industrial + social developments in towns + cities Flashcards
what was the gosplan?
the state planning agency, organised the process by which industry was transformed under the five year plans
what did the gosplan do?
drew up plans + set output targets for every economic enterprise according to party directives -> gosplan set very ambitious targets, if too ambitious party leaders would revise them
why was the process of setting targets difficult?
gosplan did not have reliable stats about the economy to base targets on, esp about imports + possible exports
what did enterprises do if they did not meet targets?
falsified their production figures as there were severe punishments
aims of the first five year plans (1928-32)
- develop heavy industry
- boost electricity production
- double the output from the light industry eg chemicals
successes of the first five year plans (1928-32)
- electricity production trippled
- coal + iron output double
- steel production increased by 1/3
limitations of the first five year plans (1928-32)
- no extremely ambitious targets met
- improvements in chemical industry lagged
- consumer industries badly neglected
aims of second five year plan (1933-37)
- continue growth of heavy industry
- boost light industry; chemicals, electricals, consumer goods
- develop communications
successes of second five year plan (1933-37)
- some large scale communication projects
- rapid growth in electricity production + chemicals
- new metals eg copper + tin
- steel output trebled
- coal production double
- USSR self sufficient in metal goods + machine tools by 1937
limitations of second five year plan (1933-37)
- oil production failed to meet its targets
- consumers were still short of some products
- while overall quantity increased, quality till tended to be very low
aims of third five year plans (1938-42)
- rented emphasis on heavy industry
- promote rapid rearmament
- complete the transition to communism
successes of third five year plans (1938-42)
- some strong growth in machine engineering
- defence industries developed exceptional models eg T-34 tank
- spending on rearmament doubled between 1938-40
limitations of third five year plans (1938-42)
- other areas stagnated after defence was prioritised
- oil production failed to meet its targets causing a fuel crisis
- lack of specialists due to Stalins purges
- German invasion of 1941 disrupted the plan, causing it to end early
what factors made the five year plans hard to achieve?
- never been tried before
- initial success happened in the context of Wall Street crash 1929 + Great Depression
- effectiveness of 3rd yr plans reduced bc of growing threat of nazi Germany which diverted finds into defence + rearmament
- stalins increasingly authoritarian + repressive regime, where any criticism of the system was likely to viewed as treason
what projects were created by the 5 yr plans?
- dnieprostroi dam
- Moscow metro
- Moscow voiga canal
details about dnieprostroi dam
- constructed between 1927-32
- a dam generating hydro-electric power
- one of largest power stations in the world at the time
- dam increased soviet electric by power by 5 times
details about Moscow metro
- constructed between 1932-1937
- first underground railway system in ussr
- peasants moved from countryside to city
- massive recruitment campaigns to find unskilled labourers to construct the metro
details about Moscow-Volga canal
- constructed between 1932-1937
- 128 km canal
- connected Moscow to five seas + improved links to industrial centre of Gorky
what were the new industrial cities built?
Magnitogorsk: gigantic steel plant + town of 150,000 people, built in Urals away from USSR’s western borders
Komsomotsk: several shipyards in east Russia built to open up this area to development
how were foreign companies involved in the five year plans?
- recruited to provide expertise to develop new industries
- Moscow metro designed by Br specialist from London Underground
- Henry Ford advised USSR on its car industry, trained soviet engineers in USA + helped design car plant at Gorky
what were the dangers of working with foreign companies?
- secret police arrested several br engineers working on Moscow metro as suspicious of spying
- OGPU concerned about detailed knowledge of Moscow geography
who were Stakhanovites?
workers who exceeded their targets + held as an example for others - named after Aleksei Stakhanov, a coal miner who exceeded mining target by high amount, declared soviet hero + rewarded with bonus and awards
how did stakhanov turn into propaganda movement
- people competed to beat his record + it sped up targets
- it was for the good of USSR not personal gain
- introduced stakhanvoties competitions in different industries
why were stakhanovites a problem?
- not popular with managers as meant their efforts increased production targets
- not popular w other workers as made them look bad
working + living conditions of managers
- had to find ways of meeting targets while avoiding problems with workers -> received bonuses for exceeding targets but could be put on trial or imprisoned for failing to meet targets
- from 1936, factories had to pay for their own raw materials, labour + fuel out of their salaries which meant careful accounting.
- managers responsible for applying state regulations in the work place, these not popular with workers + led to protests
- any attempts by managers to reduce pressure on workers could lead to accusations of wrecking (sabotage)
working + living conditions of workers
- long working hours over six days a week to achieve first five year plan
- from 1938, labour books recorded workers employment, skills + any disciplinary issues
- absenteeism or lateness could result in dismissal, eviction from house + loss of benefits, 1940 absenteeism became a crime
- most city workers lived in crowed communal apartments with few amenities + little privacy
how did workers benefit?
- far more opportunities to progress than under tsarist
- training programmes widely available to improve skills
- wage increases in second five year plans
- stalins purged removed white collar workers + intellectuals, opportunities for workers
working + living conditions of women
- by 1940, 43 % of workforce was women, state provisions of nurseries, child clinics allowed mothers to work
- as prices increased, women entered the workforce to help earn income to sustain their families
- managers who were under pressure to achieve targets would employ workers wives + daughters
- although by 1940 women earned around 40% less than men, advances had been made
success of the five year plans
- soviet economy probably grew at 5-6% per year between 1928-40
- ussr became major industrial power
- impressive results in heavy industry growth, light industry also started to deliver more consumer goods
- created opportunities for ordinary workers to develop new skills + progress in their careers
- sense of pride in the communist system
weaknesses of five year plans
- social downsides inc deteriorating living conditions + working conditions that were dominated by strict labour discipline
- fear of missing targets created an environment of bribery + corruption, focus on quantity rather than quality
- success was built on prison camp labour + very low prices paid to collective farms for very high quota of grain even during famine
