Russia 2 Flashcards
What were the economic reasons supporting collectivisation (1929)?
Wanted to industrialise and catch up with the west out of fear of invasion and war again.
Fewer people would be needed to farm the land so they could become workers in factories.
Between the peasants they would be able to afford machinery to produce a greater yield.
What were the food production reasons to support collectivisation?
More land would produce more food.
Could generate an excess of grain. Could use as an export and use to prevent more famine in cities like in War Communism.
Previous farms were smaller and less efficient, became smaller and smaller over generations.
There had been a poor harvest in 1928 they wanted to prevent again.
What were the political reasons to support the collectivisation?
Was happening during the power struggle.
Stalin adopts the lefts ideology after Trotsky and co. Removed from party so he can begin taking down the right.
Opposed Bukharin’s view of ‘Peasants enrich yourselves’
Would strengthen his control over the countryside which was weak before.
What were the ideological reasons to support collectivisation?
Collective ownership is a Marxist idea.
Puts priority of workers over peasantry (if there’s famine again it will not be in the cities)
More control of the country to the state.
Class war against Kulaks.
Collectivisation during the great turn (1927-1928)
Entirely voluntary
Encouraged with propaganda via posters, films, photos
Less than 5% of farms collectivised
When did Stalin announce is plans for ‘dekulakisation’?
December 1929
Wanted to ‘liquidate the kulaks as a class’
How did stage 1 of collectivisation (1929-1930) work?
Government enforced quotas of grain to be sold (cheaply) to them.
Those who could not keep up were punished.
Created propaganda campaigns against Kulaks.
1929 began forcing collectivisation.
How did forced collectivisation work?
Moved onto farms in a variety of ways by 25,000ers, OGPU and the Red Army
Who were the 25,000ers?
Groups of young party members usually students and from cities who volunteered to move peasants onto Kholkhoz.
What % of peasants were ‘Kulaks’?
4%
What made a ‘Kulak’?
Was no set quota or definition, anyone could be accused of it, someone who had more animals/money than most other peasants.
What happened to Kulaks in the collective farms?
We’re not allowed on them.
Party groups told to identify and export/execute any. Sometimes whole family sent.
Some escaped to cities, most sent to do labour in Siberia.
What happened with the collectivised farms in 1930?
Jan- Stalin aims to have 25% of farm collectivised.
By March 58% of households are moved.
Stalin blames his people being ‘dizzy with success’
Made voluntary again until next harvest (Oct).
What was a Kolkhoz?
Collective farms comprised of many peasants land.
Quotas of grain to be given to gov. Rest sold for profit which is split evenly.
50-100 families
Overseen by an inexperienced party member
Larger ones had clinics and schools.
What was a Sovkhoz?
State run collective farm.
Usually bigger
Worked for a wage.
Had ‘workers’ not peasants.
First dibs on machinery.
Poorer people worked on
On land of previous bourgeois estates
What did the two types of collective farms have in common?
Limited movement with internal passports introduced in 1932
Used modern farming methods and more machinery
What was the specialist name given to the Ukrainian famine (1932-1933)?
Holodomor
‘Holod’ hunger
‘Mor’ extermination
How many Ukrainians starved during the Holodomor?
Between 3.9 and 8 million
How did Stalin try to stamp out the Ukrainian identity?
Banning the speaking of the language.
Persecuted intellectuals and nationalist ideologies
Why was Stalin so interested in Ukraine?
It ha very fertile black soil.
Wanted to make it the ‘breadbasket of the soviet union’ for exporting grain
They had attempted to gain indépendance in 1917 under the Decree on Independence
What evidence is there to suggest the famine was targeted specifically against Ukraine?
Peasants desperately writing to Stalin, that he ignored.
Continued to export grain
Policemen confiscating food, livestock and pets so there was nothing to eat.
Examples of ‘Social dislocation’ in response to Holodomor
Women taking food from their children because they could have more
Burying children in pits so they wouldn’t have to see them starve
Lynch mobs
Murdering children before they starved to death
Cannibalism :}
Evidence to suggest the famine was not targeted to Ukraine
Was generallly making a point against Kulaks
No evidence of intentional genocide
Other areas suffered from famine like Kazakhstan
What was the ‘Five ears of corn’ law
Enforced 16th September 1932
Stalin was state property so anyone caught stealing more than a handful of the grain would be imprisoned or even executed.
In 1 year, 6,000 had been shot under this law.
What were the aims of the First 5 Year plan (1928-1932)?
Focus on Russia’s heavy industry e.g. coal, oil, iron, steel machinery
Increase electricity output by 600%
Double output of chemical industry
What were the results of the First 5 Year Plan (1928-1932)?
Electricity industry tripled. Coal and Iron industries doubled
Targeted 75M tonnes of coal, 35M attained
22M of oil, 12M attained
10M tonnes of steel, 4 attained
10M of pig iron, 3.3M attained
Goals not met but there was still significant growth, targets set too high
What was Magnetogorsk?
Entire city built on an iron store in the Urrals
Declared a city in 1931, population 150,000
Intended to be a new Industrial city
Most workers unskilled, young men who were previous peasants (made 1/2 of workers 1932)
Who were the ‘Bourgeois Specialists’?
Scapegoat of the industrial cities.
Usually ex-middle class factory owners and managers.
Accused of working with foreigners (or Trotsky) to sabotage USSR and production by ‘wrecking’ machinery.
What were the aims of the Second 5 Year Plan (1933-1937)?
Focus on consumer goods and infastructure, keep up heavy industry from the first plan.
Promote lighter industries.
Develop communication between cities.
Build on engineering
What were the results of the Second 5 Year Plan (1933-19137)?
Big projects like the Moscow metro (1935) Volga canal, Dneiprostroi Dam (for hydroelectrics)
Russia basically self sufficient on metals by 1937
Steel industry tripled, Coal doubled
Basically met or nearly met most targets.
Oil target aimed for 47M tonnes, only attained 29M + Tractors aimed for 166 M but only got 66 M.
From 1936 moved to focus on réarment so its output increased 300%
What were the aims of the Third 5 Year Plan (1938-1942)?
Move focus to defence and rearmement
Continue development of heavy industry.
Transition into communism
What were the results of the Third 5 Year Plan (1938-1942)?
Spending on rearmement doubled
Shortages because targets weren’t met
Consumer goods left on low priority
Stalins purges decreased number of manager and technicians
Plan interrupted by the invasion of the Nazis into Russia
Who was Alexei Stakhanov?
Russian worker who on the 30th of August 1935 managed to mine 102 tonnes of coal in five hours. (With support) and became an icon of propaganda for the productivity of the Soviet Union.
Received awards such as dinner with Stalin, 200 rouble bonus, better apartment, holidays, passes for the cinema
Who were the Stakhanovites?
Movement of workers trying to emulate Stakhanov’s achievement to th extent that by December 1935 the lis of broken records for factories filled two volumes.
How were Stakhanovites treated?
Rewarded by government with awards, bonuses and rewards
However, other workers were often jealous of their special treatment and they were resented or attacked by colleagues. Managers didn’t like them because their productivity could lead to higher targets factory-wide/
What were the working conditions of managers during the five year plans?
Had to keep their worker to the ‘work norms’ of the number of hours they should work. In 1936, the work norms were raised between 10-50%.
Little control over the resources, wages, prices of their factories.
Had to lie on their numbers of production to meet targets and get bonuses- they could be imprisoned or executed if their weren’t met.
Most likely to be targeted by the purges. Accused of wrecking by their workforce, who often mistrusted them.
During 3rd 5YP faced with labour shortages bc of the military emphasis
Rewarded for their efforts with better pay
How did the workers benefit from the 5 Year Plans?
Free training and Education programmes (not allowed inn if you were a Kulak)
1931- introduced wage differentials so workers who produced more were paid more with bonuses/ pay by the piece
Hard workers rewarded with nicer housing.
Where did the workers not benefit in the 5 Year Plans?
Could lose job/housing for being absent form work, 1940 being late for work made illegal as well as no longer free labour market and a 7 day work week.
Could be accused of wrecking for damages.
Striking was illegal
Shortages, no consumer goods to spend wage on
Lack of housing. Public transport bad
The Purges - mostly targeted ex- middle class-
Slave/camp labour prevalent- lots of death involved
From 1938 Labour Books and Internal Passports introduced to limit movement
