Russia: collectivisation and industrialisation

Question 1

What was collectivisation?

Answer 1

The enforced grouping of individual farmers’ land and livestock into larger,collective farms.

Question 2

What was a kolkhoz?

Answer 2

A collective farm.

Question 3

What percentage of the kolkhoz’s produce would be sold to the government?

Answer 3

90

Question 4

What were the MTS?

Answer 4

The Motor Tractor Stations, whose tractor drivers toured the kolkhoz to do the ploughing.

Question 5

What is the significance of the numbers 30 million and 16 million?

Answer 5

They were the number of cows and horses respectively that peasants killed rather than give them to the kolkhoz.

Question 6

By how much did grain production fall between 1928 (the beginning of collectivisation) and 1934?

Answer 6

10%

Question 7

How many people died in the 1932 famine?

Answer 7

13 million

Question 8

What happened to state grain procurement (i.e. the amount of grain taken by the state from the peasants) 1929-32?

Answer 8

It doubled.

Question 9

What was Gosplan?

Answer 9

The Russian state planning organisation which drew up the 5 Year Plans.

Question 10

It might sound obvious that a five year plan should take five years. But how many did Stalin insist it should take?

Answer 10

4

Question 11

On what did the first, second and third Five Year Plans focus, or plan to focus?

Answer 11

Major industry; mining; as before, but with added consumer goods.

Question 12

What was the name of the huge city built as part of the regeneration drive?

Answer 12

Magnitogorsk.

Question 13

Who was Stakhanov?

Answer 13

A legendary miner who other workers were encouraged to emulate.

Question 14

Give the coal and steel stats which suggest the 5YPs succeeded.

Answer 14

Coal production rose from 35m tonnes in 1927 to 150m in 1940.
Steel production rose from 3m tonnes in 1927 to 19m in 1940.

Question 15

What were gulags and what was built as a result of their existence?

Answer 15

Prisons where the punishment was forced labour. Prisoners built the Moscow Metro and Belomor Canal.

Question 16

What is one reason why it could be argued that collectivistaion was a sucess

Answer 16

Stalin managed to increase control over Russia:
* Countryside peasants never again openly rebelled
* Put into practise communist ideas
* 80% of farmland collectivised
* Made it easier to colect grain and taxes
* Control over grain supply

Question 17

What is another reason why it could be argued that collectivistaion was a sucess?

Answer 17

Production and its efficiency did increase in some areas:
* Enough food to feed towns and red army
* Enough labour for factories
* More grain produced - roughly doubled between 1929 and 1932
* Tractors (MTS) used - mechanisation of farming sped up
* Some kolkhoz’s prospered and had schools and hospitals

Question 18

What is one reason why it could be argued that collectivistaion was not a sucess?

Answer 18

Huge amounts of opposition, weaking its effectiveness:
* Half of russias cows and horses killed by peasants unwilling to join kolkhoz
* Peasants would also burn crops and even thier own houses
* Deportations to gulgas
* Had to slow down due to sabotage by peasants

Question 19

What is another reason why it could be argued that collectivistaion was not a sucess?

Answer 19

In some areas production decreased:
* Soviet farmers produced less per head than in USA
* Until 1930’s food had to be brought from abroad
* Grain production fell (see earlier flashcards)
* Combined w poor harvest led to huge famine in 1932 (which gov refused to acknowledge which made it much worse)

Question 20

What is one reason why it could be argued that industrialisation was a sucess?

Answer 20

Production in industry increased massively in some areas:
* Coal, steel and oil production increased
* Sucessfully developed new industries
* Dams and hydroelectric power
* New cities built (Magnitogorsk)
* Moscow metro

Question 21

What is another reason why it could be argued that industrialisation was a sucess?

Answer 21

Increased quality of life for some peasants and workers:
* Stakhanovites got free holidays and order of lenin
* By 1930’s many workers got well-paid jobs
* Unemployment practically non-existent
* More doctors per head than Britain

Question 22

What is one reason why it could be argued that industrialisation was not a sucess?

Answer 22

In other ways, worker conditions were terrible and discipline was strict:
* Terrible labour and housing conditions
* Factory discipline strict e.g. lateness meant a fine and absence meant sacking
* Belomor canal building - 100,000 worker peasants died
* Workers poorly paid and value of wages fell by 10% from 1928-33

Question 23

What is another reason why it could be argued that industrialisation was not a sucess?

Answer 23

Although production increased, there were many manufacturing problems:
* 5yp’s often missed targets
* Factories overproduced or faced shortages
* Low quality products
* Huge shortage of skilled workers