Industrial and Social Developments in Towns and Cities Flashcards
how did Stalin choose to advance his economic programmes for the industry?
through a series of ‘Five Year Plans’ which set attainment targets for industrial enterprises
what was given the responsibility for drawing up the plans and establishing output targets
gosplan
what was gosplan
the state planning agency
what was it gosplan’s job to do
to ensure that the overall economic objectives of the Five Year plans were met, by matching input against output.
what did Gosplan suffer from
a lack of reliable information (particularly on the cost of imports or the price that exports might command)
what did Gosplan have to plan for
many variable and changing commodities
what was the issue with targets set
they were usually very ambitious
what was the purpose of setting ambitious targets
they were intended to force managers and workers to devote their maximum effort to the programme
what accompanied the launching of gosplan targets
heavy propaganda
what was the failure to achieve a target deemed to be
a criminal offence
what did the implementation of punishments for those who did not fulfil targets lead to
it lead to all those involved in administering and carrying out the plans going to great lengths to ensure that the reported statistics showed huge improvement - often way above the targets originally set
what was built into the system from the outset
corruption and faulty reporting
what unenviable position was Gosplan placed in
they had to work from deliberately falsified statistics and if things went wrong, its officials could be held responsible
what happened to many state employees after the start of the plans
they were dismissed, including members of Gosplan’s own offices, on the grounds that they were not sufficiently class-conscious, enthusiastic and free from corruption
how long did the first five-year plan span from
1928-1932
when was the first five-year plan approved
by the sixteenth party congress in April 1929, although the plan was backdated to October 1928
what was the FFYP based of
unsecure data and was extremely over-ambitious
what was the target for coal production compared to actual production
actual production in 1927-1928 was 35.4m tonnes
the target for 1932-1933 was 75m tonnes
what was the target for oil compared to actual production
actual production (1927-1928) - 11.7m tonnes target (1932-1933) - 22m tonnes
what was the target for steel compared to actual production
actual production (1927-1928) - 4m tonnes target (1932-1933) - 10.4m tonnes
what was the target for pig iron compared to actual production
actual production (1927-1928) - 3.3m tonnes target (1932-1933) - 10m tonnes
what should be emphasised about the first five-year plan
it was a great experiment and there was no obvious example elsewhere from which to learn - particularly at a time of economic collapse in the west following the wall street crash.
what was a major problem with the FFYP
people were afraid to question anything about it as Stalin’s regime become more authoritarian and criticism might easily be labelled as disloyalty, sabotage or treason
when did the American stock market collapse
October 1929
what did the FFYP focus on
the development of heavy industries (sometimes called producer’s goods or capital goods) such as coal and steel - raw materials that were a means of making other product
what were the aims of the FFYP
- increase production by 300 per cent
- focus on the development of coal, iron, steel, oil and machinery
- boost electricity production by 600 per cent
- double the output from light industry such as chemicals
what did the publicity surrounding the launch of FFYP provoke
an enthusiastic response
what did the success of the FFYP lead to Stalin doing
he claimed that the targets had been met in four years rather than five, but this was probably due to ‘over-enthusiastic’ reporting by local officials, keen to show their loyalty and effort
what was the reality of the FFYP
none of the major targets were actually met, although investment brought some impressive growth. The targets for the chemical industry were not met and house-building, food-processing and other consumer industries were woefully neglected
what were the achievements of the first FFYP
electricity output trebled, coal and iron output doubled and steel production increased by a third. New railways, engineering plants, HEP schemes and industrial complexes sprung up
why did the workforce damage the success of the FFYP
there were too few skilled workers and too little effective central coordination for efficient development, while smaller industrial works and workshops lost it in the competition from the bigger factories
when did the SFYP span from
1933-1937
what did the SFYP do
it built on the infrastructure provided by the first plan
what was the difference between the first and the second plan
the second gave more attention to consumer goods than the first plan, but the heavy industry still remained the overall priority
what are consumer goods
products such as clothing and furnishings, which are wanted by the people rather than by other manufacturing industries
what were the aims of the SFYP
- continue the development of heavy industry
- promote the growth of light industries, such as chemicals, electricals and consumer goods
- develop communications to provide links between cities and other industrial areas
- foster engineering and tool making
when did the SFYP experience some success
during the ‘three good years’
when were the ‘three good years’
1934-1936
what happened during the three good years
the Moscow metro opened in 1935, the Volga canal in 1937 and the Dnieprostroi Dam producing hydro-electric power, which had just been completed in 1932, was extended with four more generators to make it the largest dam in Europe
what grew rapidly under the SFYP
electricity production and the chemical industries. New metals were mined for the first time.
what was output under the SFYP
steel output trebled
coal production doubled
by 1937, the Soviet Union was virtually self-sufficient in metals goods and machine tools
what happened to the focus of the SFYP in 1936
Its focus shifted as a greater emphasis was placed on rearmament, which rose from 4 per cent of GDP in 1933 to 17 per cent by 1937
what was negative about the SFYP
oil production failed to meet its targets and despite some expansion in footwear and food-processing, there was still no appreciable increase in consumer goods
what issues continued from the FFYP into the SFYP
an emphasis on quantity rather than quality
what was target production for coal in the SFYP and the actual production
target - 152.5 million tonnes
actual - 128 million tonnes
what was the target production for oil in the SFYP and the actual production
- 8 million
28. 5 million
what was the target production for coal in the SFYP and the actual production?
17 million
17.7 million
who said that Moscow is encircled by a broad ring of new factories and housing estates
Louis Fischer
when was the third five-year plan
1938-42
what did the third five-year plan have a focus n
the needs of the defence sector
why was there a greater focus on defence in the TFYP
the growing threat from nazi Germany
what were the aims of the third five-year plan
- place a renewed emphasis on the development of heavy industry
- promote rapid rearmament
- complete the transition to communism
who was the main beneficiary of the third five-year plan
machinery and engineering
what happened to defence spending between 1938 and 1940
it doubled
what was the adverse effect caused by the TFYP
steel production stagnated, oil failed to meet targets, causing a fuel crisis, and many industries found themselves short of raw materials
what was relegated by the TFYP
consumer goods were also relegated
