Economy and society, 1929–1941

Question 1

When were the 2 stages of Collectivisation

Answer 1

Stage 1 - 1929-1930
Stage 2 - 1931-1940

Question 2

What % of peasant housholds were destroyes compared to kulak households?

Answer 2

15% destroyed, 4% Kulak

Question 3

What % of houses were collectivised in Oct 1930?

Answer 3

20% compared to 50% in 31 and 100% in 41

Question 4

What was the quota of Kolkhoz farms?

Answer 4

Very high - 40%

Question 5

By 1938 what % of threshing, ploughing and harvesting were doing mechanically?

Answer 5

Threshing - 95%
Ploughing - 72%
Harvesting - 48%

Question 6

How many died due to resistance or effects of collectivisation?

Answer 6

10 million

Question 7

In 1939 how many peasants migrated to towns?

Answer 7

Over 19 million

Question 8

Who carried out collectivisation

Answer 8

Stalin enlisted an army of 25,000 urban party activists

OGPU and military control pop through fear and violence

Question 9

What methods were used to ensure collectivisation?

Answer 9

Villages were ‘persuaded’ to sign a
register demanding to be collectivized

Terror – ‘Kulaks’ or those who resisted were
rounded up and shot, imprisoned or deported.

Propaganda – Anti-kulakand promoting collectives

Question 10

How did the peasants resist collectivisation?

Answer 10

Riots and armed resistance

Sabotage, Burned crops, tools and houses. Slaughtered animals and gorged on them (25-30%)

All female revolts

MIgrating to towns

Question 11

Why was there a famine from 1932 to 1934

Answer 11

Burned crops, tools and houses. Slaughtered animals and gorged on them (25-30%)

Huge amounts of animals had been slaughtered as part of resistance

There was a drought in 1931

Estimated 7 million died because of famine

Some suggest the famine was man - made

Question 12

Impact of collectivisation on agriculture

Answer 12

Grain output did not achieve pre collectivisation levels until 1935, same with livestock

Collective farms were poorly organised

Most of the best farmers were killed during dekulakalisation

By March 1930 58% of peasant households were collectivised but this reduced to just 20% by October after Stalin relaxed measures
on the back of complaints and resistance

Question 13

By 1934 what % of farms were collectivised

Answer 13

70%

Question 14

Was collectivisation economically successful?

Answer 14

Allowed more grain procurement than under the NEP

Grain exports rose from 1 million tonnes to 5 million tonnes

Grain harvests were frequently smaller than they had been under the NEP

Collective farms were frequently less successful than private farms

Question 15

How did Collectivisation benefit Stalin?

Answer 15

Allowed Stalin control over the countryside

Party didn’t have to negotiate with the peasants for grain

Made the peasants serve the workers and towns

Question 16

Aims of the five year plans

Answer 16

28-32 - develop heavy industry, electrification, double output for light induustry

1933-37 - Continue frowth for heavy industry, develop communication, boost consumer goods

38-41 - Renew emphasis on heavy industry, rapid rearmanent, complete transition to communism

Question 17

How successful was the 1st 5 year plan?

Answer 17

Electric output trebled
Coal and Iron doubled
Magnitogorsk

Little growth in consumer goods
Chemical target not fulfilled
Lack of skilled workers created major issues

Question 18

How successful was the 2nd 5 year plan?

Answer 18

By 1937, USSR largely self sufficient in machine making and metal working
Minerals such as copper and zinc mined for the first time

Consumer goods still lagging
Oil Production did not meet the expected advances

Question 19

How successful was the 3rd 5 year plan?

Answer 19

Defence and armaments increase rapidly

Fuel crisis
Material shortages

Question 20

Industrial Projects

Answer 20

Magnitogorsk - A gigantic steel plant and town of 150,000 people

Moscow Metro - Opened 1935, designed to cope with the influx of peasant workers

Question 21

Social Impacts of the 5 year plans for workers

Answer 21

For working men - 7 day week, dismissed if late for work, Stakhanovite movement, 1938 labour books used in order to log employment and discipline issues, wages lower than in 1920’s

Managers - Recieve bonuses for exceeding targets (led to poor products), trialed or executed if they failed to meet targets

Question 22

Social Impacts of the 5 year plans for women and foreigners

Answer 22

Women - State provided nurseries, crèches and child clinics, managers encouraged to hire wives of workers, by 1940 around 40% of workforce women who earned less than men

Foreigners - Foreign companies were recruited to provide expertise developing new industries, higher wages and prestige of working on mega projects attracted Westerners, OGPU arrested British engineers working on the Moscow Metro under suspicion of spying

Question 23

Stakhanovite movement 1935

Answer 23

Stakhanov was a miner, known for being very productive

A system was set up to supply him with air and tools to allow him to produce a superhuman 16 times more coal than the average produced in a shift - set a record

Several miners demanded the chance to beat the record, and by 5th September 2 had done so

There was pressure from above to meet increased targets, and from below with workers wanting to break records, meaning all managers had to adopt the new methods of production to keep up

Question 24

Development of the stalin cult

Answer 24

Grew steadily from 1929

Icon of confidence during a period of rapid change

Stalin was shown as the all-knowing
leader

Question 25

How was the Stalinist cult maintained

Answer 25

The History of the All-Union
Communist Party was published as
the main historical textbook for all
educational institutions in 1938

Photographs were doctored to
remove Stalin’s enemies and show
Stalin at the side of Lenin

Use of propaganda

Question 26

How did the Cult affect culture?

Answer 26

Socialist realism - art focused on workers and socialism, artists encouraged to fit needs of the state

Literature - In 1934 the Soviet Union of Writers was formed, work had to allign with socialist realism

Arts - In the 1930s Soviet art featured paintings of peasants on collective farms, industrial workers and images of Stalin, architecture was to reflect the worker

Jazz music banned and radios were usde for propaganda

Question 27

Conditions of the Soviet Union by 1941 - Strengths

Answer 27

Economic Strength - Highly industrialised nation, by 1940 overtake Britain in iron and steel production

Social Strengths - State ownership made in industry and agriculture, food rationing ended 1934, benefits of workers who met their targets, more women allowed to work due to childcare provisions

Question 28

Conditions of the Soviet Union by 1941 - Weaknesses

Answer 28

Economic Weaknesses - Economic development was uneven (consumer goods vs heavy industry), quality of product often poor due to target mania

Social Weaknesses - 10 million died due to dekulakalisation, famine, poor living conditons, 500,000 senior party officials were
rewarded with better living conditions and food