Russia Impact of Collectivisation and Industrialisation Essay Plan PDF

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Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1941 Collectivisation and Industrialisation

Assess the impact of collectivisation and industrialisation on Soviet Society and the Economy to 1941 Collectivisation and Industrialisation had a significant impact on Soviet Society and the Economy to 1941 as it transformed the nation from an economically backwards nation to a highly industrialised modern one in which Soviet society were employees of the state. By establishing state farms to raise the capital needed to finance the Soviet industrialisation programme as a predominately agricultural economy, Collectivisation led the way for industrialisation which allowed the Russian economy to develop into a war economy sufficient to defend itself from external threats. However, most importantly, whilst it allowed the economy to rapidly develop, this saw the destruction of traditional rural society, in which it allowed the state to gain unprecedented control over the economy and its workers. Its ruthless and brutal implementation meant industrialisation and collectivisation came at a huge human cost seen through subsequent famine of 1932-33 and dekulakisation with millions of deaths and degradation in Russian living conditions. There was widespread resistance in implementation since the Party had to use propaganda. Thus, by assessing the social, political and economic impacts of industrialisation on Soviet society and the economy to 1941, one can see how it significantly transformed the Soviet Economy and the lives of ordinary Russian citizens. Social Most importantly, collectivisation and industrialisation significantly impacted Soviet society as it destroyed traditional rural society and degraded Russian living conditions in the Party’s aim to establish an industrialised economy. Ø To effectively exert collectivisation, the Soviet Party exerted dekulakisation which saw the slaughter of richer peasants, with all 7 million kulaks eliminated by 1934. However, the forced relinquishing of private land led to widespread resistance with civil war breaking out in the countryside. In acts of defiance, peasants burnt their farms. Between December 1929 and March 1930 alone, 30,000 arson attacks occurred. o This contributed to the famine of 1932-33, in which desperate acts of resistance or a sheer inability to produce adequate food levels since they were redirected to the state, led to widespread food shortages and starvation among the peasantry. This was exacerbated by the official silence of the Party who denied the practices. This led to the deaths of between 5-10 million people, evident of the widespread human tragedy o Thereby, collectivisation led to the destruction of traditional rural society since it removed the nobility and the Church and forced the peasants to work and live together to produce food for the state. Communist propaganda replaced the teachings of the Church and the village Mir was replaced by collectivised and state farms Ø This was further exacerbated by industrialisation which saw the restructuring of Russian society as workers moved from working on the land to working in factories. o Whilst Communism aimed to achieve a classless society, these practices led to a hierarchy with a party elite, dependent on the internal structure of a commissariat. Divisions were created between different industries as the targets established by the Five-Year Plans dictated the privileges one could access such as accommodation and transport.

Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1941 Collectivisation and Industrialisation §

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Haigh technical skills were well regarded and endowed with special privileged whilst unskilled labour was considered the lowest in the hierarchy, reminiscent of the hierarchy in the Tsarist Regime As the Soviet government asserted that the nation was under ‘siege’, with a need for protection against external threats, a worker’s material needs were of little significance with food scare and overcrowding persistent. For example, 4-5 families would often live in an overcrowded apartment which was a hazard to health

Thus, collectivisation and industrialisation had a significant social impact over Soviet society and the economy as it led to a restructuring of Russian society with an emergence of a new party elite based on an individual’s role in the Soviet economy. However, it degraded Soviet living standards, leading to a human tragedy due to widespread resistance from ruthless implementation.

Political Collectivisation and industrialisation had a significant political impact on Soviet society and the economy as it allowed the State to take centralising control over the nation towards the development of a strong industrialised society. Ø Collectivisation of Russian agriculture took the land away from the peasantry and placed it into the control of the state. This lead to the establishment of state farms in which the peasantry could no longer farm for their own profit but instead received a wage. Therefore, the destruction of private ownership destroyed any power the peasants might have to oppose the government since there was no chance of a rival force being created o The State executed control over these holding through elected officials and committees with top officials o Stalin executed dekulakisation as a way of eliminating the wealthy peasants through arrest or deportation by the OGPU since they had the potential to resist collectivisation. This further gave the Party the ability successfully execute control over the peasantry to produce the grain needed to sell abroad to raise capital § This renewal of terror gave the Party the opportunity to war the peasantry of the likely consequences of resisting reorganisation of Soviet agriculture. The introduction of the death penalty ensured that anyone who didn’t comply would be eliminated § Stalin justified the resistance and troubles of the peasants that they were ‘dizzy with success’ and instead restarted collectivisation in a more determined way o By 1941, virtually all the peasantry was collectivised, allowing the Party to execute centralised control over Russian society since the peasants were now dependent on the state as employees. Machine Tractor Stations were established as a means of political control over the nation Ø Consequently, the implementation of industrialisation through the Five-Year Plans acted as a propaganda project aimed at convincing the Soviet people that their personal engagement in a vast industrial enterprise was a means of achieving greatness. This allowed the Party to execute greater control over the people as workers towards a common goal. o Slogan ‘There is no fortress we Bolsheviks cannot storm’, created a mixture of idealism and coercion within the Russian population. Since this was during the Great Depression, this developed a patriotic element since the Russians building socialism

Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1941 Collectivisation and Industrialisation

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whilst Western economies declining. Propaganda language such as “socialist offensive” and “mobilising” the nation provided inspiration to industrial worker The use of propaganda to ensure successful industrial development by the worker was seen in the Stakhanovite Movement of 1935, which aimed to inspire or shame workers to raise production levels even higher. The workplace consequently become a platform for greater assertion of Party ideology on the workers Development of internal passport system in December 1932 provided a mechanism for the State to monitor and control its citizens with labour discipline made tighter since each worker had a workbook which recorded crimes such as absence from work meant State able to monitor movements of citizens

Thus, it is evident that collectivisation and industrialisation had a significant impact on the Soviet economy and society as it allowed the State to obtain centralising power and control to further implement their authority in the development of an industrialised economy

Economic Collectivisation and industrialisation significantly impacted Soviet economy and society as it led to the rapid development of a highly-industrialised economy, however in doing so degraded the agricultural and consumer goods sector which were essential in supporting the Russian population. Ø Stalin established collectivisation by grouping 50-100 holdings into one unit since it was believed that large farms would encourage more economic efficiency and encourage the effective use of agricultural machinery. This would allow the Soviet economy to undertake industrialisation since the proposed food surplus would be sold abroad to raise the capital needed for Soviet industry Ø However, due to the widespread resistance to collectivisation, the economic output for the Soviet Union’s livestock population plummeted. Between 1929-1934, the number of horses in the country fell 55%, cattle 40%, sheep 66% and pigs 55%. The mass slaughter of livestock by the peasantry had long term economic impacts since it slowed the rate of agricultural production to sustain the living conditions of the Russian population o Nevertheless, collectivisation would lead to long term economic success, evident in grain exports in 1929 to 1930, in which the figure rose from 0.029 million tonnes to 4.76 million tonnes in the expanse of a year Ø Following this, industrialisation was undertaken through the establishment of the Five-Year Plans which represented a set of targets for industrial output o Soviet Union saw a massive increase in industrial output in key sectors of coal and electricity which increased by five times, as well as steel which increased 6 times the amount. Soviet GDP tripled in size within nine years. This allowed the Soviet Union to boom in comparison to Western Economies who were in economic depression and allowed the USSR to prepare for a war economy as it was heavily industrialised. o However, by economically focusing on heavy industry goods, consumer and agricultural goods were neglected which negatively impacted living standards and left the economy unbalanced § Agricultural production barely rose at all and livestock numbers remained below 1928 levels throughout this period. Average consumption levels per capita declined as well as the level of real wages

Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1941 Collectivisation and Industrialisation Thus, it is evident that collectivisation and industrialisation had a significant economic impact as it transformed Russia into a highly-industrialised war economy however in doing so degraded the agricultural and consumer sector which was essential in sustaining the Russian population.

Thus, collectivisation and industrialisation had a significant impact of Soviet society and the economy to 1941 as it led to destruction of the traditional rural society and a predominately agriculturally based economy. This allowed for a highly- industrialised war economy to develop as private ownership was dismantled and the peasantry became workers of the state. The restructuring of Russian society allowed the Party to exert centralising control over most economic and social aspects. However, these aspects were achieved at a massive social human cost, amounting to between 5-10 million deaths as it came with widespread resistance from the peasantry and a deprivation of individual freedom towards the cause of the state. By focusing on heavy industry to develop Russia’s economy, the agricultural and consumer sector significantly diminished, leading to a reduction in living standards....