Economy and Societry Flashcards
When was mikhail reutern minister of finance
1862-1878 under AII
how much did railways increase under reutern
seven fold
what were many european countries facing in the mid 1870s
economic issues. contrasting with russia’s own econimic growth
what did reutern decide to prioritise
heavier goods/ break bulk.
why did reutern carefully control imports
to avoid stagnation in russian manufacturing. this allowed net exports to rise in the 1870s .
what was introduced to workers under Alexander II
new work discipline
why was the serf mentality an issue and what helped with this
it got in the way of change, was not suited to factory work.
The new work discipline helped
Under Reutern,
name 3 economic incentives offered by russia to increase foreign investment
- monopolies permitted for the production of some goods
- government issued bonds
- exemptions offered to individuals/ buisnesses who helped fun the gov schemes + projects
why did russia need to consider both industry and agriculture at the same time
a country cant industrialise effectively if it:
-experiences poor harvests
- has a poorly developed agricultural policy.
which administrative body was put in charge of lang allotted to peasants after 1861
mir
why were the mir a barrier to advancing agriculture / the lives of peasants
maintaining the mir was a way for the state to keep control over the peasantry
why was agriculture slow to develop under AII
- descisions made by mir
- education of peasants failed to keep up
- lack of clarity around changing farming techniques and tools
- peasants reluctant to change their traditional farming methods
for how long did serfs have to pay redemption payments
40 years
why did redemption payments place peasants in a difficult situation
most of the grain had to be sold immedietaly to pay off their debts
leaving them with very little to survive on
Who was minister for the economy from 1881-1886 (first 5 years of AIII’s reign)
Nikolay Bunge
how did many people view nikolay bunge
Liberal reformer
What 3 changes did Nikolay bunge make to taxation
- Taxes on salt abolsidhed
- Taxes reduced on Tobacco
- Poll tax abolished in 1886
when was poll tax abolished under what minister
1886 under nikolay bunge
which two economic areas did nikolay bunge link
industry and agriculture
when was the peasant land bank established
1882
how were the peasant land bank (1882) and abolition of poll tax (1886) supposed to work together
to reduce the issues with the emancipation of the serfs (1861)
what did nikolay bunge introduce from 1883-1886
measures to improve the conditions of urban workers .
including factory inspections.
who did alexander III replace bunge with in 1887
Vyshnegradski
how was vyshnegradski’s beleif different to bunge’s
he beleived industrialisation must happen regardless of costs or repercussions
what did vyshnegradski do during the great famine of 1891
continued exporting grain
what did vyshnegradski build up which strengthened the economy, but at a social cost
taxation
what priority did both vyshnegradski and bunge share as ministers of finance
the need to concentrate on advancing the construction of railways
who was finance minister from 1893-1903
sergei witte
which 3 predecessors laid the groundwork for Witte’s radical plans
reutern, bunge and vyshnegradski
how did the population change under Nicholas II’s rule
there was a big growth in population
which period / under which ruler was there the most social / economic change
1894-1917 , under Nicholas II
as industrialisation really took off.
which leader did witte’s economic ideology have some similarities to
stalin, as he beleived russia needed to find a shortcut to catch up with other countries economy
how did witte combine reutern and vyshnegradski’s policies
reutern - capital invested from abroad + foreign expertise
vyshnegradskii - high taxes and exported grain abroad
what happened to russian currency during the great spurt
the ruble was put on the gold standard.
what criticism did witte face
russia too dependent on foreign capital
if foreign investors pulled out their capital russia could be vunerable
what happened in 1899 that showed the over- reliance on foreign loans
depression
for witte which came first industrialisation or agriculture
industrialisation
who was the russian prime minister from 1906-1911
stolypin
what did stolypin abolish to adress failiures of land allocations to the peasantry
redemption payments abolished in 1905
after the 1905 revolution how did priorities change
agriculture became a focal point.
how did stolypin’s reforms divide peasants and destablilise countryside
- some peasants became wealthy while others suffered. this led to kulak
- many successful peasants moved away from the mir
- others became part of working class
name 3 successes by stolypin
- grain production increased by 1914
- mir was undermined in its power
- freedom of movement with greater use of peasant land bank
what economic weakness did WW1 reveal
-russia’s economy was too reliant on other countries.
it had depended on foreign capital since the days of Reutern
what problem did russia face with grain during WW1
- economy depended on large grain exports
- almost logistically impossible during ww1
- to combat this loss in profits taxation increased
- by 1916 inflation was rampant
what problem did russia’s transport have in ww1
- despite grand projects russia still lagged behind others
- using railways for military and domestic purposes made transport links chaotic
what issues did russia’s workforce have during ww1
- juggling the needs of industry, agriculture and army
- could not effectively adapt its workforce to supply all areas
what did peasants start doing illegaly under the provisional government
seizing land they felt was deservedly theirs
in which month was lenins thesis declared
april
what limitations did a tsarist system have on the economy
ministers often fell foul of politics especially during periods of recession
this meant ministerial advancements often only occured in short bursts
what was there a reliance of across the tsarist period which couldnt be maintained during WW1
foreign capital and expertise
what freedoms did the zemstvos have in terms of education, name 4 things
- enact educational reforms
- appoint educators
- shape curriculum
- hold school inspections
who was banned from secondary schools under Alexander III
lower class children
overall what happened to education over the tsar era
it increased significantly
why was university education an outlier under the tsars
there was little reform/ freedom as tsars feared the effects of too much autonomy
tsars beleived the more liberal the state became , the less… it was
secure
how much had living conditions of peasants changed since serfdom
barely. still dominated by mir and exclusively farmed grain
what did father gapon want on bloody sunday 1905
living conditions addressed in towns and cities
in contrast to western countries what remained poor + static throughoutbthe tsarist period
workers pay
which group did Nicholas II wrongly think revolution was deeply tied to
jews
there were many violent ____ during alexander III’s reign
pogroms
Name 3 things Alexander II did in aggyculture
Emancipated the serfs
Redemption payments
Keeping mir
Name 2 things Alexander III did in agriculture ( hint: ones good ones bad)
- exported grain despite famine in 1891
- set up peasant land bank
Name 2 changes in agriculture under Nicholas II
- Switched from strip farming
- stolypin reforms “wager on the strong” 1906-1911
Name 2 things the provisional gov did in agriculture
- State monopoly on grain
-Land committees
What did Lenin do for agriculture
- decree on land was not upheld
war communism: - requisitioning (state ownership of grain)
- state capitalism (no private business)
-NEP/ new economic policy
What is the difference between Toz, Kolkhoz and Sovkhoz Stalin introducted
Toz- small scale, farmers voluntarily pool their resources
Kolkhoz - Collective farm owned + Shared profits on larger scale
Sovkhoz - State farm, workers receive wages
What did Stalin do for agriculture
Forced Collectivisation
In Toz/ Kolkhoz / Sovkhoz farms
- famine
-dekulakisation , removes mir
What did Khrushchev do for agriculture
Vigin land scheme
Maize program
In what year was there a famine under Alexander II… and who was in charge of finance at the time
1831
Vyshnegradski
What happened under vyshnegradski in 1831 and how did he respond
famine - 350,000 died
cholera and typhus
Vyshnegradsku raised taxes.
Exports on grain were eventually banned, committees to releive famine
when was there a famine under NII and what was it like
1914-1917 (WW1)
8 hour bread queues, peasant hoarding, impacted infrastructure.
What did peasants experience in 1918
famine. Peasant hoarding, loss of agricultural land.
Following Brest - Litovsk, grain requisitioning for ALL food supplies with the cheka and red army
When was the second famine under lenin and what happened
1921
-Ukranian food production dropped 20% due to environmental factors.
-Total shutdown of railways
-5 million deaths
- cannibalism
- Suspicion of american releif administration
When was there a famine under stalin, what happened
1932- 4
collectivisation
5 million deaths
death penalties for -
what were the tsars overarching industry aims
- improve railway infrastructure
- win wars
- produce “break bulk” - oil, iron, coke, steel
- modernise, trade
put ruble on gold standard
How did industry change Under Alexander II
- state became more involved
- employed technical expertise
- continued railway construction
- expansion in “break bulk”
- new work discipline introduced factory regulations - efficiency and safety
- foreign investment was significant.
What changes took place to industry under Alexander III.
Hint: there are 7 events to list
- 1881 abolition of salt tax
- 1886 abolition of poll tax
- 1883 peasant land bank
- Bunge blamed for dramatic fall of rouble and replaced w vyshnegradski
- 1891 medele’ve tarrif - caused famine
- Witte’s “great spurt” began
which 1891 tarrif led to famine and who imposed it
medele’ve tarrif
imposed by vyshnegradski
under Alexander III
What did the peasant land bank in 1883 do and who introduced it
Provide financial assistance to peasants purchasing lands / improving agricultural operations
introduced by Nikolay Bunge under Alexander II
What changes took place to industry under Nicholas II
1897 - Rouble Put on Gold Standard
- Investment in heavy industry and railways
- Move away from private enterprise
- production coal x 2, steel and iron x 7
- income from industry quadrupled by 1897
- railway tracks doubled
- capital abroad increased 120% every year until 1898
- 1903- expansionist foreign policy , witte was dismissed
what are the criticisms of witte , despite his great spurt?
- reliance on foreign capital was dangerous as loans could be recalled on short notice
- railway system costly, not as impressive as germany who had 11x more
- witte paid no attention to agriculture
what were the main similarities between the tsars in early industrialisation
- foreign loans and investments created debt
- railways a priority
- heavy industry, especially witte
- foreign expertise
- neglect agriculture
what were the main differences between the tsars in early industrialisation
entrepeneurs vs state control/ “great spurt”
neglect of agriculture increases through the period
1914 . despite the great spurt, russia are still behind…
the western world.
what industrial + economic problems could be seen with WW1
1914- still behind west
poor productivity, outdated machinery
coal productivity, despite doubling , was 10% of UK’s
consequences of war effort:
- armed demands not met, railways insufficient to carry their goods
- taxes increase
- tsar borrows money from abroad
- gold standard abandoned
- inflation + food price increase but not wages.
1917 - PG unable to quell strikes.
during the july days and revolution, which protests had the highest attendance of workers
wage strikes
What changes took place to industry under Stalin
- increase military strength, self sufficiency
- took most radical steps in industry and grain
- permenantly put russias economy on a war footing
- command economy - set quotas + policies
- Abandons NEP for 5 year plans
- his policies force peasants off land, releiving pressure off it.
- living conditions deteriorate
- gargantuan projects
how are stalin’s gargantuan projects an example of neglecting agriculture
chemical fertiliser was needed , but resources were instead put into symbols
how prepared for WW2 was stalin when it came
VERY PREPARED.
this led to him on a pedestal
what were lenin and trotsky interested in economically which stalin was not
partnerships
Stalin abandoned the NEP in favour of what
5 year plans
how long did 5 year plans outlive stalin
into the 1980s
Magnitogorsk. what is it? What was the… vibes?
celebrated “city of steel”
10 years of soviet industrial strength. Many optimistic
kulaks forced into work
What did stalin make kulaks do
manual labour
Why was stalin’s policies driving peasants off land a good thing?
Releived pressure on land
Produced workforce for industry
what did stalin - and russia’s economic boom , happen to coincide with?
the great depression in the US
what took place under stalin from 1928-32?
What was it like?
the first five year plan.
There was no actual “plan”, but quotas, which were repeatedly amended and made higher.
Enthusiasm and commitment, collective effort
what was the five year plan supposedly a defence against?
As a result, what was any form of resistance labelled as?
- international hostility
- sabotage
did the 5 year plan stress quality or quantity??
quantity.
did planning for production quotas occur at a local or national level?
local
for how long did serfs have to pay redemption payments
49 years
for how many years did serfs have to continue working unpaid, known as “obrok”
2 years
were peasants still controlled by the mir following the 1861 emancipation edict
yes
why did the standard of peasant education increase following the emancipation?
the zemstva were now responsible for peasant education rather than the church
