Economic Developments 1924-1929 Flashcards
What and when was the Great Turn?
A drastic shift in economic policy between 1927 and 1929.
Which problems between 1917 and 1924 had inhibited economic growth/industrialisation? General stuff.
And what was the GREATEST problem?
The War, The Civil War, Poor Management, Strikes
Feeding! Collectivisation was failing, leading to the industrial workforce not getting fed.
What were Kolkhozves and Sokhovzes? Were they successful in 1928?
Voluntary collective and state farms. No, by 1928, only 5% of the peasant population was working on collective farms. They weren’t popular.
Why was industrial management a key factor in The Great Turn?
It was poor. Quality and quantity of industrial goods were very low. Unemployment and low living standards rife.
Why was the speed of the NEP’s progress a key factor in The Great Turn?
USSR’s economy wasn’t growing as quickly as many leading communists had hoped. They wanted the USSR to become more self-sufficient and not have to depend on foreign imports.
What was the grain procurement crisis of 1927-1928? Why was this a problem? What caused it?
The amount of grain purchased by the government was 25% down compared to the previous year. Grain prices were low, so peasants produced other things that they wanted to sell for higher prices.
What was the ideological driver behind the Great Turn?
Many Bolsheviks wanted to move towards ‘true socialism’, so the government controlled grain production and didn’t have to buy it off peasants.
Stalin previously supported the NEP, why did he suddenly change to wanting something different in 1928?
He was becoming more radical due to a combination of USSR’s dire economic circumstances and his grip on power was now strong enough to take action.
When was the first Five Year Plan announced?
Fifteenth Party Congress December 1927
The First Five Year Plan aimed to do what to Heavy Industry?
Develop it rapidly; boost production.
What was the First Five Year Plan’s target for overall production increase?
300% increase in overall production.
What was the First Five Year Plan’s aim for transport?
Improve transport and railway systems, especially railways.
By how much did Stalin want to improve the electricity production compared to 1928?
He wanted 6 times as much electricity to be produced by 1933 than it had in 1928.
What priority was Light Industry?
Low priority, but still expected to double its output.
What was Magnitogorsk?
The ‘steel city’ intended to produce shitloads of steel in the Five Year Plans.
How did Stalin rally up support for the Five Year Plans among USSR’s workforce?
Propaganda.
What did the Party worry about in the Five Year Plans’ reintroduction of collectivisation?
Many saw Kulaks as the backbone of the agricultural economy. They worried that less food would be produced.
What did urban workers hope for from the Five Year Plans?
Better working prospects and living conditions.
What did peasants hope for from the Five Year Plans?
Further land reform and modern farming methods.
Which 3 defining factors triggered the emphasis on collectivisation?
The Grain Procurement Crisis 1927-1928
Need for increased food supply for expanding workforce
Ideologically compliant with Socialism
What did Stalin do in Siberia and the Urals to force collectivisation in 1928?
Had officers close down free markets, banned speculation and had police seize the grain by force.
How had Bukharin’s position weakened by 1928?
He’d lost his majority of support in Moscow, Stalin accused him of ‘Right Deviation’ and he was continuously outvoted in the Central Committee and the Politburo.
Which Party Member was particularly active in issuing Central Directives for Collectivisation during the first Five Year Plan?
Molotov.
The Central Committee wanted to speed up collectivisation, how did they try to do this?
In 1929 they sent 25,000 industrial workers into the countryside to work on Collective Farms.
What did Stalin want to do to the Kulaks?
‘Smash the Kulaks as a class’
