theme 2: industrial and agricultural change 1917-85

Question 1

The Land Decree

Answer 1

October 1917
abolished private ownership of land, in the hands of ‘the people’
pleased the peasants

Question 2

The Decree on Workers’ Control

Answer 2

November 1917

Placed control of the factories into the hands of the industrial workers

Question 3

all private banks nationalised

Answer 3

December 1917

all private banks merge the People’s Bank of the Russian Republic

Question 4

detrimental effect of the early decrees on the economy

Answer 4

power to the workers and peasants
Workers’ councils voted to give themselves huge pay rises -> lead to inflation
Managers were often dismissed leaving a lack of skilled people running factories

Question 5

how did the bolsheviks tackle the economic problems caused by the early decrees

Answer 5

the Supreme Council of the National Economy (Vesenkha) was set up in December 1917 to provide greater supervision over the economy

Question 6

when was war communism in place

Answer 6

during the Russian civil war

1918 - 1921

Question 7

why was war communism introduced

Answer 7

to ensure the Red Army was supplied with enough food and resources to win the civil war

Question 8

when was the Bolshevik nationalisation of all industries with 10 or more workers

Answer 8

June 1818

Sooner than expected -> made necessary by civil war

Question 9

key features of War communism (6)

Answer 9

• nationalisation of all industry (10+ workers) without compensation
• military style discipline in factories
• private trading banned (black market grew)
• money banned
• forcible requisitioning of food
• rationing

Question 10

examples of the harsh military style discipline introduced in factories during war communism

Answer 10

Death penalty for strike
Unemployed join ‘Labour Armies’ –> projects like road building.
Workers expected to volunteer for unpaid work on ‘Communist Saturdays”

Question 11

How and why was forcible requisitioning of food implemented?

Answer 11

150,000 Bolshevik volunteers used to seize grain from peasants in order to feed the red army and town workers during the civil war
Committees of the Village Poor to spy on any peasants who might be hoarding food.
rise in tension in the countryside, outbreaks of violence, and malnutrition

Question 12

when was the NEP introduced

Answer 12

1921
New Economic Policy
Lenin

Question 13

why was the NEP introduced (3)

Answer 13

• unpopularity of war communism
• the Tambov rising
• the Kromstadt mutiny

Question 14

economic reasons for introducing NEP

Answer 14

1921: industrial production 1/3 of 1913 levels

widespread famine: food production 1/2 1913 level.
20 million died from famine and diseases in the 1920s

Question 15

the Tambov rising

Answer 15

1920
caused by resentment building up in the countryside in relation to the forcible requisitioning of food.
uprisings in Tambov where peasants formed a green army and reacted violently to requisitioning troops.
Revolt was only put down when 50,000 red army troops were sent in

Question 16

*what was the mir

Answer 16

the village commune

Question 17

Kronstadt Mutiny

Answer 17

1921
Revolt by sailors at naval base
Called for the restoration of democracy
approximately rebels 1000 were killed

Question 18

key features of the NEP in agriculture

Answer 18

peasants allowed to sell crops for profit (10% of excess crops taken as tax)
Bolsheviks announced there would be no forced programme of collectivisation
the mir would remain as the self-regulating body

Question 19

key features of the NEP in industry

Answer 19

Allow small scale private industry –> ‘NEPmen’
wages & bonuses reintroduced
Legalisation of private trade (stop black market)

Question 20

how did Lenin view the NEP

Answer 20

short term remedy before moving to socialism

“one step backwards, two steps forwards”

Question 21

success of the NEP statistics

grain, electricity

Answer 21

grain(million tonnes): 1921 = 37.6 vs 1926 = 76.8

electricity(million kWh): 1921=0.5 vs 1926 b= 3.5

Question 22

failures of the NEP (3)

Answer 22

corruption through black market
rise in prostitution
imbalance between industrial and agricultural goods lead to the “scissors crisis”

Question 23

what was the aims of the five year plans

Answer 23

“Stalin’s revolution”

aimed to make the USSR into an industrial superpower

Question 24

years of the first five year plan

Answer 24

1928-32

Question 25

first five year plan (1928-32):
aims
methods
results

Answer 25

A) rapid growth in coal, steel, oil, and iron (targets much higher than anything done by the USSR before)
M) making more efficient use of existing factories + equipment, slave labour, and putting workers under extreme pressure to meet targets
R)Quality often sacrificed to reach targets

Question 26

years of the second five year plan

Answer 26

1933-37

Question 27

second five year plan (1933-37):
aims
methods
results

Answer 27

A) same as first + consumer goods, however rise of Hitler in the 1930s made heavy industry the top priority
M) develop industrial centres both old and new, moved industrial areas to more remote locations to be safe from invasion
R) 1928-41 saw a 17% industrial growth rate

Question 28

years of the third five year plan

Answer 28

1938-41 (interrupted by WW2)

Question 29

years of the fourth five year plan

Answer 29

1946-51

Question 30

years of the fifth five year plan

Answer 30

1951-55

Question 31

fourth five year plan (1946-55):
aims
methods
results

Answer 31

A) economic reconstruction, rebuild industrial plants
M) convert factories back to making civilian goods, use control over Eastern Europe to increase production, redirect wartime labour to reconstruction, 2 million slaves used from gulags to help reconstruct, trade agreements made with the eastern bloc
R) initial production recovered quickly, targets were over fulfilled, there still was a lack of new technology and chemicals

Question 32

third five year plan (1938-41):
aims
methods
results

Answer 32

A) military production became top priority (to fight Hitler)
M) relocate factories to rural mountains as to avoid invasion
R) interrupted due to WW2, USSR managed to fight off the Nazi invasion December 1941

Question 33

fifth five year plan (1951-55):
aims
methods
results

Answer 33

A) continuing growth from the previous plan but t a slower rate, preparing for possible nuclear war (Cold War)
M) increased defence spending, collectivising farms, prestige projects (cater to Stalins ego)
R) urban areas recovered almost fully (rural areas took longer), Soviet Union now a nuclear power

Question 34

when was the decision made to abandon the NEP

Answer 34

1927

Question 35

reasons for collectivisation

Answer 35

NEP = agriculture unchanged since revolution

industry: freed funds need to industrialise
Invasion feared

economic: large plots are more efficient
political: extend socialism into countryside, control countryside weakened after Tambov 1921

Question 36

evidence to show optional collectivisation (policy before 1928) never worked

Answer 36

1925: less than 1% of farmland was collectivised

Question 37

process of collectivisation

Answer 37

december 1927: 15th party congress decides on voluntary collectivisation
1928: food shortages lead to requisitioning (‘Ural-Siberian’ method, sped up collectivisation). movement from limiting kulaks to ‘liquidating’ them.

Question 38

which areas opposed collectivisation the most

Answer 38

Ukraine and Caucasus

Question 39

how many party members made up the dekulakisation squads

Answer 39

25,000

Question 40

evidence to show how much farmland got collectivised

Answer 40

1932: 62% peasant households collectivised
1937: 93% collectivised

Question 41

results of collectivisation

Answer 41

economically awful.
Slow supply of machinery, most collectives without tractors until mid 30s.
removal of kulaks removes most productive farmers.
1928: 73.3 million tonnes of grain vs 1934: 67.6 million tonnes of grain
people began resenting the party -> 1941 some peasants cheered invading German forces

Question 42

evidence to show opposition to collectivisation (killing animals)

Answer 42

1928-33: 50% of cattle killed (shortage of milk and meat)

cattle numbers did not recover until 1953

Question 43

causes of 1932-33 famine

Answer 43

fall in grain production + more grain requisitioned

Government prioritised army/town

Question 44

effects of 1932-33 famine

Answer 44

4 million peasant deaths in 1933 alone
some resorted to cannibalism
worst areas: Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Caucasus region

Question 45

how many kulaks were ‘liquidated’ in the collectivisation process

Answer 45

estimated between 5-10 millions

Question 46

successes of collectivisation:

Answer 46

managed to re-instate heavy state control over a reluctant group of people
1930 - mir is abolished and replaced with the kolkhoz administration

Question 47

• German invasion of the USSR (dates)

Answer 47

22nd June - 5th December

1941

Question 48

impact of WW2 on soviet economy

Answer 48

strain of resources

centralised economy was effective in wartime

Question 49

proof for shift of focus to military production (WW2)

Answer 49

1943-45: over 73,000 tanks and 94,000 aircrafts produced
Moscow children’s bike factory switched to produce flamethrowers
had to import normal goods (e.g. tinned meat) from Britain (Lend-Lease scheme)
Factories relocated to the mountains in the east so the germans couldn’t easily take over industry

Question 50

proof of Nazi occupation damaging industrial production

Answer 50

1940: 18 million tonnes steel, 29 million tonnes oil
1945: 12 million tonnes steel, 19 million tonnes oil

Question 51

effects of war on agriculture

Answer 51

most able-bodied men conscripted from collectives into the army + farm machinery and animals requisitioned by red army = reduced food production.

1940: 95 million tonnes grain
1942: 30 million tonnes grain

Question 52

social effects of the war

Answer 52

1945 (end of war)
25 million people homeless
1,700 towns and 70,000 villages classified as ‘destroyed’

Question 53

example of Stalin’s prestiges projects

Answer 53

The White Sea Canal - 141 miles long, 10,000 slave deaths, too shallow to be actually useful (iced over in the winter months) but lined with statues of Stalin.