Economic developments 1917-1941 Flashcards
How was Russia facing economic collapse by 1918?
- Not enough grain being transported into cities due to
1. Transport disruption due to ww1.
2. Peasants subsistence farming
Knock on effect:
Workers left factories to search for food in rural areas
How did Lenin Believe state capitalism would be a solution to economic problems in 1918?
- Nationalising industry –> more efficient
- Employ experts to run Industries
Why weren’t all industries nationalised in State capitalism?
-Lenin thought this would provoke a counter revolution. Bolshevik still a minority (even in St peterserberg) -not enough man power.
ie coal mines remained private.
What ideological aim did State capitalism bring about?
-Nationalisation of Land
What main problem was there regarding grain under state capitalism?
-High inflation => low confidence in Bolshevik Rouble => food seen as more valuable=> Hoarding & subsistence =>food shortages in cities
What was the Versenka used to do ?
- Re- Establish worker discipline
- Ensure factories were properly managed
- coordinate economic production
How did the Versenka go about in achieving it’s aims?
- Unit work–> increased incentives
- Factories under control of well paid bourgeois specialists
- Small factories not nationalised - Some given back to capitalist
What caused the Beginning of the “Red Terror” and what was it?
- Assassination Attempt on Lenin (August 1918)
- Wave of reactionary violence- deaths of 500,000
What was War Communism and it’s aims?
-Reorganisation of the economy to cope with strains of civil War
=>High levels of centralisation to ensure victory
Aims:
- high levels of industrial production
- Efficiently allocate workers
- Maintain food production to feed everyone.
How Was War Communism implemented?
- Forcible Grain requisitioning -> Food Dictatorship
- Rationing:Class based system.Red army=priority. High class=Less food (contradictory to equality)
- Labour Discipline: Fines if late, internal passports to stop fleeing
- Nationalisation of Industry: Bourgeois specialists as managers
- Banning of Private Trade: At expense of Consumer goods –> Black Markets
Was war communism Succesful?- Acted as Motivation for N.E.P
- Production fell by 80%
- Urban cities decreasing in pop ( searching for food)-Contrary to socialist objective to increase size of proletariat.
Why did Lenin Introduced the NEP?
- Realised some economic liberalisation to the peasants was needed if the regime was to survive.
- Uprisings ie Krondstat and Tambov. Demonstrated regime was not safe.
- Bread shortages in the cities.
What was The Krodstat uprising and why was it significant?
Insurrection of Soviet sailors, soldiers against the Bolshevik government in response to economic and social policies and food shortages under War Communism.
Significance: Krondstat previously supported Bolsheviks, hailing them heroes of the 1917 revolution.–> Showed just how unpopular the Bolsheviks had become.
.
How was the N.E.P introduced?
- Grain requisitioning abolished: Replace with ‘tax in kind’.
- Small businesses reopened
- Ban on private trade removed: +Strengthened consumer goods.Food flowed more easily into the cities
- Sate control: kept control of heavy industry, industry organised into trusts.
How was The N.E.P a failure ?
- Money was reintroduced into economy–> Created Nepmen and more Kulaks .(Contrary to socialist objective)
- Agriculture was still very backward. ie usage of ploughs (5 mill)
- Plots of land were too small for any modern technology => Inefficiency
Why was the N.E.P abandoned?
- Didn’t help with the production of industrial goods
- Russia =NOT SELF SUFFICIENT (relied on western goods )
- Economic downturn (1926)
- Inconsistent with socialist ideology
What was the great Turn?
-Stalin’s belief that the economic trajectory of the USSR should be through mass Industrialisation
What were Stalin’s reasons for the Great turn?
- USSR was weak and underdeveloped after ww1 and civil War
- Less western dependency -specially looming ww2 threat.
- Ideological Reasons - only way for a socialist state to exist - Mass Industrialisation (Large proletariat)
- Stalin wanted to show he was a capable leader
What was collectivisation?
-Merge farms and taken under State control
What were the motivations for collectivisation?
- Ideological purpose-> Abolish Private property. Nationalise Land
- Collectivisation=possible alternative to reverse N.E.P’s agricultural failing’s
3 .Mass Farming, New tech could be used => More Efficient. Solution to farming of scale.
What was the Policy of mechanisation?
- Process of Improving farming methods via usage of machinery–> Boost production
- Went hand in hand with collectivisation?
What were the successes of Collectivisation?
-More Successful in the Acquisition of grain than the N.E.P. -increase in exports
- Freed up Labour in the Countryside(less people required to work land proportionately –> encourage urban migration
- > Boost industrial production
- -> converting to proletariat (ideological aim )
-60M people into Farms within 2 months
What were the Failures of collectivisation?
- Collective farms were far less productive than private farms. 7% -Majority of production.
- Grain requisitioning: Peasants destroyed and hid grain rather than give it to gov.
-Grain production decreased: 83.5 MT to 67MT in 1934
=>Led to a famine in Ukraine.Unable to meet high demands. Gov responded by requisitioning livestock–> exacerbated the situation.
What was the Aims of the five year Plans?
- Industrialise the Economy
- Catch up on the world stage - “100 years behind”
- Eliminate the short comings of the N.E.P
How did Foreign influence help the development of the five year plans?
- Stalin drew on advice from foreign engineers
- Russia lagging behind- avoid mistakes made by western powers during industrialisation
How did the centrally planned economy help the USSR in the 30’?
-Avoid the boom and bust period of Capitalism in the 30’s (Crash of 29)
What were living conditions like during the five year plans?
- Shortages on consumer goods- Plans prioritised heavy industry
- -> rationing
-Rural migration –. housing crisis
What were working conditions like during the Five Year plans?
- Food was rationed- Apart from three good years
- 7 days a week, lateness and absenteeism were criminalised
- Internal passports were introduced - tied to factory ( No different to Tsarist Reigeme.
Did the Five year Plans Actually produce results?
- Increase in industrial output of raw materials.
- > I.e coal 35.5 MT (1928) –> 76.3 MT (1933)
How did the five year plans achieve their primary goal of Industrialisation?
- High ambitious targets- despite many lying
- Building of new factories
- Increase of transportation ie Moscow train lines (1935)
- ->Increase productivity
-
What were three consequences of the high, ambitious targets under the FYP’s
- Falsification of statistics
- No quality control
- stifled innovation.
