Industrial and social developments in towns and cities

Question 1

what was Gosplan

Answer 1

the state planning agency which was given the responsibility for drawing up the plan and establishing the output targets for every economic enterprise in accordance with party directives

Question 2

why were there issues for Gosplan

Answer 2

communist government made the overall decisions of what should be produced and when
regional party leaders were competing for resources
they had to contend with and were often overruled by veshenka
lacked reliable info e.g. price of imports and exports
corruption and faulty reporting as failure to achieve a target was a criminal offense so those administering the plans ensured statistics showed improvements

Question 3

why were the FYP targets so high

Answer 3

intended to force managers and workers to devote maximum effort

Question 4

what was the peoples commissariats role in the FYPs

Answer 4

responsible for working more detailed plans for different regions and enterprises under their control
4 commissariats in 1934 - heavy, light, timber, food
20 commissariats by 1939

Question 5

managers role in the FYPs

Answer 5

top-down one-man management
in charge and responsible for seeing that the targets were achieved

Question 6

aims of the first FYP

Answer 6

increase production 300%
focus on development of heavy industry
boost electricity 600%
double output of light industry e.g. chemicals

Question 7

successes of the first FYP

Answer 7

electricity x3
coal and iron x2
engineering industry developed increasing output of machine tools
new industrial complexes e.g. Magnitogorsk
new railways, engineering plants and hydroelectric power schemes

Question 8

failures of the first FYP

Answer 8

none of the major targets were actually met
consumer industries were neglected
too few skilled workers and ineffective central coordination for efficient development
smaller industrial work lost out in the competition from larger factories
great depression drove down grain prices so the USSR could not earn enough from exports to pay for the machinery it needed

Question 9

Aims of the second FYP

Answer 9

continue development of heavy industry
boost light industry e.g. chemical electricals and consumer goods
develop communications and engineering

Question 10

successes of the second FYP

Answer 10

industrial plants set up in the first FYP were now active which boosted heavy industry
electricity production transport and communication grew rapidly
by 1937 the USSR was virtually self-sufficient in machine making and metal working
Moscow metro opened in 1935 and Volga canal in 1937
steel x3
coal x2

Question 11

failures of the second FYP

Answer 11

consumer goods industries were still lagging there was growth but not enough
oil production did not make the expected advances
emphasis on quantity over quality “gigantomania”

Question 12

aims of the third FYP

Answer 12

emphasis on development of heavy industry
rapid rearmament
complete transition to communism

Question 13

successes of the third FYP

Answer 13

heavy industry continued to grow
spending doubled 1938-1940 on armaments so the industry grew

Question 14

failures of the third FYP

Answer 14

diversion of resources to armaments meant steel production stagnated and oil failed to meet targets causing a fuel crisis
many factories ran short on materials
consumer goods were neglected
purges created a shortage of managers, specialists and technicians
German invasion in 1941 ended the plan early

Question 15

when was the first FYP

Answer 15

oct 1928
dec 1932

Question 16

when was the second FYP

Answer 16

jan 1933
dec 1937

Question 17

when was the third FYP

Answer 17

jan 1938
june 1941

Question 18

what was Magnitogorsk

Answer 18

massive steel plant
150,000 people
in the Urals

Question 19

what was the Dniepostroi dam

Answer 19

opened in 1932
largest hydroelectric power station
generated 560 MW

Question 20

who was Aleksei Stakhanov

Answer 20

coal miner who cut 102 tonnes of coal in 1935
declared soviet hero
given a large bonus and honorary awards
used as propaganda for hard work and selfless sacrifice for the regime

Question 21

who were Stakhanovites

Answer 21

inspired by Aleksei Stakhanov tried to break records e.g. 2 volumes of broken records by December 1935
received benefits for achievements
forced managers into supporting workers to increase productivity

Question 22

benefits of being a manager

Answer 22

high salaries
status as part of the industrial elite
bonuses that could be as much as 40% of salary if did better than expected

Question 23

ways managers suffered

Answer 23

could be put on trial or executed if failed to meet targets
labour norms e.g. how much work people were expected to do were increased in 1936 by up to 50% in some areas many workers left but if managers did not apply the norms they could be accused of wrecking and arrested by the NKVD

Question 24

ways workers benefitted

Answer 24

more technical education gave some workers valuable skills, they could advance to higher positions and received higher wages when wage differentials were introduced in 1931
those who exceeded targets were rewarded with better housing and higher pay

Question 25

ways workers suffered

Answer 25

tough control e.g. absenteeism could result in dismissal, eviction from factory homes or loss of benefits
1938 labour books and internal passports were introduced

Question 26

conditions for women in the workforce

Answer 26

10 million women entered the workforce
paid less and harder to gain advancement e.g. 50-60% of doctors were women but only 4 female head doctors in hospitals

Question 27

living conditions

Answer 27

lack of consumer goods e.g. milk, meat and food consumption 1928-1933 in Leningrad and Moscow declined by 2/3
increasing population (200,000 every month) meant sanitation was poor
workers lived in overcrowded barracks
long queues for basic goods