Theme 2 Khrushchev Flashcards
What were the challenges Khrushchev faced when taking over the Soviet economy?
-The system was very bureaucratic and was difficult for local innovations to take place out of fear of upsetting the plan.
- Terror restricted a lot of free thought under Stalin and that fear continued.
- System was clumsy and wasteful. It could not handle any unforseen trends for goods demands (only created enough for demands)
What did Khrushchev attempt to do to deal with these issues?
- Set up 105 regional economic councils to supervise enterprises around the USSR. Attempt to decentralise decision-making bodies
- Labour laws from Stalin removed. Reduced working week to 41 hours (from 48 hours)
- Managers given more control of enterprises in their factories
- Greater emphasis on vocational study (specialist technical classes)
What was the Liberman Plan (1962) ?
A plan made by Evsei Liberman that addressed the issues of underperformance in the USSR. Pushed for a greater initiative to decentralise decision-making and use supply and demand to set prices. Not supported by politburo and party officials.
How significant was the Liberman Plan?
His ideas were limited by conservatives who did not want to lose power of economic planning. His ideas were “watered down” when applied by conservatives. Significant as promoted Khrushchev’s ideas to decentralise.
What were the priorities of ‘The Seven-Year Plan’?
- It addressed the need to change the fuel and chemical industries.
- Shift of focus from coal to oil and gas.
-Increased targets for consumer goods.
What evidence is there of success of the 7YP?
Khrushchev “We will bury you” to west as a claim to overtake the west in technology and consumer goods.
- Launching of Sputnik, the first satellite in 1957.
- First Man in space Yuri Gagarin in 1961.
- Space race encouraged Soviet pride.
- Exceeded target consumption for oil by bringing it up from 113 million tons in 1958 to 242 milion tons in 1965.
- Annual growth rate of 7.1 percent in 1950s
-
What evidence is there of failure of the 7YP?
- Severe neglect in housing. Target 650 sq m of housing and only 79.2 sq m in 1965.
- Poor labour productivity and inefficiency. Sovnarkhozy made national planning difficult as local enterprises had difficult to predict requirements.
- Soviet economy still lacked behind the west as it had a smaller economic base.
- Stalin’s military-industrial complex for heavy industry was not wanted under Khrushchev so many undermined his new reforms.
What was the economy like in 1964?
Economic growth had slowed by 1964 as spending on consumer goods was reduced and housing was cut back.
Many of Khrushchev’s reforms were being held back by the spending for military-industrial complex from stalin.
What evidence is there to suggest Khrushchev was more sympathetic to the peasants than Stalin?
- Khrushchev came from a peasant background
- Understood that slow growth in food and agriculture would hold back growth in industry
- Listened to peasants wants from collectives
- Khrushchev considered himself a agriculture expert; committed himself to fixing agriculture in Soviet economy. Opposed Stalin where Agriculture was forgotten
How did Khrushchev attempt to ‘win the peasants over to collectivisation and stimulate initiative?
Khruschev introduced:
- Individual collectives given greater power for decision-making. Greater flexibility
- MTS abolished which removed the governments role and close watch over collectives. Replaced with system to buy own equipment
- Collectives increased in size that mainly focused on food production. Allowed greater investment into agriculture.
- Prices for state procurements increased. Compulsory food seizure replaced by planned state purchases to encourage productivity.
- More concessions for peasants on how they could use their private plots of land.
- Khrushchev’s virgin lands scheme encouraged new areas to be used for agriculture.
What evidence is there of success of Khrushchev’s agricultural reforms?
- Raised standards in agriculture. Returned as a centre of economic planning
- Farmers incomes had doubled between 1952 and 1958
- Food production increased by 51%
- Investment into agriculture increased
What evidence is there of failure of Khrushchev’s agricultural reforms?
- Remained strong resistance from conservatives and those who continued to follow the strong military-industry complex in the politburo.
- Productivity remained low. Many viewed Khrushchev’s policies as hare-brained schemes
- Target for grain failed to be met
- Virgin Lands Scheme failed miserably. Planting trees in a semi desert to attempt to make it cultivated and usable failed as it was too dry.
- Poor harvest in 1963. Not helped by poor roads and inadequate storage facilities.
- Shortage of animal fodder which meant millions of livestock slaughtered.
- USSR had to end up relying on North America and Austrailia to import grain.
What evidence is that demonstrates Khrushchev’s reforms were abandoned?
Khrushchev was dismissed as General Secretary in 1964.
Most of his policies were abandoned.
- Khrushchev’s Regional Economic Councils were abandoned in 1965 and economic planning was recentralised.
- Gosplan was once again given greater power to centralise.
When was the 7 year plan?
1959-65
What is a military-industrial complex?
Powerful bloc that linked armed forces to the sectors of economy involved in military products.
