Economy in Russia 1928-1941

Question 1

What was the battle for grain?

Answer 1

‘28, Stalin sent out officials to seize grain but sig. peasant opposition but despite this and opposition from his party he continued- death of NEP
Peasants shot if caught with more than 5 grains of corn

Question 2

What were general aims of Five-Year Plans?

Answer 2

Emphasised heavy industry (coal, iron, steel etc.) so USSR would be less dependent on West and achieve self-sufficiency ‘autarky’
Ppl asked to sacrifice standard of living for long-term objectives
Bonuses paid to those who exceeded targets but quantity not quality was the issue

Question 3

When was the first Five-Year Plan?

Answer 3

October 1928 - December 1932

Question 4

What were the main aims of the first Five-Year Plan?

Answer 4

80% of total investment to go to improving heavy industry

1,500 enterprises opened

Question 5

Successes of first Five-Year Plan

Answer 5

Electricity production trebled, coal + iron output doubled and steel production increased by 1/3
Engineering industry developed (Magnitogorsk built)
Young ppl encouraged w/ idea that they were creating a new society, better that capitalism
Industrial workers doubled, collectivisation had big impact
Soviet economy kick started and impressive growth in some sectors

Question 6

Weaknesses of first Five-Year Plan

Answer 6

Targets too ambitious, decline in consumer industries
Lack of skilled workers and them constantly switching jobs made it hard to form good workforce
Chemical targets not fulfilled
Great Depression decreased price of grain + raw materials so USSR couldn’t earn enough to pay for machinery
Agricultural development needed for collectivisation which had big cost

Question 7

When was the second Five-Year Plan?

Answer 7

January 1933 - December 1937

Question 8

What were main aims of second Five-Year Plan?

Answer 8

Second plan seemed more of a consolidation after too high aims of first FYP
Heavy industry still imp. but focus on communications- railways
4,500 enterprises opened
Plan benefited from Dneiper Dam being built which increased electricity

Question 9

Successes of second Five-Year Plan

Answer 9

Electricity production increased 5x
By ‘37, USSR self-sufficient in machine-making + metal working
Rationing ended ‘35
Chemical industries grew (zinc, copper, tin mined for 1st time)
‘33-‘36 good years, pressure not too high
More attention paid to training workers

Question 10

Weaknesses of second Five-Year Plan

Answer 10

Consumer goods industry still lacking
Oil production didn’t make expected advances
Industrial disasters- Kemerovo mine
Managers bribed or stole to get raw materials to meet targets

Question 11

When was the third Five-Year Plan?

Answer 11

January 1938 - June 1941

Question 12

What were the main aims of the third Five-Year Plan?

Answer 12

Only ran till this time as USSR entered WWII
Heavy industry emphasised as need for armaments became increasingly necessary
Also aimed to complete transition into communism

Question 13

Successes of third Five-Year Plan?

Answer 13

Heavy industry did grow especially machinery and engineering but not evenly across country
Defence and armaments grew rapidly as resources were diverted to them

Question 14

Weaknesses of third Five-Year Plan

Answer 14

Steel output grew insignificantly
Oil production failed to meet targets and led to oil crisis
Consumer industries again took back seat
Many factories ran short of materials
Hard winter of ‘38 meant plan had difficulties
Purges created shortages of qualified personnel (managers, engineers and officials)

Question 15

Why were labour decrees introduced?

Answer 15

Regimes response to economic slowdown, claimed down to criminal negligence + deliberate sabotage so decrees introduced
Part of third Five-Year Plan and universally detested

Question 16

What did the 1938 Labour Decree include?

Answer 16

Stricter system of work record books, managers ordered to refuse employment unless employee showed work book

Question 17

What did the 1940 Labour Decree include?

Answer 17

Working day went from 7 to 8 hours
Changing job w/out authorisation now illegal
Arriving late to work twice punishable by 6 months compulsory labour at 75% normal pay
Employers who failed to report this liable to prosecution

Question 18

Summary of all Five-Year Plan

Answer 18

‘28 - ‘41 industrial output trebled and annual growth rate 10%
28 fold in production of tanks from ‘30 - ‘40
Great cost of human suffering, workers unskilled, ill-equipped + treated poorly
Large amounts of pig-iron steel unusable but still had to be used

Question 19

Why did Stalin see forced collectivisation as necessary?

Answer 19

He thought Kulaks hoarding grain was reason for grain problems and concern for power kulaks had over govt. 
Dec '29 he announced he would annihilate the Kulak class and Red Army + Cheka used to do so

Question 20

When was stage 1 collectivisation?

Answer 20

1929-1930

Question 21

What happened under stage 1 collectivisation

Answer 21

Nov ‘29 Central Committee recruited 25,000 industrial workers to go countryside and organise collective farms
Jan ‘30 Stalin announced 25% grain farming areas to be collectivised that year
By March, 58% of peasant households had been collectivised under force of red terror
Speed of success created such hostility that brief return to voluntary collectivisation permitted until after harvest collected, decreased to 20% households

Question 22

What’s a collective farm

Answer 22

Where land of 50-100 households were combined with tools and livestock pooled
Idea that larger area of land could be farmed more effectively

Question 23

When was stage 2 collectivisation?

Answer 23

1930-1941

Question 24

What happened with stage 2 collectivisation?

Answer 24

New drive for collectivisation at slower pace w/ help of 2500 machine tractor stations to provide seed, ensure quotas were collected and control countryside by dealing w/ troublemakers

Question 25

What were the issues with the implementation of collectivisation?

Answer 25

Dekulakisation removed 10 million of best farmers
Grain + livestock destroyed- 25% cattle slaughtered by peasants
Unrealistic quotas meant peasants forced to hand over all their grain, grain output didn’t exceed pre-col levels till ‘53
Collectives poorly organised
Oct. ‘31 drought meant drop in food production, resulting in famine in the Ukraine

Question 26

How did collectivisation affect peasants?

Answer 26

Anyone who stole from collective or sold meat + grain before quotas filled could be jailed for 10 years
Internal passports introduced to stop them leaving
Got no profits so little incentive to work

Question 27

What was the only interest for peasants under collectivisation?

Answer 27

Their private slots where they could grow goods to sell at markets, allowed by govt. as food desperately needed
52% veg, 70% meant + 71% milk in USSR made this way

Question 28

Summary of collectivisation

Answer 28

State achieved purpose in promoting collectivisation, workforce fed and grain exports ^
Many peasants fled to towns to swell workforce
Done at expense of peasants who were forced to starve and die at interests of ‘economic socialisation’