Industrialisation Complete

Question 1

What was Gosplan?

Answer 1

The state planning agency that was given responsibility for drawing up the plans and establishing output targets for every economic enterprise

Question 2

Why did Gosplan have a difficult task?

Answer 2

It was the communist government that ultimately determined the production terms
Party leaders would often argue with Gosplan to why their region should have first call on resources
Gosplan also worked on unreliable information e.g. on the cost of imports and exports

Question 3

What was the nature of the targets set by Gosplan?

Answer 3

They were usually ambitious, intended to force managers and workers to devote their maximum effort to the programme

Question 4

Why was their corruption regarding targets?

Answer 4

It was deemed a criminal offence for a target to not be met- therefore those involved in the administering of targets went to great lengths to show that huge improvements were being made- way above the targets set

Question 5

What was the job of Gosplan?

Answer 5

To match input to output. This established priorities of the use of resources and organised supply and distribution taking steps to balance the economy

Question 6

Why were many of Gosplan workers dismissed?

Answer 6

As they worked using falsified targets and production statistics they were dismissed if things went wrong and accused of not being class conscious or enthusiastic of free from corruption

Question 7

What was the First Five Year plan?

Answer 7

It was approved by the Sixteenth Party Congress in April 1929 although it was backdated to October 1928- it was not based on very secure data and was often based on ambitious targets

Question 8

What was the target production and actual production of coal in the first plan?

Answer 8

TP= 75 million tonnes
AP= 35.4 million tonnes - just less than half

Question 9

For the first year plan was the actual and target production of oil

Answer 9

AP= 11.7 million tonnes
TP= 22 million tonnes

Question 10

Why should the first five year plan not be overly criticised?

Answer 10

It did increase production levels and was a great experiment in which to learn from and influence the second and third year plans. It was also implemented at the time of the Wall Street Crash and depression.

Question 11

Why was Stalin’s regime problematic for the people?

Answer 11

Stalin was becoming more authoritarian- this meant that people were afraid to question the regime in case of accusations of disloyalty, treason or sabotage

Question 12

What were the aims of the FFYP?

Answer 12

It aimed to increase heavy industry production such as coal and steel production
It wanted to increase production by 300%
Boost electricity production by 600%
Double the input from light industry such as chemicals

Question 13

What was publicity like during the FFYP?

Answer 13

It provoked an enthusiastic response, publicity and Stalin enhanced it success by saying that targets were met in 4 years rather than 5- this may have been over enthusiastic reporting due to a desired show of loyalty from reporters

Question 14

In what ways did the FFYP succeed?

Answer 14

Electricity output trebled
Coal and iron production doubled
New railways, engineering plants and HEP schemes doubled

Question 15

What were some of the weaknesses of the FFYP?

Answer 15

Targets for the chemical industry were not met
Household, food processing and other consumer industries were neglected
There were too few skilled workers
There were too little effective central co-ordination for efficient development
Small industries lost out in the competition to bigger factories

Question 16

What is an overview of the SFYP?

Answer 16

It was built on the infrastructure provided by the first, it gave more attention to consumer goods but heavy industry still remained the overall priority

Question 17

What were the aims of the SFYP?

Answer 17

To continue the growth of heavy industry
To promote the growth of light industries
To develop the communication system to provide links between the city and other industrial areas
To foster engineering and tool making

Question 18

What are some of the successes of the SFYP?

Answer 18

It had the ‘three good years’ between 1934 and 1936
The Moscow metro was opened in 1935, the Volga Canal in 1937 and the Dnieprostroi Dam (which produced HEP) which was completed in 1932 was extended with 4 more generators to make it the largest dam in Europe
The growth of metals grew e.g. copper, zinc and tin were mined for the first time
Steel output trebled, coal output doubled

Question 19

What was the Moscow metro an example of?

Answer 19

The beauty of socialism and how it could surpass capitalist design- the interior was divine e.g. marble walls, grand chandeliers

Question 20

By 1937 what was the Soviet described as?

Answer 20

Virtually self sufficient in metal goods and machine tools

Question 21

How was the plan’s focus shifted in 1936?

Answer 21

There was a greater emphasis placed on rearmament which rose from 4% GDP to 17% in 1933

Question 22

What are some of the weaknesses of the SFYP?

Answer 22

Shoe production was extreme
Oil production failed to meet its targets
There was still no appreciative rise in consumer goods
There was an emphasis on quantity rather than quality

Question 23

What was significant about armament production in te SFYP?

Answer 23

A provision which did not appear in the military budget was the development of at least one secret workshop devoted to weapons production in each industrial complex- these provided half of the military production where output rose by almost 300% between 1933 and 1938

Question 24

What was the TP and AP for steel during SFYP?

Answer 24

TP= 17
AP= 17.7
This was due to quantity over quality policy- steel was in fact badly produced and would often bend therefore unsuitable for its purpose

Question 25

What was the coal production figures for SFYP?

Answer 25

TP= 152.5
AP= 128

Question 26

What was the electricity production figures for the SFYP?

Answer 26

TP= 38,000MW

AP=36,000MW

Question 27

What were machine tool figures for the SFYP?

Answer 27

TP= 40,000
AP= 45,500

Question 28

Why was the Moscow metro built?

Answer 28

To deal with the influx of peasants recruited as urban workers to the cities- it encouraged unskilled workers and recruited specialists from the London Underground to help in the manufacturing

Question 29

Who was the Moscow-Volga canal built by?

Answer 29

Prisoners from the Dmitlag labour camp which grew to be the largest of its kind in 1934, 200,000 prisoners were employed and 22,000 died

Question 30

What was the rewards system in place during the construction of the Volga- Canal?

Answer 30

Those who fulfilled their quotas were given 600 grams of bread per day, those who didn’t 400 grams and those who were being punished 300 grams

Question 31

What was Magnitogorsk?

Answer 31

A new industrial city where a gigantic steel plant and a town of 150,000 people were created from nothing. Workers lived in communal barracks beneath imposing pictures of Lenin and Stalin

Question 32

What was Komsomolsk?

Answer 32

The governments decision to construct a shipyard on the River Amur in East Russia, it was built using largely volunteer labour from the communist youth organisation Komsomol.

Question 33

Why was Komsomolsk important?

Answer 33

It became a major regional centre for metal working, machinery, oil refining and shipbuilding

Question 34

How were foreigners involved in the FYP?

Answer 34

They provided necessary expertise for vast projects.
Henry Ford advised on the car industry and trained Russian engineers in the USA, and helped design the car plant at Gorky
American engineers worked on the dam and were influenced by construction of dams in Canada

Question 35

Why was the USSR popular to foreigners?

Answer 35

Communism was appealing in the time of depression- workers believed they were contributing to a new world

Question 36

Why were foreigners treated badly?

Answer 36

They were looked upon with suspicion and they were the easy scapegoat for when things went wrong, the secret police had arrested numerous British engineers as they had gained geographical knowledge of Russia

Question 37

What was the TFYP?

Answer 37

The plan had a particular on the need to rearm against an advancing threat in Germany. The plan was disrupted by the war in 1941

Question 38

What were the aims of the TFYP?

Answer 38

Again place a renewed emphasis on heavy industry
Encourage rapid rearmament
Complete the transition to communism

Question 39

What were the weaknesses of the TFYP?

Answer 39

Steel production stagnated
Oil production failed to meet its target - resulted in a fuel crisis
Many industries found themselves short of materials
Consumer goods were also relegated to the lowest priority

Question 40

What was the biggest problem with the TFYP?

Answer 40

The death of specialist managers and technicians following Stalin’s purges

Question 41

What was the Stakhanovites movement?

Answer 41

When Aleksei Stakhanov cut an extraordinary 102 tonnes of steel with his pneumatic pick in 5 hours 45 minutes he was declared a soviet hero. This amount of coal would be expected to be produced in 14 lengths the time. He was rewarded with bonuses and honorary awards.

Question 42

What was the impact of the Stakhanovite movement?

Answer 42

It was used as a propaganda campaign to create a new proletariat culture based on team work and selfless sacrafice

Question 43

Why was the Stakhanovite movement not universally popular?

Answer 43

There were some issues with jealousy e.g. in the receipt of superior accommodation and other material benefits
They were cases of Stakhanovites being victimised or attacked by colleagues who were less enthusiastic and resented campaigns to make them work even harder

Question 44

How could the Stakhanovite movement be considered a stunt?

Answer 44

Apparently in later years it was revealed that Stakhanov had a support team of help, carrying out a range of task that miners would usually be expected to carry out themselves e.g. propping the roof

Question 45

What was the task of industrial managers?

Answer 45

To ensure that targets were met, this would involve fulfilling quotas, while having limited control over their own resources, prices, wages and other costs

Question 46

How could industry managers be rewarded?

Answer 46

If they over exceeded targets they could receive bonuses of up to 40%

Question 47

What was a managers punishment for not reaching targets/

Answer 47

They could be trialled, imprisoned and executed for not meeting targets- this resulted in many managers falsifying their production figures.

Question 48

What was wrecking?

Answer 48

An act perceived as economic or industrial sabotage- for this reason a manager had to ensure his books were balanced

Question 49

What caused difficulty for managers?

Answer 49

Work norms- how much a labourer was expected to do. This made it difficult for managers to earn the good will of labourers. Work norms increased in 1936 from 10% to 50% making it harder for managers.

Question 50

Why were Stakhavonites a problem for managers?

Answer 50

This meant quotas were arguably be unrealistic the following year and aspiring Stakhanovites accused managers for sabotage for failing to provide the materials

Question 51

What were 2 examples of tough measures as a result of industrialisation for workers?

Answer 51

7 day working week

Longer hours

Question 52

What sort of acts of workers were deemed punishable?

Answer 52

Arriving or missing work could result in being dismissed, being evicted or losing housing benefits
Damaging machinery or leaving work without permission was a criminal offence
Strikes were illegal

Question 53

What were labour books 1938?

Answer 53

They were introduce to record workers labour force e.g. employment, skills and any disciplinary acts

Question 54

Why were workers optimistic in the first years of industrialisation?

Answer 54

An extensive training programme was set up and opportunity for advancement when new skills were learnt meant some workers did well
Wage differentials in 1931 rewarded those who stayed in their job and worked hard

Question 55

How did Stalin’s purges impact workers?

Answer 55

In the 1930s the purges impacted intellectuals and white collar workers, reducing the numbers competing for jobs and creating plenty of vacancies at the top.

Question 56

What was a negative social impact of industrialisation for workers?

Answer 56

Due to the excessive numbers of workers migrating to the city, left workers living in extreme, cramped conditions where they had to cope with inadequate sanitary conditions and erratic water supplies. Transport was crowded, shops were empty and queues and shortages became a feature of life.

Question 57

Why did the phasing out of rationing in 1935 not have a great impact?

Answer 57

Market prices were still high, those of higher social status e.g party members and leaders could obtain goods more cheaply