Strengths and Weaknesses of NEP

Question 1

Political weakness: strengthened class divisions

Answer 1

The new bourgeoisie appeared, more people moved into the kulak bracket due to prosperity, Nepmen, small scale private ownership/enterprise

Question 2

Agricultural weakness: recovery uneven

Answer 2

The Central and Southern regions recovered quicker, fruit and vegetables recovered dramatically better than grain.

Question 3

Agricultural weakness: peasants hid possessions

Answer 3

For example this hid grain stocks in order to be taxed less meaning the state procured less.

Question 4

Agricultural weakness: The economy was not secure

Answer 4

The Procurement Crisis in 1927-28 was due to not enough grain being aquired meaning that the state had to resort to the War Communism-like Urals-Siberian method.

Question 5

Agricultural weakness: grain exports low

Answer 5

Grain exports were only a quarter of 1913 level meaning less revenue for the USSR.

Question 6

Agricultural weakness: farming methods still primitive

Answer 6

Eg. strip system, three field rotation, not mechanised, done by hand - too inefficient/small scale to support industrialisation

Question 7

Political weakness: the party had little control over countryside

Answer 7

They were thinly spread, only 1595 in Orel and 3320 in Kursk

Question 8

Agricultural strength: some recovery was being made

Answer 8

In Volgoda cultivated land increased by 25% and herds by almost a third in 1925-28

Question 9

Industrial weakness: production not up to pre-war levels

Answer 9

In most cases

Question 10

Industrial weakness: low wages

Answer 10

In state owned industry wages were 50% lower than pre war.

Question 11

Industrial weakness: inefficiency

Answer 11

Heavy industries were particularly inefficient and heavily subsidised.

Question 12

Industrial weakness: Industries heavily subsidised

Answer 12

Supreme Council of National Economy was set up to profitable industries eg. textile subsidised less efficient industries - not a recipe for long term growth.

Question 13

Industrial weakness: national income

Answer 13

Western estimate is 93% of pre-war levels, although Russian is 119%

Question 14

Industrial weakness: trade

Answer 14

foreign trade only a third of 1913

Question 15

Industrial weakness: technology

Answer 15

The gap in technological advances worsened with the US and Europe etc.

Question 16

Agricultural weakness: grain amount in million tonnes

Answer 16

4500 in 1913, only 3600 in 28

Question 17

Industrial strength/weakness: Coal/oil/steel production

Answer 17

Coal and oil production increased from 1913 but were nowhere near what they could have been. Coal and steel were still not 1913 levels in 1925

Question 18

Agriculture was weak: quote from Stalin 1928

Answer 18

It is a ‘weak agricultural country’

Question 19

Weakness: E. H. Carr and Western historians

Answer 19

NEP couldn’t work in long run due to unstable nature of internal/world market and technological backwardness

Question 20

Weakness: Russian economists

Answer 20

NEP didn’t allow economy to breathe/expand, didn’t allocate resources effectively.

Question 21

Social Weakness: peasants were hostile to it

Answer 21

There were also social problems such as drunkenness and hooliganism

Question 22

Political/social strength: Stability

Answer 22

Brought stability and let party develop their hold, particularly in towns/urban areas.

Question 23

Ind/Ag weakness: Scissors crisis

Answer 23

Ag recovered more rapidly than ind so were paid lower prices, meaning they began to produce less, whereas ind was paid more.

Question 24

Agricultural weakness: lack of incentive

Answer 24

Lacked incentive to produce surplus as it’d be seized by state at low price.

Question 25

Agricultural weakness: economic quote from Stalin in 1928

Answer 25

Farming is ‘the most insecure, the most primitive, the most undeveloped form of economic organisation’

Question 26

Agricultural weakness: grain collected by gov

Answer 26

Falling by 1928