The social and economic condition of the Soviet Union by 1941 Flashcards
What % of the population lives in towns in 1926 compared to 1939?
In 1926 17% of the population lived in towns compared to 33% in 1939
In which year did the USSR surpass Britain in iron and steel production?
1940
What % of the budget was devoted to defence in 1933 compared to 1940?
In 1933 it was 3.4% whereas in 1940 it was 32.6%
In what ways did consumer goods suffer?
- consumer goods were scarcer than they were under NEP
- quality was poor
How did bureaucracy hinder economic growth?
Bureaucrats were focused on figures and targets at the expense of all else and organisation at a local level was chaotic
How could Stalin claim to have made progress towards true socialism?
Socialism meant social ownership of the means of production, therefore by the state owning factories and fields this was achieved as no profits were made at the expense of others
How had Communist control over the countryside increased?
From 1929 peasants were supervised by party officials in each kolkhoz and secret police units in each motor tractor station
How had Communist control increased over cities?
Factory managers were subject to controls of the Party or be demoted or executed. Labour books, internal passports, threat of denial of ration cards, eviction from lodgings and penal sentences for misdemeanors kept workers in control
How did Stalin create a hierarchical society?
The privileged Party elite dominated society
What did a decree in July 1940 dictate on the quality of goods produced?
The decree made it a criminal offense for production to be of poor quality
