econmic development

Question 1

What was the ‘Great Turn’?

Answer 1

The ‘Great Turn’ was a radical change in economic policy where the Party rejected the NEP and committed to rapid industrialisation under state control, along with the collectivisation of agriculture.

Question 2

Why was the NEP introduced?

Answer 2

Lenin introduced the NEP because the state did not have the resources to rescue the economy from collapse on its own.

Question 3

What were the ideological concerns about the NEP?

Answer 3

Many in the Party were impatient to revert to ‘true’ communist ideology to manage the economy and believed it was essential to develop industry without dependence on purchasing grain from peasants.

Question 4

What economic issues led to the ‘Great Turn’?

Answer 4

The slow pace of industrialisation under the NEP and serious weaknesses in industrial management needed to be addressed, as the NEP was failing to produce expected growth.

Question 5

What was the grain procurement crisis?

Answer 5

In the winter of 1927-28, the amount of grain purchased by the government was 25 per cent down on the previous year’s total, leading to local Party officials blaming peasants for hoarding grain.

Question 6

What significant events occurred in 1927 related to the ‘Great Turn’?

Answer 6

In October 1927, the grain procurement crisis began, and in November, Trotsky, Kamenev, and Zinoviev were expelled from the Party.

Question 7

What was the outcome of the Fifteenth Party Congress in 1927?

Answer 7

The end of the NEP was announced at the Fifteenth Party Congress.

Question 8

What did Stalin demand in response to the grain crisis?

Answer 8

Stalin demanded ‘extraordinary measures’ to deal with the grain crisis.

Question 9

When was the first Five Year Plan launched?

Answer 9

The first Five Year Plan was launched in 1928.

Question 10

What were the goals of the first Five Year Plan?

Answer 10

The goals included catching up with the industrial strength of capitalist countries, preparing the USSR for war, and achieving self-sufficiency.

Question 11

What was Stalin’s changing attitude towards the NEP?

Answer 11

Stalin shifted from supporting the NEP to adopting more radical policies, possibly due to economic pressures or his newfound security in power.

Question 12

What was the significance of the ‘Great Turn’?

Answer 12

The ‘Great Turn’ marked the start of Stalinism and a commitment to rapid industrialisation and collectivisation.

Question 13

What was the NEP failing to produce?

Answer 13

The NEP was failing to produce sufficient industrial goods and address issues in industrial production.

Question 14

What was needed to improve the quality of industrial goods?

Answer 14

Investment and control over grain procurement were essential to improve the quality of industrial goods.

Question 15

What was the goal of Stalin’s Five Year Plan?

Answer 15

The goal was to achieve ‘Socialism in One Country’ and demonstrate what a socialist state could achieve.

Question 16

What was the expected increase in overall industrial production between 1928 and 1932?

Answer 16

Overall industrial production was planned to increase by 300 percent.

Question 17

Which industries were prioritized in the first Five Year Plan?

Answer 17

Heavy industry such as coal, iron, steel, oil, and machinery were prioritized.

Question 18

What was the significance of the ‘steel city’ of Magnitogorsk?

Answer 18

Magnitogorsk was built from virtually nothing to a settlement of 175,000 people by 1932, with a huge steel production facility.

Question 19

What role did propaganda play in the first Five Year Plan?

Answer 19

Propaganda campaigns were crucial for achieving the targets of the first Five Year Plan.

Question 20

What was the ideology behind the ambitious targets of the Plan?

Answer 20

The ideology was that socialism could achieve what seemed impossible, as stated by Stalin in 1931.

Question 21

What was the reaction of many Party members to the first Five Year Plan?

Answer 21

Many Party members were pleased to see a commitment to radical social change and an end to the NEP compromises.

Question 22

What triggered the grain procurement crisis of 1927-28?

Answer 22

Poor harvests reduced the supply of grain, while the state set a low grain price, leading to a shortage of manufactured goods.

Question 23

What was Stalin’s response to the grain procurement crisis?

Answer 23

Stalin closed free markets and pressured local officials to seize grain by force, believing his method was successful.

Question 24

What percentage of farms in the USSR had voluntarily collectivised at the start of 1929?

Answer 24

Only 5 per cent of farms in the USSR had voluntarily collectivised.

Question 25

What are the two main types of collective farms decided by the Central Committee?

Answer 25

The two main types are sovkhozy (state farms) and kolkhozy (collective farms).

Question 26

What is the difference between a sovkhoz and a kolkhoz?

Answer 26

A sovkhoz is directly owned and run by the state, while a kolkhoz is a voluntary cooperative of farmers pooling their resources and labour.

Question 27

What was the target for collectivisation in the first Five Year Plan?

Answer 27

The target was 15 per cent of the USSR's farms.

Question 28

What was expected to be the outcome of the collectivisation target in terms of agricultural production?

Answer 28

It was expected to lead to a 50 per cent increase in agricultural production.

Question 29

What action did the Central Committee take to promote collectivisation?

Answer 29

The Central Committee sent 25,000 industrial workers into the countryside to promote collectivisation.

Question 30

What was the problem with agriculture before collectivisation?

Answer 30

Agriculture was small-scale peasant farming using traditional methods, which could not produce enough food for the workforce needed to build socialism.

Question 31

What crisis highlighted the unreliability of private peasant farming?

Answer 31

The grain procurement crisis of 1927-28 showed that private peasant farming was not reliable enough.

Question 32

What was the proposed solution to improve agricultural production?

Answer 32

Collective farms would combine hundreds of peasant families and their land, using tractors and new methods introduced by farming specialists.

Question 33

What was the policy towards kulaks during collectivisation?

Answer 33

Collectivisation would be accompanied by dekulakisation, aiming to eliminate kulaks as class enemies.

Question 34

What was Bukharin's stance on collectivisation?

Answer 34

Bukharin opposed accelerated collectivisation and criticized harsh methods to increase grain supplies.

Question 35

What happened to Bukharin's political position during the push for collectivisation?

Answer 35

His political position weakened, and he was outvoted on agricultural policy in the Politburo in April 1928.

Question 36

What significant political consequence did the 'Great Turn' have?

Answer 36

It enabled Stalin to remove Bukharin as a rival with accusations of 'Right deviationism'.

Question 37

What was the main goal of the first Five Year Plan launched in 1928?

Answer 37

The goal was to increase production and industrialise the USSR through central planning.