Industrialisation (incomplete)

Question 1

What was Gosplan?

Answer 1

The state planning agency that was given responsibility for drawing up the plans and establishing output targets for every economic enterprise

Question 2

Why did Gosplan have a difficult task?

Answer 2

It was the communist government that ultimately determined the production terms
Party leaders would often argue with Gosplan to why their region should have first call on resources
Gosplan also worked on unreliable information e.g. on the cost of imports and exports

Question 3

What was the nature of the targets set by Gosplan?

Answer 3

They were usually ambitious, intended to force managers and workers to devote their maximum effort to the programme

Question 4

Why was their corruption regarding targets?

Answer 4

It was deemed a criminal offence for a target to not be met- therefore those involved in the administering of targets went to great lengths to show that huge improvements were being made- way above the targets set

Question 5

What was the job of Gosplan?

Answer 5

To match input to output. This established priorities of the use of resources and organised supply and distribution taking steps to balance the economy

Question 6

Why were many of Gosplan workers dismissed?

Answer 6

As they worked using falsified targets and production statistics they were dismissed if things went wrong and accused of not being class conscious or enthusiastic of free from corruption

Question 7

What was the First Five Year plan?

Answer 7

It was approved by the Sixteenth Party Congress in April 1929 although it was backdated to October 1928- it was not based on very secure data and was often based on ambitious targets

Question 8

What was the target production and actual production of coal in the first plan?

Answer 8

TP= 75 million tonnes
AP= 35.4 million tonnes - just less than half

Question 9

Why should the first five year plan not be overly criticised?

Answer 9

It did increase production levels and was a great experiment in which to learn from and influence the second and third year plans. It was also implemented at the time of the Wall Street Crash and depression.

Question 10

For the first year plan was the actual and target production of oil

Answer 10

AP= 11.7 million tonnes
TP= 22 million tonnes

Question 11

Why was Stalin’s regime problematic for the people?

Answer 11

Stalin was becoming more authoritarian- this meant that people were afraid to question the regime in case of accusations of disloyalty, treason or sabotage

Question 12

What were the aims of the FFYP?

Answer 12

It aimed to increase heavy industry production such as coal and steel production
It wanted to increase production by 300%
Boost electricity production by 600%
Double the input from light industry such as chemicals

Question 13

What was publicity like during the FFYP?

Answer 13

It provoked an enthusiastic response, publicity and Stalin enhanced it success by saying that targets were met in 4 years rather than 5- this may have been over enthusiastic reporting due to a desired show of loyalty from reporters

Question 14

In what ways did the FFYP succeed?

Answer 14

Electricity output trebled
Coal and iron production doubled
New railways, engineering plants and HEP schemes doubled

Question 15

What were some of the weaknesses of the FFYP?

Answer 15

Targets for the chemical industry were not met
Household, food processing and other consumer industries were neglected
There were too few skilled workers
There were too little effective central co-ordination for efficient development
Small industries lost out in the competition to bigger factories

Question 16

What is an overview of the SFYP?

Answer 16

It was built on the infrastructure provided by the first, it gave more attention to consumer goods but heavy industry still remained the overall priority

Question 17

What were the aims of the SFYP?

Answer 17

To continue the growth of heavy industry
To promote the growth of light industries
To develop the communication system to provide links between the city and other industrial areas
To foster engineering and tool making

Question 18

What are some of the successes of the SFYP?

Answer 18

It had the ‘three good years’ between 1934 and 1936
The Moscow metro was opened in 1935, the Volga Canal in 1937 and the Dnieprostroi Dam (which produced HEP) which was completed in 1932 was extended with 4 more generators to make it the largest dam in Europe
The growth of metals grew e.g. copper, zinc and tin were mined for the first time
Steel output trebled, coal output doubled

Question 19

What was the Moscow metro an example of?

Answer 19

The beauty of socialism and how it could surpass capitalist design- the interior was divine e.g. marble walls, grand chandeliers

Question 20

By 1937 what was the Soviet described as?

Answer 20

Virtually self sufficient in metal goods and machine tools

Question 21

How was the plan’s focus shifted in 1936?

Answer 21

There was a greater emphasis placed on rearmament which rose from 4% GDP to 17% in 1933

Question 22

What are some of the weaknesses of the SFYP?

Answer 22

Shoe production was extreme
Oil production failed to meet its targets
There was still no appreciative rise in consumer goods
There was an emphasis on quantity rather than quality

Question 23

What was significant about armament production in te SFYP?

Answer 23

Initially not prioritised, but grew strongly after 1936 as rearmament began.

Question 24

What was the TP and AP for steel during SFYP?

Answer 24

TP (target): ~17 million tonnes; AP (actual): ~18 million tonnes (slightly exceeded).

Question 25

What was the coal production figures for SFYP?

Answer 25

TP: ~75 million tonnes; AP: ~128 million tonnes (well above target).

Question 26

What was the electricity production figures for the SFYP?

Answer 26

TP: ~38 billion kWh; AP: ~36 billion kWh (slightly below target).

Question 27

What were machine tool figures for the SFYP?

Answer 27

AP: ~45,000 (huge rise; crucial for industrial self-sufficiency).

Question 28

Why was the Moscow metro built?

Answer 28

To showcase Soviet engineering, modernity, and socialist achievement; symbol of progress.

Question 29

Who was the Moscow-Volga canal built by?

Answer 29

Forced labour from Gulag prisoners (hundreds of thousands).

Question 30

What was the rewards system in place during the construction of the Volga- Canal?

Answer 30

Early release offered for meeting work targets (labour incentives for prisoners).

Question 31

What was Magnitogorsk?

Answer 31

A giant new steel city in the Urals, built from scratch as a symbol of Soviet industrialisation.

Question 32

What was Komsomolsk?

Answer 32

New industrial city in eastern Siberia, built largely by Komsomol (Communist youth volunteers).

Question 33

Why was Komsomolsk important?

Answer 33

Developed heavy industry and armaments in the Far East; boosted defence against Japan.

Question 34

How were foreigners involved in the FYP?

Question 35

Why was the USSR popular to foreigners?

Question 36

Why were foreigners treated badly?

Question 37

What was the TFYP?

Question 38

What were the aims of the TFYP?

Question 39

What were the weaknesses of the TFYP?

Question 40

What was the impact of the Stakhanovite movement?

Question 40

What was the biggest problem with the TFYP?

Question 41

What was the Stakhanovites movement?

Question 42

Why was the Stakhanovite movement not universally popular?

Question 43

How could the Stakhanovite movement be considered a stunt?

Question 44

What was the task of industrial managers?

Question 45

How could industry managers be rewarded?

Question 46

What was a managers punishment for not reaching targets?

Question 47

What was wrecking?

Question 48

What caused difficulty for managers?

Question 49

Why were Stakhavonites a problem for managers?

Question 50

What were 2 examples of tough measures as a result of industrialisation for workers?

Question 51

What sort of acts of workers were deemed punishable?

Question 52

What were labour books 1938?

Question 53

Why were workers optimistic in the first years of industrialisation?

Question 54

How did Stalin’s purges impact workers?

Question 55

What was a negative social impact of industrialisation for workers?

Question 56

Why did the phasing out of rationing in 1935 not have a great impact?