Industrial and social developments in towns and cities Flashcards
Gosplan; the organisation, aims and results of the first three Five Year Plans; new industrial centres and projects; the involvement of foreign companies; the working and living conditions of managers, workers and women; Stakhanovites; the success of the Five Year Plans
what was Gosplan
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
why were there issues for Gosplan
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
why were the FYP targets so high
intended to force managers and workers to devote maximum effort
aims of the first FYP
increase production 300%
focus on development of heavy industry
boost electricity 600%
double output of light industry e.g. chemicals
Aims of the second FYP
continue development of heavy industry
boost light industry e.g. chemical electricals and consumer goods
develop communications and engineering
successes of the second FYP
electricity production expanded rapidly transport and communication grew rapidly
failures of the second FYP
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”
aims of the third FYP
emphasis on development of heavy industry
rapid rearmament
complete transition to communism
successes of the third FYP
heavy industry continued to grow
spending doubled 1938-1940 on armaments so the industry grew
failures of the third FYP
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
consumer industries ignored
when was the first FYP
oct 1928
dec 1932
when was the second FYP
jan 1933
dec 1937
when was the third FYP
jan 1938
june 1941
what was Magnitogorsk
massive steel plant
150,000 people
in the Urals
what was the Dniepostroi dam
opened in 1932
largest hydroelectric power station
generated 560 MW
who was Aleksei Stakhanov
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
who were Stakhanovites
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
benefits of being a manager
high salaries
status as part of the industrial elite
bonuses that could be as much as 40% of salary if did better than expected
ways workers benefitted
more technical education gave some workers valuable skills, they could advance to higher positions and received higher wages when wage differentials were introduced in
those who exceeded targets were rewarded with better housing and higher pay
conditions for women in the workforce
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
living conditions
sanitation was poor
workers lived in overcrowded barracks
long queues for basic goods
How were the targets of the five year plans backed
backed by law so failure to meet targets could be treated as a criminal offence
What was the peoples commissariats role in the FYPs
worked out the more detailed plans for different regions and the enterprises under their control
what were the 4 main commissariats in the FYPs
heavy industry
light industry
timber
food
who was in charge of ensuring targets at a specific factory were achieved
the director of the industrial enterprise
How did the party interfere in the FYPs
interfered in the day to day running of enterprise
senior party officials appointed and dismissed managers - often for political not economic reason
local party got involved in checking whether enterprises were fulfilling the plans
party secretaries held responsible if industrial enterprise in their area did badly
how much did electricity production increase in the 1st FYP
x3
how much did iron and coal output increase in the 1st FYP
doubled
how much did steel production increase in the 1st FYP
x1/3
How did the engineering industry develop in the 1st FYP
as it developed it increased output of machine-tools, turbines etc
How did the first FYP help collectivisation
Huge new tractor works were built in Stalingrad and other places to meet the needs of mechanised agriculture
How did industrial complexes do in the 1st FYP
they were built or in the process of being built e.g. Magnitogorsk 1929
How did electricity increase
new hydro electric power schemes e.g. dniepostroi dam built in 1927 started producing electricity 1932
how did skilled workers impact the 1st FYP
there were not enough for efficient development
what happened to smaller industrial works in the 1st FYP
they were out competed by bigger factories
How did the great depression impact the 1st FYP
it drove the price of grain down to the USSR could not earn enough from exports to pay for all the machinery it needed
Were any of the targets of the 1st FYP met
no
but major investment brought impressive growth
what happened to consumer industries in the 1st FYP
they were ignored as they were not prioritised as a target
house-building, food and more
When was the Moscow metro opened - 2nd FYP
1935
When did the Dniepostroi damn open and how much did it increase the USSR’s electricity
1932
increased electricity x5
what had been achieved by 1937 in industry - 2nd FYP
the USSR was virtually self-sufficient in machine-making and metal working
how much did steel production increase in the 2nd FYP
x3
how much did coal production increase in the 2nd FYP
x2
How did heavy industry benefit in the 2nd FYP
industrial plants that had been constructed in the 1st FYP were now open
how was more emphasis placed on rearmament seen in the 2nd FYP
rose from 4%of GDP in 1933 to 17% by 1937
How did Henry Ford help industrialisation
advised on the car industry
trained Russian engineers in the US
helped to design the car plant at Gorky
How was the Dniepostroi dam influenced by foreigners
used the experience gained from a HEP constructed in Canada
6 American Engineers helped in its construction
How was the Moscow Metro influenced by foreigners
relied on construction engineers from Britain
designs, routes and construction plans handled by specialists from the London underground
How did Stakhanovites benefit
received superior accommodation
other material benefits such as bonuses and wards
what would happen to managers if they failed to meet targets
could be put on trial or executed if failed to meet targets
Why were managers forced to falsify statistics
they were under so much pressure to meet targets
What did factories have to do from 1936
pay for their own fuel, raw materials and labour from their profits
what were work norms
state regulations which governed how much work a labourer should be expected to do and rules such as those on absenteeism to be enforced
How did work norms impact managers
made it difficult for managers to earn the good will of workers made even harder in 1936
attempts to bypass regulations or lower the norms could result in accusations of sabotage
what happened to work norms in 1936
they were increased by between 10-50%
why did stakhanovites pose an issue to managers
too much effort could lead to factory targets being increased
sometimes they accused managers of wrecking their stakhanovite attempts by failing to supply good tools or resources
why did managers face labour shortages
as conditions improved on collective farms immigration to cities reduced
more young men were being conscripted to the military
how much had the number of new workers declined
decline by 2/3 by 1936
When were wage differentials introduced
1931
when were tough work measures brought in
1930-1933
what could absenteeism result in
dismissal
eviction from factory owned homes
loss of benefits
what could leaving a job without permission or causing damage result in
a prison sentence
when were labour books and internal passports introduced
1938
what did labour books do
gave details of a workers labour history, qualifications and any misdemeanours
when did absenteeism become a crime
1940
two offences brought a prison sentence
what happened to forced labour in 1930
all criminals sentenced to more than 3 years were sent to labour camps to provide cheap labour
How much did consumption decline in the 1st FYP
In Leningrad and Moscow between 1928 and 1933 meat milk and fruit consumption decline by 2/3
how much were towns and cities growing
200,000 every month
how was the work week impacted by industrialisation
7 day working week and longer hours
when was rationing ended and how did this impact workers
1935
market prices were high and those in important positions could obtain more goods mroe cheaply
How many forced labourers worked on the belomor canal
300,000
what was the death rate at the belomor canal
700 a day
how did the lives of women improve from 1936
the party made more effort to enrol women into technical training programmes
made women’s entry into management positions easier
what enabled women to work
state nurseries
creches
canteens
child clinics
how much did the soviet economy grow during the FYPs
around 5-6% each year between 1928-1940
how much did the industrial workforce increase
doubled 1928-1932
how much did the urban population increase
26-56 million 1926-1939
