Topic 4 - Economic And Social Changes 1928-1939 Flashcards
What was collectivisation
Collectivisation was bringing all individually run farms into large state run farms. This meant the state could control what was produced as peasants had to meet production targets
What were the two types of collective farm
Sovkozy - large, state farms run by a manager
Kokhozy - run by committees of peasants
Where did peasants borrow equipment from
Machine and Tractor Stations (MTS)
Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation
- more food needed to be produced (feed town people, to export for money towards machinery)
- it would destroy the Kulaks
What is mechanisation
Moving from working mostly / exclusively by hand or with animals to doing that work with machinery
Why would mechanisation be easier on collective farms
The state could provide machinery to the peasants and make them use it
Who were the Kulaks
Peasants who had used the NEP to become wealthy and make enough profit to buy more land and maybe even employ other peasants.
Who opposed most to collectivisation
The Kulaks
This is because they had the most to lose and had worked very hard for their money
Why did Stalin want to modernise Russia quickly
Stalin felt that changes had to be made quickly to the Soviet Union in order to catch up (industrially) with the west (Russia was 50-100 years behind). He was paranoid that if he did not do this, the West would try to crush communism
Why were many peasants opposed to collectivisation
They didn’t like being told what to do
Didn’t want to give up their land
They preferred the traditional farming style and did not feel responsible to feed the people in the city
Stalins response to opposition to collectivisation
Sent officials to find hidden crops
Purged the kulaks
From 1928 onwards, collectivisation was enforced and those who did not co-operate were shot or arrested
When did Stalin enforce collectivisation
1928
Achievements of collectivisation
- by 1935 over 90% of farms were collectivised
- more young people went to agricultural school
- by 1934, rationing if most items ended
Failures of collectivisation
- famine 1932-33
- many peasants were resentful, therefore only just worked hard enough to avoid punishment
- new machinery was made quickly by unskilled workers, bad quality
Famine of 1932-33
Peasants were destroying crops and animals as a reaction to forced collectivisation, and this effected everyone. 3 million people starved
The Kolkhoz charter, 1935
This allowed peasants about an acre of land to grow their own crops on and keep cows and pigs
Why was the Kolkhoz charter implemented
To stop peasants resenting collectivisation
What were the 5 year plans?
The 3 Five-Year Plans set industrialisation targets. This was a strategy for the Soviet Union that was broken down so that every factory, mine, or electricity plant had its own targets. However these were often reviewed so that workers would feel encouraged when they reached them
The first 5 year plan
1928-33
Targets for production of iron, steel, coal, oil, and electricity
‘Official’ figures said they completed it in 4 years, they didn’t actually until 1940 = propaganda
The second 5 year plan
1932-37
Began early (was planned for 1933), because of the ‘success’ of the first plan
Targeted the same industries as the first plan, but also with production for tractors, combine harvesters, and the extension of railways
With its head start and lower target, it met its goals
The third 5 year plan
1938-41
The first to include ‘luxury’ items like radios and bikes
Interrupted by WW2
Achievements of the 5 year plans
- Soviet Union was industrialised to defeat Nazi invasion in 1941
- unemployment dropped sharply
- higher living standards
- cities developed quickly; now had paved roads, electricity, drains
- by 1936, one third of people now lived in cities
Why emphasis on productivity was a problem
People were making goods quickly and with little thought put in, just to reach targets. Quality suffered as a consequence
What was Gosplan
A Government planning office that decided how much industry in the Soviet Union was to grow in each five year period.
