industrial and agricultural change in the USSR, 1917-1985 Flashcards
What were Lenin’s 4 main economic objectives in 1917?
- modernising
- consolidating power
- ending capitalism
- winning the civil war
When did the nationalisation of industry begin?
March 1918
When was state capitalism introduced?
March 1918
What soviet centralised control of nationalised industries? (and was supreme soviet of the economy)
The Vesenkha
What powers did the Vesenkha have over the economy?
- offered higher pay to productive workers
- put factories under management of well-paid specialists
- co-ordinated economic production to meet the needs of society
When was War Communism introduced?
June 1918
What were the 4 major economic measures of War Communism?
- nationalisation of all industry
- end of free market of food. Requisitioning of grain. Rationing (highest rations to soldiers and workers)
- labour discipline (11 hour work day, compulsory work for all men 16-50)
- money abolished - hyperinflation occurred
Consequences of War Communism?
- military victory at the expense of the economy
- industrial production fell, for example cotton stopped being grown in place of food crops, so cotton industry damaged
- damaged the incentives to work with no rewards
- famine in the countryside by 1920
How did the 1921 harvest compare to 1913?
It was only 46% of the 1913 harvest
Estimated deaths due to War Communism famine?
6 million
Change in workforce from 1917 - 1921 due to urban-rural migration?
2.6 million (1917)
to
1.2 million (1921)
When was the NEP introduced?
March 1921 at the 10th Party Congress
When did the NEP end?
After Lenin’s death in 1924
What were the main policies of the NEP? (3)
- farming left to the free market
- end of grain requisitioning
- small factories and workshops de-nationalised
Consequences of the NEP? (4)
- return to political and economic stability
- NEPmen, gambling, prostitution and drug dealing
- ended famine
- major electrification campaign to revive the industry
What was the ‘scissors crisis’?
How was it solved?
- Due to the NEP, agriculture was recovering much faster than industry thus food prices fell whilst industrial goods rose in price. This looked like scissors on a graph so Trotsky nicknamed it the scissors crisis.
- The government cut prices of industrial goods
How did the NEP impact the party?
- it wasn’t hugely popular
- the party was split into the right-wing who felt the NEP was necessary and the left-wing who felt it was allowing the re-emergence of capitalism. The centrists supported the NEP also for its role in rebuilding the economy
Role of Gosplan in the 5 year plans?
set targets for industrial growth for every factory, mine and workshop.
When was the first 5 year plan?
1928-1932
When was the second 5 year plan?
1933-1937
When was the third 5 year plan?
1938-1941
What were 4 reasons for the 5 year plans??
- ideological - Stalin wanted to abolish the capitalist market
- economic - the NEP had failed to create further industrialisation
- military - Stalin argued that Russia must industrialise to prepare for war with capitalist countries
- political - to gain support of the party’s left wing
How did Stalin see his economy? What was it actually?
Stalin saw it as a ‘planned’ economy but it was really more of a ‘command’ economy with the government in charge
Since the lists of targets set weren’t connected to what was actually needed by the country it wasn’t so much planned.
Stalin’s ideological motivation for 5 year plans quote:
‘we are 50 to 100 years behind the capitalist countries. We must close this gap in 10 years or they will crush us.’
Summary of first 5 year plan? 1928-32
- aimed to expand industry and collectivise agriculture.
- investment into iron and steel
Summary of second 5 year plan? 1933-37
- more consumer goods
- higher industrial production, planning and efficiency
- focus on improving infrastructure and transport links
Summary of third 5 year plan? 1938-41
- focused on war needs, armaments manufacture and defence
- this came at the expense of basic needs
How much did coal and steel production increase by up to 1941?
almost 5x
How much did oil production increase by up to 1941?
3x
When was the Stakhanovite movement introduced and for what reason?
During the first plan, to promote labour productivity.
Higher payments were given to most productive
What did productivity in major industries increase by during the 5 year plans?
25-50%
By 1940, how much of government spending went to the military?
1/3rd
How many military aircraft factories were built between 1939-41?
9
When did the Moscow Metro open?
1935
What were negatives of the 5 year plans?
- low quality goods
- inefficiency
- unrealistic targets undermined the plans - officials didn’t always know the size of factories they controlled, industrial managers lied about meeting targets
How much did electricity output increase by up to 1941?
nearly 10x
Why was 40% of production wasted in the 5 year plans?
Gosplan didn’t plan how to use materials once made, and poor transport links and communication led to wastage
How many prisoners went through the Gulags during Stalin’s time in power?
18 million
What group fuelled industrial progress?
The prisoners in the gulags - with 3 million dying
What industrial projects have been called ‘gigantomania’ by historians?
HEP stations in Ukraine and the city of Magnitogorsk
Between 1928-37 how did coal, oil, iron and steel production increase?
coal - 93 million tons more in 1937
oil - 17 million tons more
iron - 11 million tons more
steel - 13 million tons more
One piece of evidence for the success of the Soviet industrialisation programme?
Countries like Britain tried to emulate it to recover post-war
When did agricultural collectivisation occur?
1928-1941
How many families per collective farm?
20-150
Reasons for collectivisation?
- ideological - ending private ownership of farms
- economic - there had been a small tax on farms under the NEP but collectivisation gave potential to earn much more from farms
- the NEP hadn’t worked exceptionally well and there were still food shortages in 1927 due to falling agricultural production
How many smaller farms were merged after winter 1929?
25 million
Purpose of Machine Tractor Stations?
allowed smaller farms to share improved equipment - with 75,000 tractors available this way
Statistics on de-Kulakisation?
- kulaks were 1 in 5 peasants
- millions of kulaks were killed, exiled or imprisoned in the purges of the 30s
Why were 26 million cattle and 15 million horses destroyed in the 1930s?
Due to civil unrest of the kulaks
- also caused grain production to fall by around 5 million tons from 1928-33
How many estimated deaths of ‘bread-basket’ famine?
5.7-8.7 million between 1930-1953
Increase in government grain procurement 1928-33?
1928 - 10.8 million tons
1933 - 22.6 million tons
How much did grain exports increase by between 1928 - 1931?
1928 - 1 MILLION TONS
1931 - 5 MILLION TONS
Difference in productivity of collective farms pre-ww2?
Less productive than under the NEP
- from 410kgs of grain per hectare to 320kgs
Consequences of WW2 (homelessness, industry, agriculture)?
homelessness -25 million homeless
industry - producing 1/3 what it had in 1940
agriculture - producing 1/2 what it had in 1940
How much of economic investment went to heavy industry post-WW2?
90%
What was the soviet economy producing more of in 1950 than it had in 1940?
- coal
- oil
- steel
- electricity
After WW2, the Soviet economy was…?
the fastest growing in the world
How much of the budget went to the military by 1952?
25%
When was the first Soviet economic bomb tested?
1949 (4 years after US)
Economic problems after WW2? (5)
- command economy still
- low investment in light industry
- lack of high-tech production
- poorly made tractors, trucks and high tech products
- low agricultural productivity
Khrushchev’s goal for the USSR?
achieve communism by 1980
When did Khrushchev launch the first 7 year plan?
January 1959
Aims of Khrushchev’s 7 year plan?
- increase production of consumer goods
- increase production of chemical fertilisers
How far below expected targets was Khrushchev’s 7 year plan 1959?
Consumer goods - 5% below
Chemicals - around 20% below
Why did Khrushchev’s 7 year plan underperform, after meeting its initial goals?
- contradictory reform - in 1957, economic planning was decentralised but between 1958-64 reforms re-centralised control
- Khrushchev made the plan’s targets more ambitious in 1962
Car ownership in USSR compared to UK in 1966?
USSR - 5/1000
UK - 200/1000
Reasons for economic decline by 1980?
- no major economic reform after 1964
- Brezhnev increased military spending
How did Brezhnev attempt to improve Standard of Living?
- subsidising prices of consumer goods (this backfired and caused shortages as supply couldn’t meet demand)
- allowed a black market or ‘second economy’ to grow
What was the name of Andropov’s attempt to crack down on drunkenness and absenteeism?
‘Operation trawl’
How much did farm incomes increase by between 1952 - 1956 due to Khrushchev incentivising farmers with higher prices for their produce?
250%
How much of the budget was spent on agriculture by 1959?
12.8% which was around a 3% increase
How much did agricultural production increase by between 1954-1958?
35%
What target did Khrushchev set in 1956?
to overtake US farm production by 1960
What were 3 problems with agriculture between 1954-64?
- inefficiency (irrigation of Virgin Land Scheme, labour-intesiveness, rising costs)
- slow growth (15% growth in farm production still not enough to achieve Khrushchev’s target)
- ongoing problems (central planning, contradictory reforms, inadequate storage, inadequate pay)
How much of the Soviet population worked in agriculture 1950-1960 compared to the US?
50% Soviet
5% USA
(USA produced double the food with these numbers)
How did Brezhnev pay for grain imports from the west in the 1970s?
Selling oil
Why did Brezhnev import grain in the 1970s?
To keep food prices low without having to improve productivity
When were the Motor Tractor Stations abolished, why, and to what effect?
Under Khrushchev’s reforms. They had added bureaucracy to farming. This caused major problems - when tractors and other equipment broke down it couldn’t be maintained easily. Farms were also forced to buy up the equipment without a discount for old or damaged machines
How much did grain production rise by between 1954 and 1958, indicating that Khrushchev’s agricultural reforms had enjoyed initial success?
75%
How were political dissidents punished under Khrushchev?
Rather than trials (he had abolished troikas), they would be punished by loss of job or uni position or expulsion from the party. The forced hospitalisation of ‘socially dangerous’ people was introduced
What fraction of religious buildings were closed during Khrushchev’s reign?
3/4
Workplace reforms under Khrushchev? (3)
- min. wage increased
- harsh punishments for lateness or absent stopped
- pensions expanded for the elderly, sick or disabled
How many people moved into new houses between 1956-65? (indicating successful housing reform)
108 million people
When was the ‘world festival of youth’ hosted in Moscow and what happened?
in Moscow in 1957, 34,000 youths from around the world were invited. The aim was that they would be won over by the conformist culture but instead they won over soviet youths to western ways.
When was ‘One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich’ published?
1962
What group of society were mobilised for the Virgin Lands programme?
youths (hundreds of thousands)
What 3 main issues during the Khrushchev era had damaged the USSR’s international status (and led to his removal in 1964)?
- split from China
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- issue with Berlin
