Stalins Revolution 1928-1941 Flashcards
Who were the kulaks?
A richer class of peasant formed from the NEP
Why did Stalin want to collectivise?
Economic: Poor harvest 1927-29 Poor living and working conditions Grain surpluses needed to sell abroad Large farms would increase efficiency
Political:
Struggle against B
More appealing than r-wing policy of grain imports
Stalin had limited understanding of agriculture
Ideological:
Peasants still doing traditional farming
Peasants lacked revolutionary spirit, becoming capitalists
What was the kulak grain strike?
Kulaks withheld grain to push up prices on the free market
What did Stalin revive after the kulak grain strike?
The policy of grain requisitioning
-used this as evidence for NEPs failure
In the course of collectivisation, what emergency measures were taken?
Winter 1928-29=rationing due to bread and sugar shortages
End of 1928=grain requisitioning reintroduced-under article 107 of soviet criminal code hoarding could be punished
Spring 1929=started meat requisitioning
Middle of 1929=article 61 revised of criminal code so kulaks could be sent to labour camps for up to 2 years for disobeying state instructions
Why did Stalin introduce dekulakisation?
Marked end of capitalism
Vastly increased the speed of collectivisation
How did Stalin try to appeal to the peasants to lead the way for collectivisation?
Poorest peasants could share kulak resources and get a better harvest
How did the peasants react to Stalins appeals for collectivisation?
The majority of them rebelled
-collectivisation meant a loss of independence and a financial loss
They destroyed grain, cattle and equipment rather than surrender it to collective farms
What did the peasants destroy in the rebellions against collectivisation 1929-33?
18 million horses
100 million sheep and goats
Kulaks also destroyed what machinery they had
What were the ‘twenty-five thousanders’ originally supposed to be?
-how many volunteered for the program?
Intended to be 25,000 industrially conscious workers trained up to offer technical support to peasants
-27,000 workers volunteered
What was the actual role of the ‘twenty-five thousanders’?
Used to enforce dekulakisation
- expected to find secret grain stores and confiscate them
- round up and exile kulaks
- force remaining peasants into collective farms
What was “dizzy with success”?
- when was it published?
- where was it published?
An article where Stalin defended the policy of collectivisation, said some had been over-enthusiastic with its implementation but never admitted the problems
- 30 march 1930
- communist paper Pravda
How many died during the famine of 1931?
Around 10 million
How was the famine of 1931 caused by (and worsened) by government action?
Caused it by setting unrealistic targets
- in order to meet targets, all grain was confiscated
- Stalin set up military checkpoints t stop food entering Ukraine
- rejected international aid offers
How many were exiled overall as part of dekulakisation?
Between 9.5 and 10 million
How many kulak families were sent to Siberia in 1929?
And 1930?
And 1931?
150,000
- 240,000
- 285,000
In some cases what percentage of peasants in a village were exiled under dekulakisation?
10%
What effect did collectivisation have on the communist spirits of the peasants?
It filled them with anger and resentment
- unrealistic targets
- little incentive
- most farms barely able to cover production costs
How did the 1933 Harvey differ from that of 1926?
It was nine million tonnes less
What happened to livestock numbers 1928-32?
Number of horses halved
Number of pigs dropped 65%
What was agreed by the central committee in June 1930?
The creation of a national network of machine tractor stations (MTSs)
When were the MTSs actually implemented?
-what were MTSs?
Early 1931
-they were designed to provide machinery and training (but also exercise political control over collective farms)
Why were few farms able to afford new machinery?
The government kept the price of hiring tractors high to extract more grain from peasants
(ALTHOUGH THIS FLAWED LOGIC MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE, WELL DONE STALIN)
How many tractors and MTSs were avaliable by 1932?
75,000 tractors
2,500 MTSs
How many farms were left out of the Russian MTS network?
Half of Russian farms
How many households had been collectivised by 1930?
-how many by 1941?
25% by 1930
100% by 1941
How did grain procurement increase under collectivisation?
1928-11 million tonnes
1929-16 million tonnes
1933-23 million tonnes
How did grain exports improve under collectivisation?
0.03 million tonnes in 1928
To
5 million tonnes in 1931
How did living conditions for industrial workers get worse?
1928-32:
Value of their wages halved
Amount of meat consumed by workers fell 2/3
What percentage of soviet citizens were working class in 1939? What was this number in 1928?
- 50% 1939
- 20% 1928
What happened to the numbers of Russians living in cities between 1922-40?
Rose 22 million -> 63 million
When was the first five year plan?
October 1928-December 1932
When was the second five year plan?
January 1933-December 1937
When was the third five year plan?
January 1938-June 1941
What successes did the first five year plane have?
Caused russian economy to grow at a rate of about 14% a year
Urban pop trebled Existing members of working class promoted to mangers/retrained as engineers or administrators 150,000 newly trained working class 'red specialists' brought in
What were some of the failures of the first five year plan?
Struggle to meet targets
Poor quality/products never got used up
Worse diet, consumer goods disappeared, 7-day working week
Miners worked in unsafe conditions
Harsh labour discipline
Prisoners forced to work (“white coal”) had no rights
Encouraged black market-illegal trade in vodka, cigarettes, food and shoes
How many workers were transported to Magnitogorsk?
250,000
On average, after how many days did workers leave Magnitogorsk?
82 days
How many prison workers worker in Magnitogorsk?
40,000
What is meant by gigantomania?
The building of massive structures and systems to demonstrate the might of the soviet industrial machine
What was constructed as a part of gigantomania?
Dnieprostroi dam
Moscow-Volya canal
Moscow metro
When was the second 5-year plan?
1933-1938
What were the priorities of the second 5-year plan?
1934-36 more concentrated effort to improve living conditions Heavy industry Incentives for workers Growth of new industries War (later on)
Why did the priorities change between the 1st and 2nd 5-year plans?
From 1932, moderate party leaders called a better standard of living and working conditions
Politburo moderates argued the gov should win he support of the peasants
Response to threat of war
What was the Stakhanovite movement?
A campaign appealing to the heroic instincts of the soviet workers and offered incentives for workers who exceeded their targets
Why was the Stakhanovite movement introduced?
Productivity and discipline was low, holding back economic growth
Who was Alexander
Why did he become famous?
A worker in the Donetz basin coal region
Aug 1935-he mined 102 tonnes of coal in 6 hours
Later exceeded this mining 227 tonnes in one shift
How was alexei stakhanov rewarded for his achievements?
200 roubles (a months wages)
A new apartment with telephone
Tickets to cinemas, clubs and holiday resorts
How was stakhanov’s achievement deliberately planned?
He was given state-of-the-art equipment and a number of assistants
What were the successes of the second 5-year plan?
Targets more realistic
Raw material production expanded-steel output trebled
Moscow metro opened 1935
Moscow-Volya canal finished 1937
Bread, meat and butter rationing ended 1934
Industrial wages increased
Defence spending increased 4% of gov spending in 1933 to 17% in 1937
What were the failures of the second 5-year plan?
Little coordination-factory managers would hoard resources to create a short supply
Lack of spare parts in many industries
Nobody criticised plan/reported errors/suggested targets were unrealistic=fear of execution or exile
Shortages of essential items
Housing and amenities failed to improve
Stark social inequalities
Under the 2nd 5-year plan how did housing and amenities fail to improve?
For 650,000 in the lvbertsy district of Moscow there wasn’t a single bathhouse
Many of the new homes completed under the plan didn’t have running water or sewerage
How did shortages of shoes get out of hand in 1934?
1931- private production of shoes banned, only low-quality state-produced shoes allowed
1934- a queue of 6000 outside a shoe shop in Leningrad. The police had to be called to avoid a riot
What was the main priority of the third 5-year plan?
Preparing Russia for war with Germany
What happened to rearmament under the third 5-year plan?
In 1940, 1/3 gov investment went to the armed forces
Spending diverted away from consumer goods
9 new aircraft factories constructed
May 1941-intelligence received the Germans had 8 million men, 12000 tanks, 52000 guns and 20000 aircraft
-gosplan lost responsibility for rearmament
What happened to heavy industry under the third 5-year plan?
Coal production increased: 128 million tonnes 1937 to 166 million tonnes in 1940
Crude oil production increased: 29 million in 1937 to 31 million in 1940
Steel stagnated
What did the government do to worker discipline under the third 5-year plan?
1940 internal passports introduced to restrict movement of workers between jobs (many workers moved around to find better pay/conditions)
A report in May 1939 suggesting decreasing the six and time spent on private plots of land in the countryside to refocus peasants on state production
What problems were there with the implementation of the third 5-year plan?
Administration complicated by purges-last experienced industrial managers
Moderate group removed from the politburo in 1936-they had been able to offer solutions which increased productivity
What was the zhenotdel and what happened to it in the 1930s?
A women’s branch of the communist central committee
-was shut down as the communist party believed equality had been achieved
How many women were employed in Russian factories by 1940?
Over 13 million
How income did women get in relation to men?
Women were paid 60-65% the income of men
Who was pasha angelina?
The woman who organised the first women’s tractor brigade
What did Maria demchanko pledge on 1936?
To harvest x4 the average yield of sugar beet
At the Stakhanovite livestock workers’ conference in 1940, what % were milkmaids?
62%
How many roubles could a mother received if she had 7 kids? For 11 kids?
For 7-2000 roubles a year for 5 years
For 11-5000 roubles
How many applied for support from he Moscow registry office within 10 months of the new policy?
4000 applications
2730-8 kids
1032-10 kids
160-10+ kids
What was the soviet authorities attitude to abortion in 1936?
They discouraged it, banning it except when it was necessary to save the life of he pregnant women
Doctors who performed ‘illegal’ abortions and husbands who forced their wives into abortions could get a jail sentence of 2 years
On average how much longer did women spend on domestic activities compared to men?
5x longer
Why was hiring a nanny frowned upon for wives of party officials by the mid-1930s?
Seen as avoiding their duties to managing a ‘well-ordered communist home’
What did the ‘Wife activists’ movement’ aim to do (in general)?
Create solidarity between women who were devoted to being ‘mistresses of the great Soviet Union
Attempted to mother the whole of soviet society
What work did the wife activists’ movement do?
Organised nurseries and activities for seriously ill children
Set up schools and libraries
Supervised factory canteens
Charity work
-> eg wives of senior officials at Magnitogorsk organised a masked ball, gave proceeds to the needy
Why was the great retreat called ‘the great retreat’?
It reasserted traditional gender roles and sexual attitudes across Russia
In soviet propaganda, how were Stalin and the working class described?
Stalin=”father of soviet people”
Working class=”one big family”
In October 1935, who did Stalin make a highly publicised visit to?
His mother in tblisi
Who did soviet propaganda in the second half of the 1930s depict men? And women?
Men:
Undermining the family
Responsible for family break-up, neglect of children and abondon meant of wives
Women:
Responsible, noble, self-sacrificing
Essential strength at heart of soviet family
What measures did the government introduce in 1936 to re-emphasis the value of marriage?
Wedding rings reintroduced
Administration started printing marriage certificates on high quality paper
Married party members given more spacious accommodation and dacha (holiday home in the country)
What did the 1937 census show for the percentage of people between 30-39 who were married?
91% men
82% women
In 1934, what policy was introduced to change sexual attitudes in young people?
Promoted sexual abstinence
Police action against young women with an ‘immoral appearance’
How did collective farm chairmen try and contribute to The governments new attitudes to sex?
Ordered ‘medical virginity checks’ on young women
What was re-criminalised in 1936?
Bigamy, incest, adultery and male homosexuality
When was the sale of all birth-control methods officially ended?
1936, in a secret directive form the soviet state
By 1927 how many soviet marriages ended in divorce?
2/3
What did new divorce laws in June 1936 do?
Made divorce more complicated and expensive
- 1st divorce= 50 roubles (a weeks wages)
- 2nd= 150 roubles
- 3rd onwards= 300 roubles
How much were men expected to pay to support their children in a divorce?
1/3 of their earnings
60% if they left 3 or more children
What was the penalty for men who failed to pay child support?
2yrs in prison
What did local party bosses do to help women?
Track down absconding husbands and force to make regular payments
What did the Siberian communist party organise?
A conference of young women who were encouraged to discuss the ways in which men had ruined their lives
What was the Komsomol?
-when was it formed?
A communist union of youth
-formed 1922
What did the publication “komsomolskaia Pravda” encourage children to do?
Respect and love their parents even if they didn’t agree with the Komsomol
Who was Pavlik morozov?
The soviet governments example of the perfect child
- hard-working, obedient schoolchild
- supposedly killed by a kulak at 14
In august 1931, why did the central committee attack soviet education?
For neglecting literacy and numeracy in education
When was a new curriculum introduced?
1935
How did the teaching of history change after the change in national curriculum in 1935?
1920s=taught in terms of class struggle
Under Stalin=taught histories of great Russians eg Ivan the terrible/peter the great-more NATIONALISTIC
What was included as part of core education in the new 1935 curriculum?
Science, reading and writing, communist ideology
Why was the new curriculum in 1935 focused on harsh discipline?
It was designed to prepare children for the harsh regulation of the workplace
What did teacher Olga fedorvna Leonova pledge in 1936?
-what happened when she succeeded?
All her students would get excellent grades
-she was praised in Russian media for her hard work and dedication
What happens to state spending on education?
It was reduced
How did the soviet government make up for reduced spending on education?
They introduced fees
How did party and trade unions help students get through their education?
They offered grants and scholarships
This system favoured the sons/daughters of communist party officials-another incentive for loyal party service
