the transformstion of the economy 1917-1941

Question 1

what happened in 1928?

Answer 1

the scissors crisis, it damaged the economy

Question 2

what things were neglected when the industry developed?

Answer 2

consumer goods like food

Question 3

what did agriculture/ the economy struggle to recover from?

Answer 3

collectivisation

Question 4

how had WW1 impacted the economy?

Answer 4

it had devastated it and caused shortages of many resources, rationing was required

Question 5

when was war communism?

Answer 5

1918-1921

Question 6

what were the main 3 things war communism introduced?

Answer 6

•centralisation and nationalisation of most industries
•grain requisitioning from peasants
•attempting to abolish private enterprise

Question 7

what impact did nationalisation of industries have on the economy?

Answer 7

•factories were taken over by the state and the lack of experienced managers/ workers meant that industrial output plummeted
•many factories were repurposed for military production meaning the production of consumer goods sharply declined
•transportation systems were ineffective

Question 8

what impact did grain requisitioning have on the peasants?

Answer 8

•the government demanded large amounts of grain, often exceeding the peasants’ ability to produce it
•this led to widespread resentment amongst the peasants and they began hoarding/ burning grain and slaughtering livestock
•food shortages became widespread (Ukraine famine 32-33, 3 million died)

Question 9

what did war communism/ civil war also lead to in terms of the economy?

Answer 9

inflation as they financed the war effort through printing money
•the value of the rouble collapsed

Question 10

after the civil war what had industrial production declined by?

Answer 10

two thirds

Question 11

when was the NEP introduced and what was it?

Answer 11

•introduced in 1921 by Lenin
•it was a response to the economic collapse caused by War communism and the civil war

Question 12

what were the 4 key features of the NEP?

Answer 12

1. agricultural reforms (abolished grain requisitioning)
2. reintroduction of private enterprise
3. state controlled industry
4. foreign trade

Question 13

limitations of the NEP

Answer 13

•slow industrial recovery and was not enough to fully restore the economy
•growth of NEP men was a symbol of capitalism
•led to more economic inequality
•did not help the proletariat

Question 14

how did collectivisation hinder the economy?

Answer 14

it caused a sharp decline in agricultural output, slowing economic recovery

Question 15

what did the purges result in?

Answer 15

the loss of many trained experts

Question 16

what did the population in Gulags rise to and what did it mean for production?

Answer 16

during the Great terror it rose from 1,200,000 to 1,800,000 and it meant production was ineffective as there was no trained workers

Question 17

what did money put towards rearmament mean?

Answer 17

there was less money invested in agriculture and consumer goods

Question 18

what did production rise to in the first 5 year plan?

Answer 18

rose by 236%

Question 19

what were some of the positives of the NEP?

Answer 19

the NEP in 1921 brought temporary stabilisation to some agricultural sectors as peasants were allowed to sell surplus grain on the market

Question 20

what were the industrial successes of the first 5 year plan?

Answer 20

electricity output trebled, coal and iron doubled and steel increased by a third

Question 21

what improvements came from collectivisation?

Answer 21

it introduced modernised farming techniques like mechanised agriculture (machinery for farming)

Question 22

what was an industrial success in infrastructure?

Answer 22

the Dneiper Dam was built which increased electricity production by 5x

Question 23

what did Stalins industrial policies lead to the creation of?

Answer 23

new cities and industrial centres like the Donbass coal basin and siberia
•Magnitogorsk and Stalingrad

Question 24

what did the USSR become less dependent on?

Answer 24

imports and resources from other countries

Question 25

they prioritised rearmament, meaning by 1941 per month they were producing..

Answer 25

•230 tanks
•700 aircraft
•100,000 rifles

Question 26

how did collectivisation make Russia less modern?

Answer 26

the internal passports issued in the kolkhoz meant the peasants were bound to the land, a throwback to the serfdom of the pre 1861 era

Question 27

by what year had they recovered pre-war levels of grain?

Answer 27

1939