theme 2: industrial and agricultural change 1917-85 Flashcards
The Land Decree
October 1917
abolished private ownership of land, in the hands of ‘the people’
pleased the peasants
The Decree on Workers’ Control
November 1917
Placed control of the factories into the hands of the industrial workers
all private banks nationalised
December 1917
all private banks merge the People’s Bank of the Russian Republic
detrimental effect of the early decrees on the economy
power to the workers and peasants
Workers’ councils voted to give themselves huge pay rises -> lead to inflation
Managers were often dismissed (sometimes violently) as an act of workers seeking revenge for being treated badly -> lack of skilled people running factories
how did the bolsheviks tackle the economic problems caused by the early decrees
the Supreme Council of the National Economy (Vesenkha) was set up in December 1917 to provide greater supervision over the economy
when was war communism in place
during the Russian civil war
1918 - 1921
why was war communism introduced
to ensure the Red Army was supplied with enough food and resources to win the civil war
when was the Bolshevik nationalisation of all industries with 10 or more workers
June 1818
Sooner than expected -> made necessary by civil war
key features of War communism
- nationalisation of all industry (10+ workers) without compensation
- All industry placed under state control (Vesenkha)
- military stye discipline in factories
- private trading banned (black market grew)
- money banned
- forcible requisitioning of food
- rationing
examples of the harsh military style discipline introduced in factories during war communism
Death penalty for strike
Unemployed join ‘Labour Armies’ –> projects like road building.
Workers expected to volunteer for unpaid work on ‘Communist Saturdays”
when was the NEP introduced
1921
New Economic Policy
Lenin
why was the NEP introduced (brief reasons)
- economic considerations
- unpopularity of war communism
- the Tambov rising
- the Kromstadt mutiny
economic reasons for introducing NEP
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
the Tambov rising
1920
caused by resentment building up in the countryside in relation to the forcible requisitioning of food and the plans to get rid of the mir.
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
what was the mir
the village commune
Kronstadt Mutiny
1921
Revolt by sailors at naval base outside, previously supported the bolsheviks
approximately rebels 1000 were killed
key features of the NEP in agriculture
peasants allowed to sell crops for profit (10% of excess crops taken as tax)
Bolsheviks announced there would be no forced programme of collectivisation, and that the mir would remain as the self-regulating body
key features of the NEP in industry
Allow small scale private industry –> ‘NEPmen’
wages & bonuses reintroduced
Legalisation of private trade (stop black market)
how did Lenin view the NEP
short term remedy before moving to socialism
“one step backwards, two steps forwards”
success of the NEP statistics
grain(million tonnes): 1921 = 37.6 vs 1926 = 76.8 pig iron(million tonnes): 1921 = 0.1 vs 1926 = 2.4 electricity(million kWh): 1921=0.5 vs 1926 b= 3.5 cotton(million meters): 1921=105 vs 1926=2286
bad aspects of the NEP
corruption through black market
rise in prostitution
imbalance between industrial and agricultural goods lead to the “scissors crisis” –> government began price regulation in 1923
what was the aims of the five year plans
“Stalin’s revolution”
aimed to make the USSR into an industrial superpower
years of the first five year plan
1928-32
years of the second five year plan
1933-37
years of the third five year plan
1938-41 (interrupted by WW2)
years of the fourth five year plan
1946-55
years of the fifth five year plan
1951-55
first five year plan (1928-32):
aims
methods
results
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) didn’t make much impact until 1934. Magnitogorsk population went from 25 in 1929 to 250,000 in 1932. Quality often sacrificed to reach targets
second five year plan (1933-37):
aims
methods
results
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
third five year plan (1938-41):
aims
methods
results
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
fourth five year plan (1946-55):
aims
methods
results
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
fifth five year plan (1951-55):
aims
methods
results
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
when was the decision made to abandon the NEP
1927
reasons for collectivisation
NEP = agriculture unchanged since revolution
link with industry: fear of foreign invasion, urgent need to industrialise
economic: large plots are more efficient
political: extend socialism into countryside, useful since control of the party in countryside weakened after Tambov 1921
evidence to show optional collectivisation (policy before 1928) never worked
1925: less than 1% of farmland was collectivised
process of collectivisation
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.
which areas opposed collectivisation the most
Ukraine and Caucasus
how many party members made up the dekulakisation squads
25,000
evidence to show how much farmland got collectivised
1932: 62% peasant households collectivised
1937: 93% collectivised
results of collectivisation
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
evidence to show opposition to collectivisation (killing animals)
1928-33: 50% of cattle killed (shortage of milk and meat)
cattle numbers did not recover until 1953
causes of 1932-33 famine
fall in grain production + more grain requisitioned
Government prioritised army/town
effects of 1932-33 famine
4 million peasant deaths in 1933 alone
some resorted to cannibalism
worst areas: Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Caucasus region
how many kulaks were ‘liquidated’ in the collectivisation process
estimated between 5-10 millions
successes of collectivisation:
managed to re-instate heavy state control over a reluctant group of people
1930 - mir is abolished and replaced with the kolkhoz administration
German invasion of the USSR (dates)
22nd June - 5th December
1941
impact of WW2 on soviet economy
strain of resources
centralised economy was effective in wartime
proof for shift of focus to military production (WW2)
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
proof of Nazi occupation damaging industrial production
1940: 18 million tonnes steel, 29 million tonnes oil
1945: 12 million tonnes steel, 19 million tonnes oil
effects of war on agriculture
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
social effects of the war
1945 (end of war)
25 million people homeless
1,700 towns and 70,000 villages classified as ‘destroyed’
example of Stalin’s prestiges projects
The White Sea Canal - 141 miles long, 10000 slave deaths, too shallow to be actually useful (iced over in the winter months) but lined with statues of Stalin.
years of good economic performance under Khrushchev
1956 - 58
however from 1959 growth slowed, and by 1969 the economy was stagnant
how did Khrushchev plan to incentivise farmers?
paid higher prices for food
1952-56 farm incomes increased 250%
Khrushchev’s investment into agriculture
planned to make farming more efficient by investing in artificial fertilisers (production increased 40%) and tractors (production increased 30%)
investment in agriculture from soviet budget grew from 3% in 1954 to 12.8% in 1959
the virgin lands scheme
1956-63
Khrushchev wanted to increase the amount of land that was being farmed
new farms on the ‘virgin lands’ of the northern Caucasus, Kazakhstan, and Western Siberia
problems with the virgin lands scheme
done in areas not normally fertile -> needed expensive irrigation systems that often didn’t work. High cost and low yield
although pay for farmers had increased, it was not enough to incentivise young workers to live in these harsh conditions
central planning meant farmers didn’t always get the right fertilisers (wasted money and lower yield)
statistic to show technology in Soviet agriculture in 50s and 60s was far behind the USA
soviet agriculture still highly labour intensive
50% of soviet population worked in agriculture and still only produced half as much as the 5% of Americans who worked in agriculture
Khrushchev repeatedly reformed the ministries that were dealing with agriculture, what negative impacts did this have?
contradictory reforms lead to administrative confusion
how Brezhnev changed the Soviet approach to agriculture
1964-85
abandoned Khrushchev’s attempted reform, swathed back to the system Stalin had set up.
instead of attempting to make agriculture more productive, he authorised large-scale grain imports from the west (keep food prices low)
how did Brezhnev afford to buy grain imports from the west
selling the USSr’s oil
High oil prices in 1970s, oil sales made up most of soviet export
how did Khrushchev want to modernise industry
investing in light industry in order to produce more consumer goods
main industrial problems of the 50s and 60s
Military spending: arms race (Cold War) lead to high levels of military spending, little to spend on other things
Command economy: Stalin’s command economy was good at providing large quantities of basic goods (e.g. concrete) but not for complex light industry (Khrushchev’s aim)
Inefficiency: command economy is very inefficient, lots of wasted resources
when was Khrushchev’s 7 year plan launched
January 1959 - 1966
aims of Khrushchev’s 7 year plan
increase production of consumer goods
increase production of chemical fertilisers to support his agricultural policies, such as the corn campaign
results of the 7 year plan
there was increase, but it was moderate
production of consumer goods was still 5% below target
production of chemicals still 20% below target
1966: 0.5% of soviet citizens own cars vs 20% UK
reasons for failure of 7 year plans
Khrushchev introduced contradictory reforms e.g. in 1957 he decentralised economic planning, then from 1958-64 he re-centralised
Khrushchev increased targets in 1962 (harder to reach)
reasons for economic decline under Brezhnev
refusal to change: all economic reform stopped after 1964, meaning long term problems such as inefficiency were never solved
Brezhnev also increased military spending, less money to invest back into industry
By 1980 the economy was stagnant
what was Khrushchev’s vision
Khrushchev wanted the Soviet Union to reach communism by 1980. Under communism; he believed that housing, transport, and food would all be available freely
how did Brezhnev continue the promise for better living standards when abandoning Khrushchev’s vision?
subsidising prices: government kept prices of consumer goods low (lead to a shortages as goods were in higher demand than supply due to bad industry)
a second economy: Brezhnev accepted the growth of the black market (or ‘second economy’), allowing citizens to buy goods illegally
Andropov’s reforms
attempted to fix long term economic problems: ‘Operation Trawl’ . KGB crack down on drunkenness and absenteeism
1983: 25% of average family income spent on vodka + making their own moonshine
campaign was short lived, didn’t solve underling issues
