Industrial and agricultural change: Krushchev

Question 1

Challenges Krushchev faced due to the Command economy

Answer 1

• Vast bureaucratic system stifled change and initiative

- Unflexible system that was based on predicted demand that didn’t always meet the consumer need and actual demand

Question 2

Reforms pushed by Krushchev to ease challenges

Answer 2

• Set up 105 regionally based economic councils so things were less centralised and took regional factors into account, rather than the whole system being based off of the guesses of the central government
• Working week was reduced to 41 hours by 1960 and incentives replaced coersion
• Managers were given more incentive for their factories as they coulf reinvest profits
• Vocational education, especially towards industry, was made better and more accessible

Question 3

What was the 7 year plan?

Answer 3

1959-65

• Focused on consumer goods as well as heavy investment into chemical industries and fuel
• Production of synthetic fibres increased from 166,000 to 666,000
• Alongside the space race this greatly improved morale and nationalism
• Raised living standards for many, however quality of products were poor
• Gosplan became lumped with a heavy amount of responsibility and work however with less influence to achieve, as well as the division of the party into agricultural and industrial sectors creating confusion
• Emphasis on standard of living and consumer goods was overlooked by many with Stalinist views of promoting heavy industry and militarism

Question 4

Virgin islands scheme and investment in agriculture

Answer 4

• Krushchev was committed to inproving the standard of living, which included growth in food production and economy
• Collectives were given greater power to make decisions 1955
• MTS were replaced due to all the central and political interference, however peasants were now expected to buy their own equipment
• Collectives were made bigger for efficiency and greater investment which increased mechanisation, irrigation and fertilisers
• Seziures of food were replaced with planned state purchases and the price of food went up
• Private plots were allowed and encouraged productivity
• Virgin lands scheme was introduced in 1954 and began the cultivation and investment into large areas of unused land in sibreia and Kazakhstan - over 120,000 tractors were provided