Lesson 5-Was Stalin's collectivism a good way of solving Russia's economic policies?

Question 1

What is Capitalism?

Answer 1

An economic system in which individuals can trade freely.
There is no government interference

Question 2

What is Socialism?

Answer 2

that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole

Question 3

Define collectivisation/collectivise.

Answer 3

The taking over by the Soviet state of land and property previously owned by the peasants, accompanied by the requirement that the peasants now live and work communally.

Question 4

What is ‘Dizzy with Success’?

Answer 4

An article published in Pravda.
Stalin defended his policy of collectivisation.
But claimed that some local officials had been over enthusiastic when implementing collectivisation

Question 5

What is Grain Procurement?

Answer 5

Enforced collections of fixed quotas of grain from the peasants

Question 6

What was the Grain Procurement Crisis?

Answer 6

Where there was a 2 million ton shortfall in grains purchased by the state

Question 7

When was the Grain Procurement Crisis?

Answer 7

1928

Question 8

What did Stalin claim about the Grain Procurement Crisis?

Answer 8

The grain had been produced but was being horded by ‘kulaks’.

Question 9

Instead of raising the prices, what did the Politburo do as a result of the Grain Procurement Crisis?

Answer 9

They adopted an emergency measure to requisition 2.5 million tons of grain

Question 10

Who was the article ‘Dizzy with Success’ written by?

Answer 10

Stalin

Question 11

What are emergency measures?

Answer 11

Policies issued by a government in times of crisis

Question 12

Define liquidation

Answer 12

Eliminate by paying off (debts)

Question 13

What was dekulakisation?

Answer 13

The Soviet campaign of political repressions, including arrests, deportations, and executions of millions of the better-off peasants and their families

Question 14

When was dekulakisation?

Answer 14

1929-1932

Question 15

What were the richer peasants labelled as and what were they considered?

Answer 15

Labelled as kulaks
Considered class enemies

Question 16

Who were The Twenty-Five Thousanders?

Answer 16

A collective name for the frontline (industrial) workers from the major industrial cities of the USSR, who voluntarily left their homes for rural areas at the call of the CPSU in order to improve the performance of kolkhozes during the agricultural collectivisation in the USSR in the early 1930s

Question 17

What is a kolkhoz?

Answer 17

A collective farm (only in former Soviet Union)

Question 18

What is a MTS?

Answer 18

Machine Tractor Station

Question 19

What was the first function of an MTS?

Answer 19

Officially they were there to provide machinery and tools.

Question 20

What was the second function of an MTS?

Answer 20

Exercise political control over the collective farms that they were supporting.

Question 21

What could the workers of the MTS do?

Answer 21

Spy on the peasants and ensure that trouble makers were dealt with swiftly.

Question 22

What is industrialisation?

Answer 22

The development of industry on an extensive scale.

Question 23

What is urbanisation?

Answer 23

The social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban (non-rural)

Question 24

Who were the OGPU?

Answer 24

Succeeded as the Cheka.
In turn became the NKVD and then the KGB

Question 25

When was there a record grain harvest?

Answer 25

1926

Question 26

When did the grain harvest begin decreasing?

Answer 26

1927-8

Question 27

When was the Grain Procurement Crisis?

Answer 27

1927-9

Question 28

When was there a 'voluntary' collectivisation drive?

Answer 28

1928

Question 29

When were there emergency measures, such as rationing and grain requisitioning?

Answer 29

1928-9

Question 30

When was the Decree for sending out the Twenty-five thousanders?

Answer 30

November 1929

Question 31

When was forced collectivisation ordered?

Answer 31

December 1929

Question 32

When did Stalin approve 'Decree on Measures for the Elimination of Kulak Households'?

Answer 32

January 1930

Question 33

When did these events happen: Stalin publishes his article 'Dizzy with Success' Temporary halt to enforced collectivastion, Kulaks leave collective farms?

Answer 33

March 1930

Question 34

When did Stalin restart enforced collectivisation?

Answer 34

1931

Question 35

When was there a widespread famine?

Answer 35

1932-4

Question 36

When were 100% of farms collectivised?

Answer 36

1941

Question 37

During agricultural collectivisation, what was there state ownership over?

Answer 37

Agricultural production

Question 38

What did Stalin understand the importance of when it came to industrialisation working?

Answer 38

Importance of food surpluses

Question 39

Because of NEP under Lenin, how long was agriculture unchanged for?

Answer 39

The Revolution of 1917

Question 40

By 1928, how was agriculture still run?

Answer 40

On an individual basis by peasant households under the supervision of the mir (village elders)

Question 41

Why were the peasants forced into the collectivisation of farming?

Answer 41

Both political and economic forces were pushing Stalin to abandon NEP which led to this.

Question 42

By what year were political and economic forces pushing Stalin to abandon NEP?

Answer 42

1928

Question 43

What were, roughly, the main reasons for collectivisation?

Answer 43

The link with industry The economic case for it The political case for it

Question 44

What was the modern economic base essential for?

Answer 44

Defence purposes

Question 45

What would industrial development only be possible with?

Answer 45

An increase of agricultural productivity

Question 46

What would industrial development lead to?

Answer 46

An increase in the population of towns and cities

Question 47

What did new industries need?

Answer 47

Technology from abroad

Question 48

What would the technology needed from abroad be paid with?

Answer 48

The increase of food surpluses

Question 49

What did agriculture need to provide more than just?

Answer 49

Food

Question 50

Apart from technology, what else would be needed in the new industrial centres?

Answer 50

Labour

Question 51

How could labour be achieved in the new industrial centres?

Answer 51

In the short term it could be achieved by mechanisation of agriculture.

Question 52

What did mechanisation of agriculture mean?

Answer 52

Releasing labourers from the countryside to work in industry

Question 53

How could industrialisation only be achieved?

Answer 53

If agriculture was more efficient

Question 54

What was one thing which was inefficient compared to the rest of Europe?

Answer 54

Small peasant plots

Question 55

What would the formation of collective farms create?

Answer 55

Economics of scale

Question 56

What would economics of scale result in?

Answer 56

Larger units being produced As well as releasing much needed workers for the growing industrial plants

Question 57

What would ensure the survival of a revolution?

Answer 57

Extending socialism to the countryside

Question 58

How was the support for the party like in the countryside?

Answer 58

Weak

Question 59

What event had caused the support of the party to continue weakening in the countryside?

Answer 59

Tambov Uprising of 1921

Question 60

What the did the Land decree in 1917 see to?

Answer 60

The redistribution of land

Question 61

Despite the Land Decree, by 1925, how much of the farmland was collectivised?

Answer 61

Less than 1%

Question 62

What did less than 1% of land being collectivised mean for the peasants?

Answer 62

It allowed them to make a profit

Question 63

What did collectivisation give the opportunity to do?

Answer 63

Get rid of the Kulaks and richer peasants

Question 64

By 1928, what was it that Stalin was convinced held back the state of agriculture?

Answer 64

The attitudes of the peasants

Question 65

From what year had the amount of food given to the government by the peasants fallen?

Answer 65

1926

Question 66

What would collectivisation do according to the political case for it?

Answer 66

The bad attitude of the peasants Increase the amount of food production

Question 67

What was the process of collectivisation like in a sentence?

Answer 67

Consisted of a number of phases, each becoming more radical.

Question 68

What was decided at the 15th Party Congress?

Answer 68

A programme of voluntary collectivisation

Question 69

When was the 15th Party Congress?

Answer 69

December 1927

Question 70

What led the government to carry out forced requisitioning of grain as a temporary emergency measure?

Answer 70

Food shortages in 1928

Question 71

What method was used to carry out forced requisitioning of grain?

Answer 71

'Ural-Siberian Method.'

Question 72

What did local party officials do towards the cause of collectivisation?

Answer 72

They went into villages to announce collectivisation until enough people had signed up as members.

Question 73

What was given through the establishment of MTS'?

Answer 73

A promise of increased mechanisation

Question 74

Who were the MTS centres run by?

Answer 74

The government

Question 75

What physical thing did MTS centres supply?

Answer 75

Farm machinery such as tractors to the collectives

Question 76

What else (non-physical) did the MTS centres provide?

Answer 76

Advice on farming techniques and political lectures to persuade peasants on the benefits of socialism and collectivisation

Question 77

What could collectives seize as a property of the collective after enough peasants had signed up?

Answer 77

Animals Grain supplies Buildings in the village

Question 78

During the process of collectivisation, what were Kulaks being used to describe?

Answer 78

Any peasants that refused to join Were labelled as class enemies

Question 79

Where were Kulaks being deported?

Answer 79

Siberia and the Urals

Question 80

Who did collectivisation lead to violent opposition from?

Answer 80

A large number of peasants Particularly the richer peasants

Question 81

Where were these richer peasants from who showed violent opposition as a result of collectivisation?

Answer 81

the Ukraine the Caucasus region

Question 82

Who was sent in to deal with the opposition regarding collectivisation?

Answer 82

'Dekulakisation squads'

Question 83

What did many of the opposition choose to do rather than hand over the property to the state?

Answer 83

Burn their property

Question 84

Why were the 'Twenty-five thousanders' sent into villages and despite what?

Answer 84

To educate. However, knew very little about agriculture themselves

Question 85

What were the 'Twenty-five thousanders' well trained in?

Answer 85

Class warfare

Question 86

What did the OGPU (secret police) do?

Answer 86

Rounded up class enemies to be sent to concentration camps

Question 87

Who did Stalin blame in 'Dizzy with Success' for 'Excesses'?

Answer 87

Overzealous (over enthusiastic) local Party officials

Question 88

What are 'Excesses'?

Answer 88

Actions beyond the limit of what is acceptable Bad behaviour or actions that are socially or morally unacceptable

Question 89

By 1932, how many peasant households had been collectivised?

Answer 89

62%

Question 90

In 1937, what percentage had the peasants households which had been collectivised risen to?

Answer 90

93%

Question 91

What was the supply of machinery to the collectives like?

Answer 91

Slow

Question 92

What were many people without until the mid- 1930s?

Answer 92

Tractors

Question 93

Who had the most productive farms?

Answer 93

Kulaks

Question 94

What were the consequences of removing the kulaks?

Answer 94

It was damaging since they had the most productive farms

Question 95

What act did the kulaks do that had an effect on livestock?

Answer 95

Slaughtering of animals

Question 96

What happened to the number of cattle between 1928-33?

Answer 96

They halved

Question 97

When did the number of cattle being halved not fully restore until?

Answer 97

1953

Question 98

What was there a shortage of as a result of the number of cattle being halved?

Answer 98

Meat and milk

Question 99

What did grain production fall from, from 1928-34?

Answer 99

1928=73.3 million tonnes 1934=67.6 million tonnes

Question 100

Where was the shortages of food felt and why?

Answer 100

In the countryside Because of amount of grain being seized by the government for the Red Army

Question 101

Why else did the rural population starve?

Answer 101

The government seized food for export to gain foreign exchange

Question 102

Who was particularly affected as a result of the widespread famine?

Answer 102

the Ukraine Kazakhstan the Caucasus region (border of Europe and Asia)

Question 103

Why did the government introduce a passport system in the collectives?

Answer 103

Peasants would leave the collectives in search for food

Question 104

What was the passport system far from?

Answer 104

The peasants liberation in 1861

Question 105

What did peasants do because they were so hungry?

Answer 105

They resorted to eating their own children

Question 106

How did the government respond to the peasants eating their own children?

Answer 106

All claims for dismissed

Question 107

Which foreign visitors, more specifically British socialists, were shown to model collectives?

Answer 107

Sidney and Beatrice Webb (spouses)

Question 108

What did the analysis of newly available Soviet data show?

Answer 108

4 million died in 1933 alone

Question 109

What was harvest like in the year 1933?

Answer 109

Good

Question 110

What other year, following on from the good harvest in 1933, had a good harvest?

Answer 110

1937

Question 111

What helped the harvest in 1937?

Answer 111

Good weather

Question 112

Despite these positive things, such as harvests, what was complete recovery hindered by?

Answer 112

Interference of the government and slow machinery

Question 113

What class was Stalin successful in eliminating?

Answer 113

The Kulaks

Question 114

How many deaths were there of the Kulaks in 1928?

Answer 114

15 million

Question 115

What do some historians argue about Stalin's famine in the Ukraine?

Answer 115

It was his attempt of genocide against its people.

Question 116

What was the genocide of the Ukraine called?

Answer 116

The 'Holodomor'

Question 117

Which nomadic group was forced into collectives and what did this threaten?

Answer 117

'Kazakhs' Their existence

Question 118

What did forcing 'Kazakhs' into collectives mean?

Answer 118

Their sheep flocks were being wiped out

Question 119

What was the 'Kazakhs' population reduced to as a result of being forced into collectives?

Answer 119

It was reduced by 40%

Question 120

Give 3 examples of why Stalin's policy of collectivisation was a failure.

Answer 120

1. The supply of machinery was slow 2. The Kulaks, the most productive farmers, were removed 3. The slaughtering of livestock had a devastating effect on livestock numbers

Question 121

Give 3 more examples of why Stalin's policy of collectivisation was a failure.

Answer 121

1. Grain requisitioning meant that there was not enough to eat in the countryside 2. The rural population starved 3. Grain production did not rise dramatically

Question 122

Give 2 final examples of reasons why Stalin's policy of collectivisation was a failure.

Answer 122

1. Poor planning 2. Total cost in terms of human lives represented a 'tragedy of epic proportion'