The Stalin era: Agricultural collectivisation and its impact Flashcards
Between what years was Soviet agriculture collectivised?
1928 and 1941
What happened in collectivisation in Russia?
Small farms were merged into large farms of anything between 20 and 150 families
Ownership of farms was taken over by the state
What kind of process was collectivisation?
Extremely violent.
Led to a massive decline in agricultural production.
What were the key causes of collectivisation?
Ideology
Economics
Failure of the NEP
Political
What was the ideological reason for launching collectivisation?
Under the NEP farming essentially was run in a capitalist way.
Communists wanted to abolish capitalism by ending private ownership of farms.
What is private ownership?
Ownership of capital or property by private individuals or private companies.
What was the economic reason for launching collectivisation?
Under the NEP the government collected a small tax on farms.
Collectivisation allowed them to take much more wealth from farm, which could be invested in industrialisation.
Why was the failure of the NEP a cause of collectivisation?
Agricultural production fell in 1927, leading to food shortages in the cities.
What was the political reason for launching collectivisation?
Introducing collectivisation allowed Stalin to win support from the left of the Communist Party
When was collectivisation introduced?
Late 1929
How was equipment given to poorer peasants during collectivisation?
Farms were merged and equipment was taken from richer peasants and given to poorer peasants.
How did many peasants respond to collectivisation?
Destroyed their crops, animals and machinery
What did government do to kulaks who resisted collectivisation?
Executed or deported them.
Who are kulaks?
Rich peasants
What agricultural problems did collectivisation lead to?
Falling production
Famine
Modernisation
Grain procurement
Slow recovery
