RR - Unit 2 - Industrial and Agricultural Change Flashcards
1
Q
What is a Command Economy?
A
Controlled and directed by the state in the interests of the people
2
Q
Economic Problems in 1917 - 4 Points
A
- Capitalists treated workers poorly
- Economy was backwards and unsophisticated - Russia was far behind in industrialisation
- Lenin was unsure about what a socialist economy entailed
- People did not have food or materials
3
Q
State Capitalism in the Early Years - 4 Points
A
- March 1918 - introduced a transitional phase between capitalism and socialism
- Lenin knew the economy was not ready for full blown socialism
- Based on nationalisation of large-scale industry - ownership was passed to the State
- Small businesses not yet nationalised
4
Q
Vesenkha - 7 Points
A
- Set up in December 1917
- Known as the Supreme Council of the National Economy
- Controlled the nationalised industries
- Centralised control - Lenin thought this would lead to greater efficiency as specialists were employed to run the economy
- Re-establish worker discipline - offer higher pay for productive workers
- Ensure proper management of factories
- Co-ordinate economic production to meet demands of society
5
Q
Lenin’s Early Economic Measures and Aims - 5 Points
A
- High levels of production of war goods and increase in food production to feed soldiers
- Efficient allocation of workers
- June 1918 - nationalisation of all industries with 10 or more workers
- Had long term aim to abolish all private enterprises, which led to radical policies
- Greater government intervention in the economy, which led to war communism
6
Q
War Communism - 11 Points
A
- Conscription, created a food dictatorship, introduced rationing, abolition of trade, and improved labour disciplines
- Workers assigned to factories or to fight in the army
- Grain requisitioning had Cheka squads authorised to seize grain and other forms of food from peasants without payment, which was then used to feed the workers and soldiers
- 150,000 Bolshevik volunteers use to seize the grain
- Largest rations went to soldiers/workers and smallest went to bourgeoise
- 1918 - working day extended to 11 hours, when it was originally 8
- 1919 - work compulsory for all able-bodied people aged 16 - 50
- Harsh punishments for being late or slacking
- Private trade made illegal
- Government delivery caused hyperinflation so money became worthless
- Workers were paid in rations and public transport services were made free
7
Q
Consequences of War Communism - 7 Points
A
- Economic collapse, growth of the black market, mass poverty, and political crises
- Industrial production declined significantly as many left to work on farms - 1917 production was at 3 million tonnes, but 1922 it was at 1.2 million
- Agricultural production as there was no incentive - food was being taken with no payment and they had little to eat
- 1921 - harvest was 46% of the 1913 harvest, with 6 million dead from famine
- 60% of food in cities was from the black market
- August 1920 - June 1921 - Tambov uprising, where peasants rebelled against the government
- March 1921 - Kronstadt mutiny, where sailors mutinied and government responded with military action
8
Q
NEP - 4 Points
A
- New Economic Policy 1921
- Created a mixed economy with a price and public sector
- Operated on market forces
- Temporary fix to keep the Bolsheviks in power and to make a more socialist economy
9
Q
Reasons for the NEP - 5 Points
A
- Industry had fallen to 20% of its 1913 levels
- Food production had fallen to 48% of its 1913 levels
- War communism created resentment towards the government and those that benefitted
- Civil war had ended, which meant a new situation, and a new response was needed
- Uprising demanded change - particularly Kronstadt Mutiny, as they had been involved in the revolution
10
Q
Key Aspects of the NEP - 7 Points
A
- Food requisitioning was replaced by a system of taxation, which allowed the peasants to sell any remaining food for profit
- No forced programme of collectivisation
- Small scale industry was returned to private hands
- State kept control of heavy industry
- In state-owned factories, bonuses were used to try and raise production
- Introduction of legislation of private trading to stop the growth of black marketing
- Introduction of currency for paying wages
11
Q
Reactions to the NEP - 4 Points
A
- Some saw it as a betrayal to the revolution, as it had capitalist aspects
- Unrest reduced and the economy improved
- Promoted a new middle class of ‘nepmen’, who benefitted greatly and were previously bourgeoise
- Wealthier peasants created called ‘kulaks’
12
Q
Consequences of the NEP - 6 Points
A
- Industrial growth - market production increased and the government invested money from taxes in the reopening of factories
- Ending grain requisitioning provided some political stability as peasants did not like it
- Growth in grain production from 37.61 million tons in 1921 to 56.5 million tons in 1923 - still below 1913 levels
- Created inequality - nepmen arrested by the Cheka for profiteering and getting rich, while others were poor
- Corruption - gambling, drug dealing, and prostitution took place
- Scissor’s Crisis
13
Q
Scissor’s Crisis - 4 Points
A
- NEP caused uneven economic growth
- Food production increases greatly but industrial growth occurred slowly
- By 1923, the gap between farmer’s income and industrial crisis had to be subsided by the government
- Meant less money to improve the economy
14
Q
Nature of Stalin’s Five Year Plans - 4 Points
A
- Stalin’s radical economic policies is known as the Great Turn/Second Revolution
- Government initiative to increase production
- Gosplan
- All targets were backed by propaganda celebrating the successes of the plans
15
Q
Overall Aims of the FYPs - 5 Points
A
- Breakaway from the NEP and make the USSR self-sufficient
- Bring about rapid industrialisation to modernise the economy
- Remove nepmen
- Use the most advanced technology
- Mass mobilise the Soviet people and resources
16
Q
What Happened to the Bourgeoise Experts Who Retained Their Positions to Provide Expertise to Keep the Industry Running Smoothly? - 3 Points
A
- Campaign against the bourgeoise experts
- 1928 - series of show trials against them, and they were accused of ‘deliberate sabotage’
- Loss of this group hindered the process made under the five year plans
17
Q
First FYP - 3 Points
A
- 1928 - 1932
- Focused on rapid growth in heavy industries, such as coal, iron and steel
- Neglected consumer industries and production of household goods to allow the industrial sectors to flourish
18
Q
Second FYP - 3 Points
A
- 1933 - 1937
- Initially set higher targets to produce consumer goods
- Rise of Hitler in the 1930s redirected focus onto the needs of defence, and heavy industry received the priority
19
Q
Third FYP - 2 Points
A
- 1938 - 1941
- Geared towards arms production
20
Q
Results of the First FYP - 9 Points
A
- Large industrial centres, such as Magnitogorsk, were built and became large cities with a population of 250,000
- Facilities at these centres were primitive and workers were housed in tents and temporary huts
- By 1933, 17% of the workforce in Moscow as skilled
- Government relied on the use of shock-brigades made up of the best workers to set an example
- Rewards for model workers, such as new flats or bigger rations
- Government used slave labour from the gulags to complete large building projects in remote and cold regions like Siberia, which had a large human cost
- White Sea Canal project employed 180,000 prisoners, but during the winter of 1931 - 1932, 10,000 prisoners died on this project
- Factory managers were faced with unrealistic targets, so used a wide range of enterprising methods, such as ambushing resources for other factories and bribery
- Quality was often sacrificed in the rush to fulfil targets
21
Q
Results of the Second and Third FYPs - 6 Points
A
- Coal production rose during the second plan
- Chemical industry made process, but oil industry did not
- Much of the new industry in remote areas, such as Kazakhstan, acted as a form of regional development to promote even more distribution of industrialisation throughout the USSR
- Rapid growth in engineering industry and transportation
- Consumer industries suffered as the collectivisation of agriculture had destroyed a lot of industry in rural areas
- New bakeries and meat packing factories were established in many towns, but this did not solve the problems of shortages in important consumer goods
22
Q
Factors That Limited the Achievements of Stalin’s Economic Policy - 3 Points
A
- Poor planning and implementation
- Adoption of the command economy led to failures because planners in Moscow had little understating of local conditions in certain parts of the USSR
- Removal of managers and technical experts through the purges in 1937 slowed down economic progress
23
Q
Reasons for Collectivisation in Terms of Links With Industry - 4 Points
A
- Fear of invasion by foreign powers
- Modern economic base was seen as essential if the Soviet Union was to defend itself against an attack by capitalist powers
- Industrialisation would lead to an increase in the population of towns and cities that would need to be fed by an increase in food surplus
- New industries need technology from abroad and this was paid for by expiration of food surpluses
24
Q
Economic Reasons for Collectivisation - 4 Points
A
- Formation of collective farms where peasants would be grouped together on larger farms
- Resulted in larger units that made the use of machinery more viable and cost effective
- Use of machinery would enable increased food production and the reduction of labour requirements for agricultural production
- Would release workers for the growing industrial plants
25
Q
Political Reasons for Collectivisation - 5 Points
A
- Help extend socialism in the countryside and ensure the survival of the revolution
- Control of the Party in the countryside was weak and its support had declined since the Tambov Uprising in 1921
- Land Decree in 1917 resulted in land being the personal property of individual presence, which was not what the Bolsheviks wanted
- Would provide opportunity to get rid of the kulaks, who were seen to be hoarding food for their own consumption
- Led to pressure on leadership to rid the country of these capitalist classes because they prevented progress towards socialism
26
Q
Ural Siberian
A
Government carried out forced requisitioning of grain as a temporary measure to cope with food shortages in 1928, even though the 15th Party Congress decided on a programme of voluntary collectivistaion
27
Q
How Did Stalin Limit the Exploitative Tendencies of the Kulaks? - 2 Points
A
- Local Party officials went into villages to announce the organisation of a collective farm, Kolkhoz, and persuaded peasants to become members
- Peasants that refused to join the collective farms were labelled as class enemies and deported to Siberia
