Essay plans - Russia unit 4

Question 1

Why was the decision taken to abandon NEP in 1928?

Answer 1

• *Economic reasons -**
  1) Industrial production under NEP never exceeded 1914 levels (iron in 1928 - 3.3 million tons, 1913 - 4.2 million tons)
  2) Unemployment was high (1.24 in 1924 to 1.6m in 1929)
  3) Needed to build new factories to improve output but this ended money
  4) Agricultural very backwards. 1927, 5million ploughs still in use, land redistribution = lots of small farms = low production.
  5) Poor harvests and poor production = Grain crisis in 1927-28, 2 million less grain produced than needed to feed Russia and export.
  6) 1913 Russia exported 12m but NEP never got more than 3m, so no income invest. Imports 38% of 1913 levels.
• *Social/Ideological reasons -**
  1) Even when NEP was successful many in the party wanted to replace Capitalism with a socialist system with central planning. Marx = workers - in 1928 only about 20% of population
  2) Wanted to convert peasants to communism - reform might fo this.
  3) Stalin thought NEP favoured peasants. Unemployment high, wages at pre-war levels just, living standards low, crime high
• *Political reasons-**
  1) Stalin used NEP to defeat Bukharin
  2) Stalin thought moving Russia to industrialisation and socialism would prove he was Lenin’s successor and fix him in history
• *Foreign policy -**
  1) 1920s - fear that Germany was preparing for war - Russia needed to modernise to rearm
  2) Stalin wanted Russia to be self-sufficient - end dependency on the West
  3) Stalin wanted to improve living standards to show the success of Communism to the world

Question 2

How successful was collectivisation in the period 1928-1941?

Answer 2

Economic success

1. 1929 - 73m tons of grain, buy 1940 - 95m tons
2. State procurement of grain - 1929 - 16 million tons, 1933 - 23 m
3. Collectivisation = increase in exports: 1928- 0.03m tons and in 1931 = 5m - funded industrialisation
4. Mechanisation: 1938 - 95% of threshing, 72% of ploughing, 57% sowing, 48% of harvesting mechanised

Economic failure

1. 1930 - Dizzy with success
2. 1933 harvest was 9m tons less than in 1926. Horses halved between 1928-1932, pigs dropped by 65%
3. Mechanisation slow. By 1932 only 1/2 farms had access to a tractor and didn’t make up for loss of horses
4. High quotas and low productivity = famine - killing 5-7m

Social/Ideological success

1. 1930 - 25% collectivised, 1941 - all farms collecivised
2. Urbanisation increased - 1928 - 10% workers, 1939 - 50% workers. City living - 1922-1940 - 22m to 63m
3. Few revolts against collectivisation - most fled to cities

Social/Ideological failures

1. Collectivisation made life hard - little incentive to work as peasants didn’t own the land. Between 9,500,000 and 10,000,000 were exiled as part of dekulakisation.
2. Violent and widespread opposition - farms, crops and livestock killed to avoid the label of Kulak. 1929-1933 - 46% of cattle, 47& horses, 65% sheep killed.
3. Standard of living fell. Value of wages fell by 1/2 between 1928-1932, amount of meat eaten fell by 2/3
4. Private market continued. By 1930s 52% of veg, 70% of meat and 71% of milk came from private plots

Political success

1. Strengthened Stalin’s control over the party
2. Despite fears of failing collectivisation, they supported Stalin and blamed the Kulaks
3. Many thought harsh treatment of peasants, was like Civil war and a good thing, so united behind Stalin.

Political failures

1. 25 thousanders to enforce collectiviation was evidence that local party officials did not support Stalin. Many locals did not support Kulakisation as they were the most successful peasants

Question 3

How successful were the 5 Year plans?

Answer 3

Economic success

1. Significant increase production: economy grew by 14% per year, outnumbered anything that went before. Iron production 3.3m in 1928 to 6.2m in 1932. Coal production 35.4m tons to 64.3 m tons (28-32). Second FYP steel output trebled. 3FYP coal production increased from 128m tons in 1937 to 166m in 1940
2. Magnitorgorsk - 150,000 built from scratch
3. 2FYP - transport was improved. Moscow metro and Mosco-volga canal

Economic failure

1. Managers often lied about targets to avoid punishment. Most targets were missed. E.g. steel: 8.3m tons but only 5.9 m. 2FYP target was 152/5m tons only 128m tons produced
2. Poor quality goods - useless
3. lots left unused
4. little co-ordination between branches so lots in short supply and little focus on spare parts. Broken machinery often remained unfixed
5. Industrial production remained behind Germany and USA.

Social/ideological success

1. FYP - opportunities for workers. Proletarian advancement removed MC managers and replaced them with 150,000 ‘red specialists’.
2. Educational opportunities increased, many workers retrained as engineers or administrators
3. Some improvements in living standards in 2FYP meat and butter rationing ended and wages increased

Social/ideological failures

1. Living standards decreased and consumer goods were in low production. 1928-1933 in Moscow and Leningrad meat, fish, fruit consumption decreased by 2/3. Magnitogorsk workers lived in mud huts with no heating or sanitation.
2. Working conditions were low - 7 day week, unsafe conditions, labour discipline, stirkes outlawed
3. FYP didn’t destroy the free market, value increased and increased development of the black market
4. Social inequalities increased. Wage differentials, Stakhanovite system (2FYP) Senior communists - better food and housing.

Labour productivity success

1. 1933 - internal passports restricted movement and ensured a stable labour supply.
2. 1940 - absenteeism = a crime
3. Forced labour solved labour shortages for worst jobs e.g the Belomor Canal built entirely by prison camp inmates.
4. Stakhonovite movement in 1935 to increase productivity. Workers exceeding targets = rewards flats and luxury food.

Labour productivity failure

1. 1932- 50% labour force = peasants - often late and failed to adapt to factory work
2. High demand for labour = many swithed jobs in search of better pay and conditions ‘quicksand society’. Coal industry average worker moved 3 x per year in 1930

FP success

1. Under 2FYP defence funding increased from 4%-17% 1933-1937
2. 1930, 1/3 of govt spending on the armed forces, doubling in 1937
3. 1939 - 9 new aircrafts
4. 1941 - Russia produced 230 tanks, 700 military and more than 100,000 rifles per month

FP failures

1. Russian economy not prepared for war in 1941, production behind Germany and was not self-sufficient. 1FYP = largest importer of machinerat and equipment.