SECOND FIVE YEAR PLAN

Who was Valerian Kuibyshev?

• He had performed a variety of subversive tasks for them since being expelled from a military academy for his political ideals​

• He chaired the Revolutionary Committee of Samara during the Civil War after the Bolsheviks seized power, and by 1926 became the Chair of the Supreme Council of the National Economy​

• He directed Gosplan until 1934​

How did Kuibyshev die?

• He was a hugely influential member of the party until he died of heart failure in 1935.

When did Kuibyshev jon the bolsheviks?

• Kuibyshev joined the Bolsheviks in 1904 ​

What did Kuibushev do before he came to prominence?

• He had performed a variety of subversive tasks for them since being expelled from a military academy for his political ideals

What happpened to the plan over time

• evolved during its lifetime.​

What did Stalin intiially promise the workers?

• Initially, Stalin promised the workers that their standard of living would improve.​

What happened to rationing during the plan?

However, the 1932 famine meant that rationing continued until 1934.

When was there a concentrated plan to improve living standards made?

• From 1934-36 a more concerted effort was made to improve living standards. ​

Why was the aim to improve living standards brought to a halt?

• This changed again in response to German rearmament - towards the end of the Second Five-Year Plan, military spending replaced any focus on consumer goods. ​

Where government officials aware of the issues with the first plan?

Senior figures in the Soviet government were aware of the many shortcomings of the First Five-Year Plan

What split in the government occured in 1932?

• From 1932, a moderate group of Party leaders, unofficially led by Sergei Kirov, argued for a change of focus from within the politburo. ​

• They argued for a better standard of living for the industrial workers.

What change did the moderate party undergo?

• Following Hitler’s election as Germany’s chancellor, the moderates also argued that the government should attempt to win over peasant support by reforming the collective farms and moderating the anti-kulak policy​

• If the Soviet Union was to go to war then peasant support would be vital

When did the moderate party decraese in importance?

• The moderates lost some influence, following the murder of Kirov at the end of 1934.​

• With the onset of the purges in 1936 the remaining moderates, including Kuibyshev, were either arrested and executed or remained quiet.

How did the government view the stakhanovite movement?

The Stakhanovite movement was seen as a way of compelling management to adopt new production methods and increase rates of production

What were people reluctant to join the Stakhanovite movement called?

Those reluctant to do so were branded as ‘saboteurs’, with the warning: ‘such pseudo leaders must be removed immediately’.

Why can it be seen to be difficult to be a manager?

pressure from above to meet increased targets and from below from workers wanting to be Stakhanovites

What happened in 1937 to industrial output?

In 1937 there was a serious setback in industrial performance

Why was there industrial slowdown in 1937?

Despite the consolidation of the so-called ‘three good years’ of 1933-36, industry had begun to experience a slowdown as a result of the emphasis on completing projects rather than constructing new ones

What years were the ‘good years’?

1933-36

What occured as a reation to the industrial slowdown of 1937?

What followed was a large scale purge of the party, but more importantly of a great range of qualified personnel: army officers, civil servants, managers, technicians, statisticians, planners and foremen.

Why was the great purge counter productive?

not only were all the necessary experts removed from industry, but the atmosphere of terror stifled innovation and initiative, and promoted a bureaucratic conservatism. ​

What are the two main viewpoints the great purge can be viewed from?

this was a catastrophic way of preparing for war, but from Stalin’s perspective, he was ridding the Soviet Union of unreliable elements

What did managers/directors have the task of?

ensuring that the output targets set by regional administrators were met, had to fo this whilst having limited control over resources prices and wages

Why did the high pressure put on managers cause?

beame normal to falsify statistics

What happened to factories in 1936?

had to pay for their own fuel, raw material and labour from their ‘profits’ so managers had to account carefully to appear to have credible figures

How were Stakhanovites a problem for managers?

too much effort from them led to factory output increasing, creating new problems for output in the following year

What were living conditions like for a honest manager?

not that far removed from a worker

How much control did managers have on their targets?

did their best to negotiate the largest workfore but after this has little choice but to focus on attaining or surpassing targets

what could happen to a manager that failed to meet their targets?

could be put on trial, imprisoned or executed

What bonus could managers recieve?

up to 40% of their income if they did better than expected, but added pressure!

What could a manager be charged with if the books weren’t balanced correctly?

wrecking

What norms were managers supposed to apply to the workplace?

state regukation, these ‘workplace norms’ which governed how much a labourer should be expected to do and rules to be enforced, made it difficult for a manger to earn the goodwill of their workers

What happeneed to work norms in 1936?

raised between 10-50% so it became even more difficult for managers to deal with workers protests, yet may attempt to bypass regulations could result in accusations of sabotage

What did overlly keen workers do to managers?

workers who wished to earn medals/benefits sometimes accused managers of of wrecking their Stakhanovite attempts by failing to supply good tools or resources

Why did managers face labour shortages in the 1930s?

slum trading and improving conditions on collective farms

What could managers who managed their books well expect?

enjoy a reasonably comfortable life but most kept any illicit gains well-hidden for fear of being reported

What did military demands and the threat of war cause?

exerbated shortages of raw materials at a time when consumer demand was growing

What improvements to living conditions wer made, how was this negative?

providing rented accomodation (free if in gulag) but had to work 12-15 hours per day, 7 days a week

How did the purges impact the second plan?

working conditons worsened, lost lots of eductaed personal

Why did the moderates draw upon Hitler’s ideas?

saw how he united the workers, and utilised votes

What were the origins of the Stakhanovite movement?

1935, when miner Alexie Stakhanov extracted 102 tons of coal in one single shift, surpassing his quota. The USSR capitatalised on thsi branding him as rhe ‘super efficient soviet worker’

What were the key features of the Stakhanovite movement?

‘socialist emulation’, workers encouraged to surpass production targets and perform work more efficiently, workers who set new records were glorified often recieving rewards or high prasie and higher wages, wnated to encourage culturedness or professionalism among workers

What were the aims and impacts of the Stakhanovite movement?

increased production, boost worker morale and patriotism, increased workload  as there was constant pressure to exceed quotas led to demadns for unrealistic productivity levels caysing stress and potentially unhealthy living conditions

Wher was Stakhanov from, what tool did he use?

Donetz basin, pneumatic pick

What famous newspaper did Stakhnaov appear in, when?

the December 1935 edition of Time magazine

How was the Stakhanov movement recieved negatively?

ctreated resentment, records of Stakhanovites’ being victimised or even attacked by colleagues

What happened to Stakhanov?

declared a soviet hero, 200 rubles an apartment with a telephone, cinema tickets, clubs and holiday resorts

What compulsory meetings were set up?

workers encouraged to emulate Stakhanov and indusrail bosses kept records of production totals

How was Stakhanov’s achievement less of a ‘miracle’?

deliberatly planned, provided with state of the art equipment, assistants to make his feat possible