Collectivisation

Question 1

what is collectivisation ?

Answer 1

where the peasantry were forced to give up their individual farms and join large collective farms

Question 2

What were the key aims of collectivisation ?

3 factors

Answer 2

• support rapid industrialistaion
• removal of the kulaks
• eradicate peasant backwardness

Question 3

Evidence that

dekulakisation was the main aim of collectivisation

5 points

Answer 3

can argue that the removal of the kulaks was not the main aim of dekulakisation but was seen as a positive impact by stalin however some may disagree
- eg stalins words “dekulakisation … integral part of the creation of collectivisation”
- 1.8 million kulaks had been deported by 1941
- ostracisation of kulaks as the enemy of prgress eg propaganda campaign which was the driving factor in the national push such as the fake parties which were made up eg ‘labouring peasant party’
- ukraine had a heavily kulak population as the ‘bread basket’ of the soviet union - were targeted and led to the holodomor which killed 3.9 mill poeple in a year - stalin was aware of the famine and made it worse by punishing the peasants for not meeting their quotas
- use of OGPU and the Red Army suggested that dekulakisation was a state focussed process eg internal passports preventing peasants from leaving

Question 4

evidence that the main aim was

The eradication of peasant backwardness

Answer 4

Stalin viewed the peasants as holding Russia back from becoming a superpower, with peasants still farming using archaic strip farming and quotas never being met
- since as early as the 1920’s state farms (sovkhoz) had been being trailed to test more efficient methods - this was seen as the more ideal method and this is evident from the priority these state farms recieb=ved eg technicians which were sent to advise
- mechanisation was integral to making the sytem more efficient eg there was 1 tractor per 40 farms
- 1931 rural children had to attend 4 years of school ( this could only happen in collectives
- the peasant response to collectivisation was the slaughter their cattle and haord their grain, the soviet gov wanted to avoid this - 10 year prison sentence - thus holding russia back

Question 5

evidence that the main aim was

Rapid industrialisation

Answer 5

• stalins main aim was to precure grain to sell as a major export in order to fund industrialisation
• collectivisation indirectly led to rise in the urban workforce as - 1 in 4 peasant left the countryside for the cities to aviod the collectives
• collectivisation was also needed to feed this growing urban population and build cities eg 590,000 peasants sent to forced labour camps -example- in Magnitogorsk 40,000 kulak families were sent

Question 6

conclusion

what was the main aim of collectivisation ?

Answer 6

The main aim was to support rapid industrialistaion
- grain was needed to feed the population and sell as an export to fund industrialisation
- make the peasants meet their quotas and make farming more efficient who were seen as holding russia back
- alterior motive in removing the kulaks in order to subdue the peasant population in order to ensure that the soviet union progressed