Reasons for economics development and the Great Turn

Question 1

Give five reasons why Stalin wanted to industrialise and modernise the USSR as quickly as possible?

Answer 1

A country not industrialised was a weak country - to fight a modern war a well developed industrial base was required to produce the huge quantities of weapons was needed.

Wanted to make USSR much less dependent on western manufactured goods - to achieve this a heavy industrial plant was needed.

Socialism could only be achieved in a highly industrial state where the majority of the population were workers.

Stalin needed to prove to himself and other leading Bolsheviks that he was the successor and equal of Lenin.

Stalin wanted to catch up with the west ( in terms of standards of living as well as militarily).

Question 2

What did Stalin introduce three of between 1928 and 1941?

Answer 2

Five-Year plans

Question 3

What was his primary aim in the five year plans?

Answer 3

To industrialise Russia by combining central planning with large-scale investment

Question 4

How far behind Britain and USA did he claim that the SU was and how quickly did he believe he could catch up?

Answer 4

100 years behind

Believed through planning the SU could catch up in 10 years

Question 5

How did the plans reflect Soviet militant concerns?

Answer 5

Stalin and many others in government feared that Germany would invade the soviet union so defending Soviet territory would require modern industry to produce the weapons necessary to fight a modern war

Question 6

When were the first, second and third Five-Year Plans?

Answer 6

1. October 1928-December 1932
2. January 1933-December 1937
3. January 1939-June 1941

Question 7

What happened to agriculture between 1928 and 1941?

Answer 7

It was collectivised

Question 8

What were the 4 main reasons for collectivisation?

Answer 8

Communists wanted to abolish private property and replace private farming with state-run farming to end capitalism and inequality.

By collectivising farms, the Communists hopes that peasants would see the superiority of the socialist methods and embrace communism whole-heartedly.

By 1928 there were clear signs that the NEP was failing- agricultural production fell and left-wing communists claimed that kulaks were deliberately holding back the construction of socialism.

Stalin’s opposition to the NEP was a key reason why he assumed the leadership of the party in the policy disputes of the 1920’s.

Question 9

Why was slowing down of collectivisation required by 1930?

Answer 9

It increased so rapidly that he claimed the initial targets had been over fulfilled by more than 100%

Question 10

What were the other problems of the Russian economy before the great turn?
Who was blamed?

Answer 10

Production was weakened by strikes, managerial inefficiency and low levels of mechanisation.

Officials blamed nepmen for obstructing central planners and factory managers blamed government officials for demanding unrealistically low prices.

Question 11

Why was the problems of industry linked to agriculture?

Answer 11

Agriculture and collectivisation - the regime required sufficient food to supply the needs of industrial workers and wanted to surplus grain to pay for industrial investment

Question 12

When had collectivisation existed from?

Answer 12

1918 to a limited extent - it was a key aspect of communist ideology

Question 13

What were three reason for the great turn?

Answer 13

Weakness in industrial management - more efficiency needed to increase production.

Wanted to increase military strength and develop self sufficiency.

Huge grain crisis winter of 27-28 , amount of grain purchased by gov was down 25% on previous year - many blamed peasants for hoarding grain until price was high

Question 14

What were two other reasons for the great turn (political)?

Answer 14

Many in the party wanted to revert to true communist ideology in managing the economy and for true socialism developing industry was essential to remove reliance on peasants - needed state control over production.

Stalin’s attitude to economic policy also changing, having previously supported NEP he now wanted to be more radical maybe as economic circumstances needed a solution or maybe he was now secure enough to push for what he wanted.

Question 15

What was the evolution in economic policy 1925-27

Answer 15

1925 - 14th party congress called for the transformation of the country from agrarian to industrial, capable of its own efforts
1926 - NEP was maintained although concerns were raised as more investment was needed to drive industry
Dec 1927 - 15th party congress there was an announcement of end of NEP and the beginning of the first of the five year plan for rapid industrialisation - known as the Great Turn

Question 16

What were the aims of the first five year plan?

Answer 16

Develop heavy industry (coal, iron, steel, oil etc).

Boost overall production by 300% .

Improve the transport system (especially railways).

Transform the economy and society through.

electrification (target was to generate six times more electrical power by 1933 than 1928).

Feed the expanding industrial workforce through big increase in agricultural production.

Light industry (chemicals, household good etc) was given low priority but was still expected to double its outputs.

Question 17

What did the ambitious targets intend to do (mindset of Russians)?

Answer 17

Force managers and workers to devote maximum effort to the fulfilment of the five year plans - the launch of the plan was accompanied with a tidal wave of propaganda to whip up enthusiasm - full of grand predictions for future success

Question 18

Why was Magnitogorsk not socialist?

Answer 18

Used foreign experts - asked the US steel company how to copy American technology

Question 19

What was the initial enthusiasm to the first plan?

Answer 19

Many party members were pleased to see a commitment to radical social change and an end to the compromises of the NEP.

Urban workers hoped for better employment prospects and higher living standards.

Many poor and middle peasants were led to hope they would benefit from further land reform and the introduction of more modern methods.

Question 20

Why did the first five year plan provoke opposition from the start?

Answer 20

Many in the party saw the Kulaks as the backbone of the agricultural economy and were fearful that the harsh imposition of collectivisation would result in less food being produced.

Question 21

What were the two sides of the collectivisation debate in the party?

Answer 21

Massive expansion of state farms but the few existing state farms were unproductive and very unpopular with the peasantry.

Bukharin saw helping the peasants as key to economic success - they needed incentive to produce more so he thought prices should be allowed to rise encouraging peasants to sell more.

Bukharin’s opponents wanted faster progress towards modernisation and the growth of industry and they regarded the peasants as an obstacle to achieving this.

Question 22

How did Stalin deal with the grain procurement crisis?

Answer 22

Focused special attention on west Siberia and the Urals where the harvest had been generally good but grain procurement was down 1/3 on the previous year.

His officials and police went across the region closing free markets using the criminal law to stop speculation and pressurising local officials to seize grain - this provoked opposition from peasants leading to harsher measures

Question 23

What happened to Bukharin?

Answer 23

By summer of 1929 his political position was weakening and he found himself outvoted more often in Politburo and CC.

In October the Bukharinists lost the majority they previously held in the Moscow party
By November Stalin felt strong enough to make direct attacks on B charing him with ‘right deviation’

Question 24

During 1929 how did forced collectivisation gain momentum?

Answer 24

Popular with many party members and local officials
Molotov particularly active in issuing central directives in the summer and there was a chain reaction between these directives and enthusiasm from local officials
The CC introduced a policy of sending 25,000 industrial workers into the countryside to accelerate the development of collective farms`

Question 25

In December 1929 what did Stalin announce at the party congress?

Answer 25

His readiness to impose forced collectivisation without any restraint - ‘to smash the kulaks as a class’

Question 26

Where did Magnitogorsk come from?

Answer 26

In 1928 a soviet delegation travelled to Cleveland to discuss with experts at the US steel company how to copy the best American technology to build a new steel city as a showpiece of soviet industry
The Magnitaya area in western Siberia was chosen because of its vast reserves of iron ore - it was to be called Magnitogorsk

Question 27

What impact did the great turn have on the party?

Answer 27

Impacted debates and power struggles within the party - During 1928-29 the clash of opinion between Stalin and Bukharin intensified and relations between the two former allies broke down completely