The Soviet state under Stalin

Question 1

What was the ‘Procurement Crisis’ of 1928?

Answer 1

USSR was 2 million tonnes short of the minimum amount of grain needed to feed the workers

This shortage led to significant government interventions and policy changes.

Question 2

What measures were taken during the ‘Procurement Crisis’?

Answer 2

Rationing was introduced and squads were sent out to seize grain

These actions aimed to address the immediate grain shortage.

Question 3

What was the outcome of the 16th Communist Party Conference in April 1929?

Answer 3

Collectivisation of 20% of the sown area in 1928; by 1930, complete collectivisation of the major growing regions occurred

This marked a significant shift in agricultural policy.

Question 4

What did collectivisation end?

Answer 4

End of small, privately owned farms

This was part of a broader strategy to centralize control over agriculture.

Question 5

What were the motives behind collectivisation?

Answer 5

Ideology + survival of state

The Soviet government sought to align agricultural practices with communist principles.

Question 6

What was the plan behind collectivisation?

Answer 6

Increase state control and centralization of the economy

This aimed to streamline agricultural production and distribution.

Question 7

What were the results of collectivisation by 1936?

Answer 7

• Famine 1932-33
• Fall in production
• Government gained control of the countryside
• 15 million people were evicted from their place in rural society

These results highlighted the severe consequences of the collectivisation policies.

Question 8

What happened to livestock numbers during collectivisation?

Answer 8

Livestock numbers had been reduced by slaughtering

This was a direct consequence of the policies that disrupted rural economies.

Question 9

What effect did collectivisation have on crop yield?

Answer 9

Crop yield fell to the point where the government produced false figures to cover up the shortages

This indicates the extent of the agricultural crisis.

Question 10

What was the impact of grain sales on industrialization during collectivisation?

Answer 10

Little evidence that the sale of grain produced the capital expected for the industrialization drive

This reflects the failure of collectivisation to meet its economic goals.

Question 11

What was one social consequence of collectivisation?

Answer 11

Disrupted by a state of virtual civil war

This unrest was fueled by peasant resistance to forced collectivisation.

Question 12

What was the reaction to the collectivisation policies?

Answer 12

Peasant resistance + deportation of kulaks

These actions were part of the government’s response to opposition from wealthier peasants.

Question 13

What percentage of peasant farms were collectivized between Dec 1929 and March 1930?

Answer 13

60% of peasant farms in the USSR were collectivized

This rapid collectivisation led to massive resistance from the peasants.

Question 14

What is a Kolkhoz?

Answer 14

A collective farm created by joining small inefficient farms together.

The Kolkhoz system was part of the Soviet agricultural policy aimed at consolidating land and resources.

Question 15

What is a Sovkhoz?

Answer 15

The state farm.

Sovkhozes were farms owned and operated by the state, contrasting with Kolkhozes.

Question 16

How did peasants organize in a Kolkhoz?

Answer 16

Peasants pooled their fields, livestock, and tools, sharing labor and wages.

This collective approach was against the individual ownership that peasants had previously fought for.

Question 17

What was a consequence of the Kolkhoz system for kulaks?

Answer 17

It threatened the prosperity of kulaks.

Kulaks were wealthier peasants who opposed collectivization.

Question 18

What was the working relationship of peasants in a Sovkhoz?

Answer 18

Peasants worked directly for the state, which paid them a wage.

This system removed the autonomy that individual farmers previously had.

Question 19

How many families typically formed a Kolkhoz?

Answer 19

50-100 families.

This size allowed for shared resources and labor among the members.

Question 20

What were motor tractor stations?

Answer 20

Stations set up along the countryside to support agricultural activities.

These stations provided access to heavy machinery for larger farm units.

Question 21

What was the significance of larger farm units in the context of the Kolkhoz and Sovkhoz systems?

Answer 21

They provided access to heavy machinery.

This access was vital for increasing agricultural productivity.

Question 22

What percentage of cattle was killed during the resistance of peasants from 1928-30?

Answer 22

25%

This reflects the severe impact of the collectivisation process on livestock.

Question 23

What percentage of pigs was killed during the resistance of peasants from 1928-30?

Answer 23

48%

This indicates the extent of livestock loss during that period.

Question 24

What percentage of all sheep and goats was killed during the resistance of peasants from 1928-30?

Answer 24

25%

This highlights the overall devastation of livestock due to collectivisation.

Question 25

What action did Stalin take in March 1939 regarding collectivisation?

Answer 25

Stopped collectivisation ## Footnote This decision was influenced by the brutal enforcement actions of government forces.

Question 26

By August 1930, what was the percentage of households collectivized?

Answer 26

21% ## Footnote This was a significant drop from the earlier figure of about 50% in March 1930.

Question 27

According to Stalin, what caused the difficulties of the collectivisation drive?

Answer 27

Existence of an anti-revolutionary force within the peasantry ## Footnote Stalin attributed the failures to the peasants rather than government actions.

Question 28

Who were the Kulaks?

Answer 28

Richer peasants ## Footnote They were seen as capitalist enemies of the revolution.

Question 29

What defined a Kulak in terms of land ownership?

Answer 29

Possessed 25-40 sown acres ## Footnote This classification contributed to their vilification during collectivisation.

Question 30

What percentage of the peasantry did Kulaks make up in 1927?

Answer 30

3.9% ## Footnote This was a decrease from 15% before 1917.

Question 31

What campaign targeted the Kulaks?

Answer 31

Dekulakization campaign ## Footnote This campaign involved brutal treatment and loss of land for the Kulaks.

Question 32

How were Kulaks treated during the dekulakization campaign?

Answer 32

Brutally ## Footnote They lost land and possessions and faced severe consequences.

Question 33

What was the fate of many Kulaks during the dekulakization campaign?

Answer 33

Rounded up and transported by cattle wagons ## Footnote Many died in labor camps as a result.

Question 34

What did the Communist party do to enforce the dekulakization campaign?

Answer 34

Sent 25000 urban members into the countryside ## Footnote This was part of the effort to control and punish the Kulaks.

Question 35

What was the consequence of the famine in Ukraine (1932-33) induced by Stalin?

Answer 35

7 million people died, 5 million from Ukraine ## Footnote This famine was a direct result of the state's grain seizure policies.

Question 36

What measures were taken to prevent starving mothers and children from searching for grain during the famine?

Answer 36

Guards put onto fields ## Footnote This illustrates the extreme measures taken by the government during the famine.

Question 37

What happened to corpses during the famine in Ukraine?

Answer 37

Piled up on roads ## Footnote This reflects the tragic human cost of the famine.

Question 38

What was the government's action regarding borders during the Ukrainian famine?

Answer 38

Troops stationed along Ukrainian borders to prevent peasants from leaving ## Footnote This was a tactic to control the population amidst the crisis.

Question 39

What would happen if Russian agriculture improved?

Answer 39

It would lead to surplus grain stocks which could be sold abroad to raise investment funds for the Russian industry and create a pool of surplus peasant labour for the industrial labour force.

Question 40

What was the percentage of peasants' farms collectivised between Dec 1929 - March 1930?

Answer 40

Nearly 60%.

Question 41

What sparked massive peasant resistance to collectivisation?

Answer 41

The collectivisation of farms.

Question 42

How many cattle, pigs, and sheep/goats did peasants kill between 1928-1930?

Answer 42

Cattle: 25%, Pigs: 48%, Sheep/Goats: 25%.

Question 43

What was the outcome of Stalin stopping collectivisation in March 1930?

Answer 43

By August 1930, the household collectivisation of 50% had dropped to 21%.

Question 44

Who were the Kulaks?

Answer 44

The richer peasants and capitalist enemies of the revolution.

Question 45

What percentage of the peasantry were Kulaks in 1927?

Answer 45

3.9% (approx. 1 million people).

Question 46

What did Stalin accuse the Kulaks of?

Answer 46

Deliberately undermining the state by withholding large supplies of grain from the market.

Question 47

What brutal treatments did Kulaks face?

Answer 47

Lost their land and possessions, rounded up and transported to labour camps.

Question 48

What were the results of the dekulakization campaign?

Answer 48

Complete collapse of agricultural sectors and widespread famine in 1932-33.

Question 49

How many people died during the famine of 1932-33?

Answer 49

7 million people, with 5 million from Ukraine.

Question 50

What was the increase in grain production from 1928-30?

Answer 50

10.2 million tonnes.

Question 51

What were the Five-Year Plans?

Answer 51

Plans set by GOSPLAN to establish production targets for industries.

Question 52

What was the main goal of the Five-Year Plans?

Answer 52

To raise industrial production significantly, focusing on heavy industry.

Question 53

What illegal measures were taken to motivate workers in 1930?

Answer 53

Private trade and employment for private profit were made illegal.

Question 54

When were the three Five-Year Plans?

Answer 54

* First Five-Year Plan: 1928-1932 * Second Five-Year Plan: 1932-1937 * Third Five-Year Plan: 1938-1941.

Question 55

What did the first Five-Year Plan achieve in coal production?

Answer 55

Increased from 35 million tons in 1927 to 65 million tons by 1932.

Question 56

What was emphasized in the second Five-Year Plan?

Answer 56

Efficiency and living standards.

Question 57

What challenges did the third Five-Year Plan face?

Answer 57

Purges and World War II led to labour shortages and a fuel crisis.

Question 58

What was the production of pig iron after the second Five-Year Plan?

Answer 58

14.5 million tonnes.

Question 59

What was one significant effect of Stalin’s industrialization?

Answer 59

People were drawn to cities, creating an unskilled workforce.

Question 60

What did Gosplan achieve in the Soviet economy?

Answer 60

Formation of a command economy that removed the human element.

Question 61

What were gulags?

Answer 61

Labour camps that supplied forced labour for state-directed industrialisation.

Question 62

What conditions were prevalent in the gulags?

Answer 62

Overcrowding, lack of skilled labour, and bribery.

Question 63

What was the grain production level by 1940?

Answer 63

118.8 million tonnes.