history russia

• the great turn 


  started in 1927 and was the switch from the NEP to the five-year plans and collectivization, bolshevik party members loved this as it was a step towards socialism, it would make the USSR more self-sufficient and improve foreign affairs
• three types of collectivisation

  the tov , the soukoz, the kolkhoz
• the tov 


  peasants owned their land but shared machinery to increase output
• the soukhoz

  farms were owned and run by the state, peasants who worked on the farms gave all the produce to the state
• the kolkhoz 


  farms were controlled by government officials, many forming households were put together as one unit to increase production rate. each household got 1 acre of land to grow crops, keep a cow, pig and foul
• why collectivisation 


  large farms could be harvested efficiently, less peop;e were needed on the farms which meant many more could industrialse, the government could control the amount of grain produced and stop individuals whom were keeping grain for themselves.
• how was collectivisation carried out

  force, terror, propaganda
• force terror and propaganda

  stalin' reintroduced class warfare and sent the military the OGPU and his 25 thousand army, to "liquidize the kulaks". their task was to persuade the poor and middle-class peasants to sign up for collectivization and rebel against the kulaks. anyone suspected of being a kulak would be deported or shot
• the famine (1932-34) 


  the state had collected 22.8 million tonnes of food to export and feed the army, this meant that many peasants starved hence the famine. it was estimated that 7 million people died from starvation. the great famine caused crop failure as there were less people to work the farms.
• five year plan #1 1928-32


  emphasis on heavy industries, 1500 new enterprises were opened, electricity production tripled, coal and iron output doubled, steel production increased by 1/3rd. there was a lack of consumer industry growth
• second five year plan 1933- 37


  emphasis on communications, 4.5 thousand enterprises opened, large projects such as railways and dams were made. by 1937 the USSR was virtually self-sufficient.
• third five-year plan 1938-41 


  heavy industries and defense were prioritised. due to a harsh winter many factories fell short of materials. the plan was thrown into chaos when the purges created shortages of qualified personnel such as managers, engineers and officers.
• 5 year plans success

  electric power went from 5 billion kwph in 1928 to 48.3 billion in 1940. coal production went from 29.1 million tonnes in 1928 to 165.9 million tonnes in 1940. locomotives went from 478 standard units to 1220 in 1940
• life under the plans 


  workers were excited to work as it seemed like they were making a genuine difference. those who exceeded targets were paid higher and got many benefits including housing. 10 million women were a part of the workforce making up 44% of it. the number of skilled workers was less than 7% this is because the government channeled investments into heavy industries and armaments rather than education programs. many unskilled workers did lots of property damage, resulting in harsher punishments such as prison time.
• stakhanov moevement 


  Stalin used stakhanovs accomplishments to create a movement, this ,movement was a compelling management to adopt new production methods and increase rates of production, production rate went up 30%
• living standards during the 5 year plans

  in cities and towns experienced an average increase of 200,000 people per moth, this meant there were little peasants staying on the farm, causing shortages of basic food such as bread. "the failing standards of living, the lines outside stores, the proliferation of spectators suggest the depths of the tensions and hardships.
• the purges and great terror

  "a single death is a tragedy , a million deaths is a statistic".- stalin.

  there was growing hostility towards the government and rumors of people overthrowing stalin. as a result stalin initiated purges
• three types of purges

  1. the Chitska
  2. the show trials
  3. the yezhovshchina
• cleansing the party

  party membership resistance caused anger and panic among leaders. stalin launched a chitska in December 1932. this was a non-violent way to revoke members from their membership.
• kirov

  sergei kirov emerged as a contender against stalin, he was murdered in December 1934. stalin took control of the investigation and ordered summery trials and the executions of suspected terrorists. this marked the beginning of the violent purges.
• the show trials


  thousands of party members were arrested, improsoned and even executed based on conspirory of being a terrorist. many innocent victims pleaded guilty to spare future torcher for them or their loved ones.
• the purges casualties

  • 7-8 millin people arrested
  • 1-1.5 million people were executed
  • 7-8 people were put in labor camps
  • 2 million people died in these camps (due to bad work conditions)
• the yezhovshchina

  in july the NKVD made a list of 250,000 people that were considered to be anti-soviet elements. under the act 00447, these people needed to be eradicated. this went out of hand and soon anyone deemed suspicious against the soviet rules would be arrested, killed or sent to labor camps. people began accusing their close friends and families. in 1937 stalin purged the military more than 700 were killed and 500 were shot. Stalin ended the terror in 1938, with so many arrests it seemed to loose its touch