Strengths and Weaknesses of First FYP Flashcards
Industrial strength: R. Davies on heavy industry
‘Heavy industry expended at an accelerating pace’ and the labour force ‘rapidly expanded’
Industrial/Ag weakness: R. Davies 1930-32
Struggled to meet overambitious targets, collectivisation halted.
Industrial strength: industrial cities
Constructed from scratch by enthusiastic young communists: Magnitogorsk, Gorki however didn’t come into full production until 1934 (second plan)
Industrial: resources
Targeted on heavy industry, consumer/small scale industries starved of resources: consumer needs were rejected eg. hard to buy a pair of shoes in 1930s
Industrial strength: impressive gains in heavy industry
for example engineering
Industrial weakness: targets not met
Not met in key areas such as steel, chemical, transport. Coal and iron targets weren’t met but had impressive gains.
Industrial weakness: gaps in infrastructure
Road and rail transport was inadequate to meet demands and transport and housing couldn’t cope with increase in town dwellers
Industrial strength/weakness: Labour
Unemployment eliminated in 1930 - unlike NEP however there was now a shortage of labour.
Industrial weakness: inexperienced workers
Peasants from countryside were inexperienced and unprepared for harsh demands, there were few specialists such as engineers
Weakness: rationing
There were few goods to buy
Agricultural weakness: state prices
Peasants were paid low prices for their produce set by the state.
Industrial: Nove, growing pains
‘The worst period in Russia’s own history coincided with crashes in the capitalist world, at least Russia’s troubles could be seen as growing pains’
Industrial weakness: quality over quantity
Adapted in order to meet quantitative targets so suitability and variation was discarded
Industrial strength: coal production (million tonnes)
35.5 in 1928, 64.4 in 1932
Strength of time: finished early
in 1932, only four years
Industrial strength: output
Rised 170% in 1928 from 1913
Industrial strength: production levels
Electricity trebled, iron doubled and steel up one third
Industrial strength: new workforce
Women, convicts and peasants. During plan workforce doubled.
Industrial strength: new technology
Acquired from abroad, paid for by grain exports.
Agricultural/political strength: Countryside
Acquired more control over the countryside eg. collective farms
Agricultural weakness: deaths and output
Millions of ag. related deaths, 4 million in 1932 alone, and lower output
Political strength/Economic weakness: elimination of capitalist elements
Small private efficient industries eliminated
Industrial weakness: major projects not completed
For example hydro-electric power stations
