Stalin's Five Year Plans. Flashcards
What were the aims of the Five Year Plans?
- Stalin wanted to rapidly industrialise Russia.
- Economically, he wanted to modernise the economy.
- potentially to spread Communism further.
What did Marx say about the revolution?
Marx said that every country would go through the industrial revolution and the workers would become the majority. Workers, of course, were the natural supporters of the Bolsheviks.
Ideologically, what would be the pros of modernisation?
More peasants would become workers! Workers would then provide more support for the Bolsheviks.
What problems were there with the NEP?
Industry and agriculture did not develop simultaneously, which led to the Scissors Crisis!
Who were the Komsomol and how did they feel about Stalin’s policy?
They were the Young Communist League and they were really excited, because they believed they were building a better future for better generations.
What were the objectives of the First Five Year Plan?
It aimed to develop heavy industry such as iron, steel, machine tools and power sources, like electricity and transport.
The aim was to increase production stats by 300%
When was the First Five Year Plan?
1st October 1928 - 31st December 1932.
When was the Second Five Year Plan?
1933 - 1937.
What was the aim of The Second Five Year Plan?
More realistic targets in heavy industry made a little progress towards consumer goods.
The main focus, however, was Heavy Industry!
When was the Third Five Year Plan?
January 1938 - June 1941. The latter date is significant: this is when Hitler invading Russia and Russia got involved in World War Two.
What was the objective of the Third Five Year Plan?
Stalin predicted that Hitler would betray him, and the focus of the Third Year Plan was getting Russia ready for war - Defence and armaments industries.
Describe the use of Foreigners in the Five Year Plans:
This started in the First Five Year plans.
Experts and Engineers from the West (like Ford).
What was Henry Ford’s role in the Five Year Plans?
Henry Ford set up the Ford Motor company. He helped the Russians develop a car industry andd he trained Russian engineers in the USA.
What was the name of an American Colonel who helped out?
Colonel Hugh Cooper.
What was a reason that many skilled workers came to Russia from the West?
The high unemployment rate in the West (the Great Depression).
Who was Alexei Stakhanov and what did he do?
He was a newmatic pick operator/coal cutter. On the 30th August 1935, he began his shift. Five hours later, he had cut 102 tonnes, which was almost sixteen times the normal 6.5 tons per shift.
Why did Stakhanov cut so much tonnes? Was something set up…?
Yes! The idea came from Konstantin Petrov, the party organiser at Central Ormino in the Don Bashin. Central Ormino lagged behind its plan quota and Petrov wanted to do something about it.
What ideal conditions did Petrov set up for Stakhanov?
There was an uninterrupted suppley of compressed air, a good pick, two carefully selected proppers (to prop up the roof as Alexei cut the coal) and ample supplies of timber. Remember, this were NOT ideal working conditions!! Lots of people were assigned to help him clear away the rest of his coal.
What happened after Stakhanov finished?
Two hours after he finished work, he was hailed for his productivity and received rewards for his skill.
What were people warned not to do?
They were warned not to slander Stakhanov! “All those who try to slander Stakhanov and his record will be considered by the party committee as the most vile enemies of the people.”
When did Pravda first use the term ‘Stakhanovite movement’?
11th September, 1935.
Was Stalin a fan of the Stakhanovite movement?
Yes he was! He called for it to be spread ‘widely and deeply’ across the entire Soviet Union.
Was the Stakhanovite movement Communist?
No it was not! It was motivating people with money. Left wingers called this a betrayal of socialism.
Enthusiastic workers were sent to other places to speed up their work, but what was the problem with this?
This could potentially be disruptive to the place that they had left.
How did Stalin feel about Russia being ‘backward’?
He was not a fan. In his eyes, to be backward was to be enslaved - “But if you are powerful, people must be aware of you.”
In 1928, there was the Shakhty Trial. What happened?
Fifty-five engineers in Donbass were found guilty of industrial espionage for the West. Five were executed.
Workers and managers were all given public targets. What happened if they didn’t meet them?
Humiliation, fines, deportation to a Gulag (labour camp) or even execution.
in 1931, how many people were sent to the Gulags?
two million.
What was the Belomor Canal?
It was 270KM long, connecting the Baltic to the White sea and it was 270KM long, with nineteen locks.
What were the flaws in the building of the Belomor canal?
The prisoners did everything bare handed.
Guards shot anyone who tried to escape.
Food was rationed depending on output. If you were weaker, you would just get weaker.
Over 60,000 men and women died building it.
Stalin was said to have been disapointed with the canal. What did everyone else think?
In 1932, people started to be critical of Stalin and discuss his removal from office. Even his second wife was critical - she shot herself dead in 1932.
What were some of the successes in the FIRST Five Year Plan (1928 - 1932)?
Electricity production tripled.
Coal and iron output doubled.
Steel production inreased by a third.
The engineering industry and developed and increased the output of machine-tools.
The idea of targets would’ve been a success for propaganda purposes and boosted morale. It also encouraged everyone to reform the counyry and work hard. In the time of the Great Depression, this was incredibly impressive.
Tell me some facts about the Dnieprostroi Dam!
It was constructed in 1927 and opened in October 1932. It was the largest contemporary Soviet plant at the time and one of the largest in the world. It began to generate electricity during this First Five Year Plan.
What were the failures of the FIRST Five Year Plan?
There was a decline in consumer industries - housebuilding, food, processing and textiles.
The idea of ‘targets’ were more fantastical than reality because they were so high. The first target for coal went from 35million tons to 75 million.
There was an increase with bribery and corruption. Managers were so desperate to get the materials to fulfil their targets that they often made illegal deals. Managers were also so fearful of being accused of sabotage that they often lied.
There was an attack on bourgeois speacialists, who were labelled as saboteurs. But their imprisonement meant that there was a loss in specialists.
What were the successes of the SECOND Five Year Plan (1933 - 1937)?
Electricity production expanded rapidly.
By 1937, there USSR was self-sufficient in machine work and metal working.
Transports and communications grew rapidly. Their planning was also better this time round.
Investments in railway systems and training schemes to tackle skill shortages.
What was so nice about 1934 - 1936? (SFYP)
Pressure was not so intense. Food rationing had ended and families had more disposable income.
Tell me about the Volga Canal!
It was constructed between 1932 - 1937.
Built by prisoners from the Dmitlag labour camp.
During the construction, almost 200,000 prisoners were employed, of which 22,000 died.
What were the failures of the SECOND FYP?
Consumer goods were still lagging behind, oil production was still not hitting its targets.
What were the successes of the THIRD FYP (Jan 1938 - Dec 1941)?
Heavy industry continued to grow (machinery and engineering).
Defence and armaments grew rapidly (this was GOOD - think Hitler and WW2).
By 1941, the USSR had suceeded in creating an industrial base for a powerful arms industry.
What were the failures of the THIRD FYP (Jan 1938 - Dec 1941)?
Consumer industries took a back seat.
A harsh winter made things difficult.
The purges created shortages of qualified personnel, such as imprtant managers, engineers and officals who linked industry and governement.
Many factories ran short of materials.
What were the impacts of FYPs on managers?
Managers were determined to fulfill their targets, but this meant that they sometimes engaged in bribery and corruption, due to the increasing pressure received from party officials.
They would even register non-existant workers on the payrolls to make success stories.
In some areas, by how much did production norms increase by?
By about 50%
Why did managers face resentment from workers?
As pressure increased on managers to meet quotas, they were forced to put pressure on workers.
In 1940, how much of the budget was spent on the military? And which Five Year Plan was this?
The Third Five Year Plan! And 32.5% of the budget.
With a lot of the budget being spent on military, managers dealt with shortages of good tools. What did workers do in response?
They would sometimes charge managers for sabotage, as they were hindering workers from working in a ‘stakhanovite fashion’.
From 1936, managers had increased accountability. What was it that did this?
They had to balance their own books and pay for resources from profits, increasing financial pressures.
But there were positive impacts on managers. Can you name them?
1) Managers could earn bonuses up to 40% of their income, if they exceeded production targets (but this was not very communist).
2) Being part of the industrial elite afforded them higher social status and recognition, reinforcing their authority.
3) Managers had some degree of influence - they could negotiate for a larger workforce and wage fund.
4) Surpassing quotas could give them pride.
Managers were unwilling to admit mistakes, as this could lead to investigation and criminal charges. Where can we see this?
In March, 1928, managers were accused of counter-revolutionary activities at the Shakhty coal mine.
What happened in the Shakhty Trial?
The managers were forced to confess to the accusations in public ‘show trials’. Five were executed and the rest were given prison sentences. Stalin was manging these trials.
What was the aim of the Shakhty trials?
To intimidate managers and party officials who did not go along with the pace of industrialisation.
In 1933, there was another trial - The Metro-Vickers Trial. What happened?
British specialists were found guilty of sabotage. Maybe Stalin could then start to use this as proof that the USSR was under threat?
What happened if a worker arrived late or missed work?
This could result in dismissal, eviction from housing or loss of benefits.
Wage differentials were introduced to reward those who stayed in their jobs and worked hard. What else was done?
A training programme was in place that allowed some workers to do well.
Lots of people poured into the cities in the early 1930s. What effect did this have on living conditions?
They were incredibly cramped, with inadequete sanitation and poor water supplies.
In order to fulfil Stalin’s project, some workers were forced to do labour for the state and became prison camp inmates. Their living conditions were so grim and death was incredibly frequent - how many died a day?
The death rate was about 700 per day and the average survival time was about two years.
Political opponents of Stalin often became slave workers. People from the Gulags were forced to work, and forced labour became a normal part of the economy. In 1931, how many men and women were sent to Gulags?
Two million.
The First FYP suffered from a lack of skilled workers, so they turned to slaves and forced labour. How did the guards treat the prisoners?
The guards shot anyone who tried to escape and food was rationed depending on output.
In 1937-1940, average wages continued to rise. Can you remember by how much?
35%
In 1937 - 1940, prices rose too. Can you remember by how much?
About 75%
The Soviet Industry became to prepare the armements industry for Hitler’s invasion in 1941. Do you remember how much funding increased?
From 27.5 billion to 70 billlion rubles.
How many Kulaks were shot or died in exile?
Around three million.
Did peasants like the idea of collectivisation?
No, they didn’t. Instead of giving up their livestock, peasants slaughtered them.
What were Kolkhoz farms?
This produced more with less people. About fifty-one hundred farms were merged together into one big farm. Peasants would share tools and animals and get a share of the production after the state had procured their share. They were run by elected committees and each household was allowed their own plot to grow some veggies.
Were Kolkhoz farms communist?
Yes!
What were Sovkhoz farms?
These were state farms and they were brand new (rather than being in places peasants used to have land). They were in more remote areas and peasants, like factory workers, were paid a set wage by the state (just like factory workers).
What was some of the propaganda implemented with the FYPs?
Anyone who disagreed with the fyps/collectivisation were traitors.
Workers were encouraged to “build socialism” and there was lots of pro-worker propaganda.
Stalin’s propaganda had one main objective. How did he do this?
He wanted to present himself as a natural follower to Lenin and build off his image. This included connecting his name to Lenin more often, and photoshopping Lenin’s allies out of photos.
As we move into the 1930s, how did Stalin’s propaganda image change?
He presented himself as Lenin’s rightful heir, and presented himself as a heroic leader. His cult of personality is beginning!
Was the commintern successful?
Historians argue that it wasn’t. There were failed revolutions all over and a failure to promote socialism across the world. There was general tension with Western powers, despite how important foreign policy was (it established legitimacy).
In Moscow, 1924, what were Communist Parties instructed to do?
They were told to act more like a united labour front.
Why Collectivise?
1) A want to establish private property (ideological).
2) Hope that collectivisation would promote socialist ideas and gain broad support. If it was successful, it would show the positives of socialist ideas.
3) NEP had negative effects on agriculture.
