Economy and society- Communists Flashcards
what was lenins approach to industry?
state capitalism
what is state capitalism?
-state took complete control of the economy untill it could be safely handed over to the proletariat
3 key dates that initiated state capitalism
1917 decree on land- private land holdings divided and given to peasants by state
1917 formation of supreme economic council, gov managed key industries, soon became un manageable due to volume of nationalized industries.
1918 decree on workers control, extra power to run factories
why was state capitalism introduced? what did lenin believe?
believed centralized control of the nation was the only way to recover from WW1
what did state capitalism lead to? and with the help of what treaty?
-great levels of opposition= civil war and famine 1921
-treaty of brest litovsk meant valuable territory handed back to germany
did he get rid of state capitalism as a result of opposition?
no, it only increased into war communism
why did lenin think war communism was needed?
-maintain a strong army
why was war communism unpopular?
-work was hard and long hours
-to get enough food for soldiers, secret police siezed surplus grain from peasants
-trade unions banned
-inflation
-bad working enviroments
peasants grew less grain, or hid it
- famine of 1921 killed over 4 million
why did lenins war communism come to an end?
the Kronstadt revolt 1921
-discontent amongst peasants
-workers went on strike
-march 1921 sailors at the naval base in kronstadt revolted
-accused lenin of abandoning his promise to help workers
-20,000 causalties
-leaders executed
what was the result of the kronstadt revolt 1921?
-the new economic plan
what was the New economic plan?
-stopped requisitioning food
-peasants happy as they could keep surplus
-new rouble ended inflation
-smaller factories (less than 20 people) privatised
-bigger industries remained nationalised
what was the result of the NEP? was it a success?
no, the scissor crisis
what was the scissor crisis?
-1923
-widening gap between industrial and agricultural prices#
-industrial prices 276% of 1913 level
-agricultural only 89%
peasant income fell, so couldn’t buy industrial goods, began to stop selling produces and reverted to only feeding themselves
what was stalins approach to industry?
5 year plans
what did the 5 year plans under stalin focus on mainly
-preparation for war, control and reconstruction
flaws of stalins 5 year plans?
-shortage of consumer goods
-deportation of kulaks (5 million)
-human costs huge
-catastrophic famine 1932-33
-products poor
-machines poor
what was production like under stalin?
-good preparation for war, rapid growth across all industry
-1927-1940 35 mil tons coal to 150 million tons
-oil, 21 mil- 26 mil
-steel 3 mil- 18 mil
what was production like under Lenin?
NEP levels decreased production hugely
-coal fell from 29 mil in 1913 to 8.9 mil tonnes 1921
what was production like under khrushchev?
-fell, slowed
-shift from old staples to modern proved in sufficient as levels dropped in what stalin succeeded in
what was infrastructure like under stalin?
-1928-1941, 8,000 enterprises built
-transport network superior, linked all major industrial centers
-biggest railway Russia had ever
what was finance and foreign investment like under stalin?
-self sufficient, unlike many others
-economic autarky
-didn’t have the need for foreign investment, state controlled industries which raised revenue
-wages kept low for maximum industry investment
what was education like under lenin?
-complete control
-polytechnics instead of gymnasia
-focus on application to working world
what was education like under stalin?
-1939 school fees limited who could attend
-1930 made primary compulsory
-attendence increased 1921- 8 mil
1938-18 mil
-‘war on literacy’ improved literacy rates
what was education like under khrushchev?
-scrapped fees for schools
-closed down boarding schools
-increased courses available
-curriculum based on Lenin’s poly technic
what were political freedoms like under lenin?
-banned social revoluntionaries 1918, who represented working class
what were political freedoms like under stalin?
-banned all political parties
what was access to land like under lenin?
-‘peace bread land’ increased support
-decree on land 1917, redistribution of land, rich to poor
what was access to land like under Stalin?
-collectivization took land and made it state owned
-communal living, stripped liberties and reverted back to traditionally forms of serfdom unintentionally.
how did stalin achieve huge production levels?
-propoganda
-forced labour
-gulag work camps
-fear
what was khrushchevs approach to industry?
5 year plans
what were the aims of Khrushchev’s 5 year plans and how many?
2
-shift to modern industry, plastics, more focus on consumer goods
-more realistic targets
what was stalin’s approach to agriculture?
collectivisation
what was collectivisation?
-take over by soviet state of land and property, state controlled farms
why did he want collectivization?
-era of the tractor and machinery meant more workers could move to urban areas, meaning increase in industry alongside agriculture
-socialist idea of working alongside eachother, agro towns.
what lead to collectivisation?
no, grain procurement crisis 1928-29
what was the grain procurement crisis and when was it?
1928-29
-peasants refusing to give grain
-rationing
-blamed kulaks for hoarding, deportation and arrested
-decision to collectivize came as a result
-not enough machinery for rapid expansion
how did stalin oversee collectivisation?
25 thousanders
who were the twenty-five thousanders and what was there role?
-25,000 urban party activists to oversee collectivisation
-backed by local police and military
-would persuade peasants to collectivised (sign a register)
what was the response to collectivisation?
-peasant resistance
-riots
-burned crops, tools and houses rather than handing them to state
-killed animals rather then handing them over
-1929-33 18 million horses, 100 million sheep killed
what were the results of the resistance to collectivisation?
-economic policy in chaos
-famine
-grain sat rotting while peasants starved
-no unity between urban and peasants
-1922-40 russians living urban cities rose from 22 mil to 63 mil but gov reluctant to invest in housing in urban areas
what was khrushchev’s approach to agriculture?
-greater interest in it, wanted to improve organisation
-abolished MTS
-reduced taxes on peasants
-state farms
-virgin land campaign increased land available
Short term success:
-1954: 81 million tonnes
1958: 144 million tonnes
long term failure:
-Lack of fertilizer only 1/6 maize cultivated
-13,000 square metres of land top soil removed 1960, wind erosian
-1963 started importing food
-paid less for food than should have
how successful were khrushchev’s agricultural policies?
-virgin land was flawed, land was overused and little planning to crop rotation meant reduction in soil fertility
-disastrous harvest
-1963, grain production fell by 10 million tonnes.
term for collective farm and state farms
Kolkhozes to sovkhozes
term for collective farm and state farms
Kolkhozes to sovkhozes
where was the main focus of economy during Khrushchev and why?
military and industry, the cold war
significance of shutting down MTS
-peasants could buy their own machinery cheaper but nowhere to store and didn’t know how to use
what were living and working conditions like under stalin?
-kulaks located in worse housing
-peasants forced to leave there own farms and work for the state
-Overworked
-reversed lenins housing improvements, urban dwellings
-overcrowding became the normal
-WW2= 25 homeless
-Moscow 1930s multiple families had to live together in one room
-1932-4 man made famine, most disastrous
-death penalty for stealing grain
-peasants who ate their own grain shot
-5% people living in bathrooms, kitchens and hallways.
working conditions:
-heavy fines for breaking work rules
-10/12 hour working day
-1939 after success of 1st 5 year plan, reduced to 7 hrs
-10 million died under collectivisation
-1st 5 year plan wages fell by 50%
what were living and working conditions like under Khrushchev?
living conditions
-self contained agro towns constructed, but built quickly so poor standards
-Virgin land scheme didnt help, land overused
-Doubled housing stock and abandoned communal living
-1966, Car ownership, USA was 398-1000, USSR was 5-1000
-washing machines USA: 259:1000, USSR: 77:1000
good: 1956-65 108 million moved into new apartments
by 1968 50% had TVs
working conditions:
-favoured professional classes
-1955 minimum wage introduced
-7 hour day
what were living and working conditions like under lenin?
working conditions
-war communism didnt help, peasants had to hand over grain,
-could own more land due to decree on land 1917
-NEP, surplus allowed, reinvested into conditions
-machinery only helped small numbers of peasants
-by start of civil war, over half petrograd’s industrial workforce was unemployed
-low pay
living conditions:
-private dwellings in towns and cities given to proletariat
-food crisis 1918, grain requisitioning
-1920 Cheka and red army ordered to seize all food suplies not just surplus
-5 mill died
-Degree of peace: Bolshevik’s focused o housing
what was religion like under the communists?
-after revolution, church left to its own devices
-civil war closed churches and confiscated property
-anti religious group to promote atheism
-all had little time for religion
-22nd party congress “moral code” 1961 instead of bible
-forced to operate underground
