to foreign radio stations and famous artist
  -sixth world festivals, new fashion movement

Question 37

What was the long lasting consequence of the thaw on the communist party ?

Answer 37

-A break down in the communist party as having less restriction would lead to the spread of anti communist ideas

Question 38

Why do you think Khrushchev wanted to oversee a period of liberalisation ?

Answer 38

-due to the lack of freedom rights many people didn’t have the desire to travel to the USSR
-people demanding change specially during rehabilitation period
-it made him look good as a leader, a leader for the people

Question 39

Supports the idea of the thaw ?

Answer 39

-writers were allowed to publish books that were critical of Stalinism e.g Alexander Solzhenitsyn
-more freedom of expression in art,comedy and music
-had access to foreign books, radio and films
-Moscow hosted the sixth world festival 1957
-foreigners were allowed to visit the USSR

Question 40

Challenges the idea of the thaw ?

Answer 40

-writes classified as dissidents because they were too outspoken against the regime were harassed and imprisoned
-the party spoke out strong against what it saw as the import into the USSR of degenerate western behaviour
-Pasternak and Zhivago was banned and condemned as a weed on soviet soil and prevented from travelling abroad
-Russian Jews were barred from emigrating to Israel
- conservative Stalinist elite after the secret speech started to attempt to take him out of the leadership role

Question 41

What was intention sixth world festival ?

Answer 41

A festival intended of impressing young people from capitalist countries by what the USSR was trying to achieve for its youth in contrast to the inequalities and individualism of their own countries

Question 42

Who was Ilya Ehrenburg ?

Answer 42

• published the thaws in 1954 which became linked with Khrushchev period of social reform as a reflection of desalinisation

Question 43

Who was Solzhenitsyn?

Answer 43

• published a graphic account about prisoners in concentration camps during Stalin era

Question 44

What were the political consequences of the Thaw

Answer 44

-part spoke out strongly against western behaviour particularly in youth culture
-communist party was enrage by Khrushchev speech in 1956 and rejected Khrushchev de stalinsation and liberation of Soviet society
-uprising in satellite state e.g 1953 East Germany, 1956 Poland and Hungary revolts

Question 45

How were soviet people affected by the thaw ?

Answer 45

-less restitution and improve living standards
-culture increased and also did foreign literature, music and western dress in 1960s
-high amounts of housing however they were low quality and unsafe
-censorship and restrictions in immigration and publications

Question 46

Who wrote Dr Zhivago and what was the significance of it ?

Answer 46

• wrote a critical book about Stalin
  -significant because it was first of a kind and later banned
  -Boris Pasernack was the author

Question 47

Who wrote one day in the life of Ivan denisovitch and what was this book about ?

Answer 47

-Alexander Solzhenitsyn
-a prisoner in the concentration camps and what he went through
-great influence in the western

Question 48

Hoe many people moved into new housing between 1955 and 1956 ?

Answer 48

108 million

Question 49

When and where was the sixth form world festival of youth ?

Answer 49

Moscow 1957