Economic·Transformation·Under·Stalin·and·its·Impact·on·Soviet·Society¶

○ Industrialisation·&·5-year·plans¶
■ Policy·seemed·to·resemble·the·beginnings·of·a·new·revolution/Civil·War,·militant·approach·to·politics,·strong·
political·pressure·to·be·more·ambitious,·set·on·accomplishing·mythical·targets·&·completely·impractical.¶
○ First·5-year·plan·1928-1932¶
■ Set·industrial·targets·based·on·Western·models·including·funding·for·government·projects,·wanted·reduce·the·threat·
of·Western·invasion·by·building·up·armaments¶
■ A·list·of·dem&s·to·impossibly·increase·production,·when·outlook·quickly·reached,·target·was·increased,·reflected·
politicisation/militarisation·of·economies,·call·to·heroic·struggle·to·inspire·people·to·do·more,·shock·troops·sent·in·to·
“help”·mobilise·workers.·Many·volunteered·to·work·major·projects(eg·Magniitorgorsk·metal·factories·in·Urals)¶
■ Opposition·and·failure·considered·traitorous¶
■ Result→Unbalanced·economic·results:·heavy·industry·strengthened·at·cost·to·consumer·goods,·heavy·industry·then·
weakened·by·an·imbalance·in·growth,·production·did·increase.¶
○ Second·5-year·plan·1933-1937¶
■ Made·national·heroes·of·those·who·produced·more·than·their·share·of·goods,·known·as·Stakhanovite·movement·after·
Alexi·Stakhanov·who·allegedly·extracted·more·than·14·times·the·amount·of·the·coal·in·a·shift¶
■ Stakhanovite·heavily·rewarded,·often·resented·by·others·as·achievements·led·to·increased·quotas·for·all,·Dec·1935·
output·targets·raised·to·stakhanovite·levels,·expansion·in·chemical·industry,·increases·in·metal·&·Machines,·period·of·
consolidations·the·targets·were·far·more·reasonable·than·the·previous·plan¶
○ Third·5·year·plan¶
■ 1941·German·invasion·of·SU·meant·plan·did·not·go·to·term,·led·to·building·armaments·a·strong·consideration,·
emphasis·on·heavy·industry,·coincided·with·the·terror·&·purges,·severely·affected·the·leadership·of·factories·&·in·
meeting·targets,·another·economic·impact·included·the·suffering·of·consumer·industries.¶
○ Collectivisation¶
■ Changes·to·industry·was·considerable,·dramatic·changes·made·in·agriculture,·agrarian·development·created·as·
political&military·campaign,·“class·war·against·exploiters”,·against·kulaks·on·side·of·the·state·were·poor·peasants·
allied·with·the·proletariat·&·the·Party¶
■ Reality·was·class·war·of·the·proletarian·state·who·saw·itself·against·entire·peasantry·as·a·class,·began·in·winter·
1927-28·with·forced·grain·requisition,·problem·of·grain·not·being·delivered·in·sufficient·quantities·became·so·severe·
that·the·state·sent·battalions,·so·peasants·h&ed·over·grain·at·low·process·set·by·state,·happened·in·autumn·1928&1929¶
■ Immediate·result→positive,·additional·grain·turned·out·to·be·in·h&s·of·peasants·&·was·subsequently·collected·¶
■ Campaign·intensified,·kulaks·were·to·be·liquidated·as·a·class&collectivisation·of·agriculture·was·decreed·in·1930,·
100s·of·1000s·were·evicted·with·property·confiscated,·half·of·all·remaining·were·forced·on·collective·farms¶
■ Collectivisation·was·extreme,·all·declared·property·of·the·new·collective(kolkhoz),·collectivisors·from·city·beat·
police·&·arrested·class·enemies¶
■ Peasants·resister·by:·meeting·officials·from·the·city&beating·them·up/killing·them,·passive·resistance·like·ab&oning·
countryside→an·internal·passport·to·prevent·this,·killed·animals&organised·banquets·or·left·to·rot·rather·h&·over¶
Problems·With·Economic·Transformation·Under·Stalin¶
■ Collectivisation·meant·replacing·small,·privately·owned·farms·with·Kolkhozes(Collective·farms)·and·Sovkhoz(State·
Farms)·→·OG,·to·collectivise·20·percent·sown·area,·achieved·during·first·5-year·plan,·target·was·soon·increased·and·
brought·forward.¶
■ Between·Dec·1929·and·Mar·1930,·60%·of·farms·were·collectivised·sparked·widespread·defiance·killed·animals,·etc¶
■ In·Stalin’s·“Dizzy·with·Success·article·of·Mar·1930,·claimed·new·class·of·wealthy·Landowners,·or·Kulaks,·were·
undermining·state·by·withholding·grain·from·market·to·increase·prices→Necessary·to·‘liquidate’·whole·Kulak·Class¶
■ Due·to·Poor·Peasants·making·up·80%·population·thus·important→Treatment·of·Kulaks·under·S·was·brutal:·in·
addition·to·losing·land·and·possessions·many·were·sent·to·labour·camps(gulags)·and·died·in·them¶
■ Resulted·in·terrible·famine(1932-1933)→‘liquidation’·of·KC·combined·with·poor·harvest·and·G·taking·more·Grain¶
■ Ukraine·worst·area·hit→Ukrainian·nationalism·began·to·rise→Russian-Ukrainian·border·was·closed,·220,000·
arrested·trying·to·cross¶
■ 6·to·8·million·people·die·in·famine→Collectivisation·was·fully·implemented·by·1936¶
■ ¶
Political·Transformation·(growth·of·Party,·use·of·terror,·show·trials,·gulags,·propog&a·&·censorship)¶
○ Use·Of·Terror&Show·Trials¶
■ Terror·used·to·drive·political·transformations·,·S·oversaw·elimination·of·suspected·or·potential·resistance¶
■ 1934·secret·police·named·NKVD,the·entire·S·era,·1929-53,·millions·killed,·S·remarked·“one·death·is·a·tragedy,·but·a·
million·deaths·is·a·statistic”,·during·Great·Purge·(1936-38)·over·600,000·executed¶
■ Purges·began·with·murder·of·Sergei·Kirov·a·rival·to·S·in·1934,·many·believe·S·used·this·as·excuse·to·launch·the·
purges·to·find·those·responsible·for·his·assassination¶
■ Moscow·show·trials·were·dramatic·propag&a·event,·public·trials·happened·in·1936,·37&38,·in·a·wave·of·terror·
prominent·Communists·accused·of·plotting·against·Stalin,·after·forced·confessions·they·were·convicted&executed¶
■ Army·also·purged·in·1937·Stalin·had·10s·of·1000s·purged·which·left·Soviet·Union·ill·prepared·for·WWII¶
■ Secret·police·had·elaborate·structure·to·make·terror·work,·quotas·of·people·to·be·arrested,·individuals·tried·to·
over-fulfil·their·production,·family·members·also·arrested·or·had·to·denounce·denunciations·would·lead·to·a·knock·on·
the·door·in·the·middle·of·the·night,·secret·police·turned·terror·into·finely·tuned·scientific·system¶
■ S·pursued·specific·purposes·effecting·massive·social·change·in·the·Party·bringing·his·own·supporters&transforming·
the·country,·Party·structure·transformed·by·1939·Congress¶
○ Gulags¶
 ■ Extensive·prison&labour·camps,·gulags(Glavnow·Upravlenie·ispravitel’no-trudovykh·LAGerei·or·Main·
Administration·of·Corrective·Labour·Camps)¶
■ Located·throughout·country&on·remote·islands·(Gulag·Archipelago),·use·show·importance·placed·on·prisoner·labour·
within·planned·economy¶
■ Archival·evidence·suggests·that·by·the·end·of·1930s·1.5million·prisoners,·early·1950s·2.5million,·some·historians·
believe·this·accounted·for·up·to·12-15%·of·entire·economy¶
■ Propaganda·said·camps·were·intended·to·rehabilitate·prisoner·through·re-educational·corrective·labour¶
■ Socialism·was·to·be·transformative&uplifting·--·different·ends·needing·different·means¶
○ D.Chapman,·Stalin:·Man·of·Steel,·1987:·Stalin’s·Description·of·Collectivisation·“It·was·absolutely·necessary·for·
Russia,·if·we·were·to·avoid·periodic·famines,·to·plough·the·land·with·tractors.·We·must·mechanise·our·agriculture.·
When·we·gave·tractors·to·the·peasants·they·were·all·spoiled·in·a·few·months.·Only·collective·farms·with·workshops·
could·handle·tractors.·We·took·the·greatest·trouble·to·explain·it·to·the·peasants.·It·was·no·use·arguing·with·them”¶
○ D.Chapman,·Stalin:·Man·of·Steel,·1987:·Stalin·Description·of·Fate·of·Kulaks·“Many·of·them·agreed·to·come·in·with·
us.·Some·of·them·were·given·land·of·their·own·to·cultivate·in·the·province·of·Tomsk·or·the·province·of·Irkutsk·further·
north,·but·the·great·bulk·were·very·unpopular·and·were·wiped·out·by·their·labourers”¶
○ M.Sholokov,·Virgin·Upturned,·1937:·“Men·began·slaughtering·their·cattle·every·night.·As·soon·as·it·grew·dusk,·one·
could·hear·the·muffled·bleating·of·sheep,·the·death·squeal·of·a·pig·piercing·the·stillness.·Both·the·peasants·who·had·
joined·the·collective·farm·and·the·individual·farmers·killed·off·their·stock·…·‘Kill,·it’s·not·ours·now!·Kill,·the·state·
butchers·will·do·it·if·we·don’t·…·Kill,·for·you·won’t·taste·meat·in·the·collective·farm’.”¶
GIP→Gross·industrial·production/GAP→Gross·agricultural·production¶
Item¶ 1927·Output¶ 1932-33·Target¶ 1932-33·Output¶
GIP(100·million·roubles)¶ 18.3¶ 43.2¶ 43.3¶
GAP(100·million·roubles)¶ 13.1¶ 25.8¶ 16.6¶

Coal(million·tons)¶ 35.4¶ 75¶ 64.3¶

Total·emplyed·labour·force¶ 11.3¶ 15.8¶ 22.8¶
Steel(million·tons)¶ 4¶ 10.4¶ 5.9¶
Results·of·Collectivisation¶

¶
Production·Figures·For·Russian·Agriculture→J.Laver,·Russia·1914-41,·1991,·pg.·60¶
¶ 1928¶ 1929¶ 1930¶ 1931¶ 1932¶ 1933¶ 1934¶ 1935¶

GrainHarvest(Mil 73.3¶ 71.7¶ 83.5¶ 69.5¶ 69.6¶ 68.4¶ 67.6¶ 75.0¶

lion·tons)¶

Cattle(Million· 70.5¶ 67.1¶ 52.5¶ 47.9¶ 40.7¶ 40.7¶ 42.4¶ 49.3¶

head)¶

Pig(Million·head)¶ 26.0¶ 20.4¶ 13.6¶ 14.4¶ 11.6¶ 11.6¶ 17.4¶ 22.6¶

Sheep·and· 146. 147¶ 108. 77.7¶ 52.1¶ 52.1¶ 51.6¶ 61.1¶

Goats(Million· 7¶ 8¶
head)¶