32, The Soviet Union by 1964

the political condition of the soviet union by 1964 5

- Stalin's death left a political vacuum

- years after his death were spent attempting to steer the system away from the autocratic practices of the stalinist era

- the party elite had risen to power under this system and still wanted to perpetuate their control over the state and its resources, as these provided the material resources on which their lives and careers depended

- preservation of a one party state and command economy was never in question

- tried to implement limited reform in this context wasn't easy- could explain why it was so erratic and half hearted

the economic condition of the soviet union by 1964 7

- tried to change focus from heavy industry to light industry

- trying to decentralise the economy created problems and added new layers of bureaucracy

- USSR made huge advances in rocketry

- challenge after stalin's death was to stimulate greater productivity without relying on increase in labour, didn't really work

- agricultural campaigns not always well thought out

- no significant increase in output from farms or factories

- by 1964, no solution to the issue of how to sustain economic growth had been found

the social condition of the soviet union 4

- soviet living standards began to rise

- consumers began to reap in benefits of industrialisation

- mood of optimism

- still massive problems that had not been solved under the surface

blank x

blank x