The Social and Economic condition of the Soviet Union by 1941

What did Stalin say in his speech in february 1931?

we have fallen behind the advanced countries by 50 to 100 years. We must close that gap in 10 years. Either we do this or we’ll be crushed.”​

WHat can be seen to be a main driving moivation for Satlin at this time?

fear of foreign military intervention crushing the Soviet regime was a dominant motivation for Stalin.​

What was the conidition of the USSR in this time period?

the Soviet Union on the eve of war, with a particular emphasis on how well placed the ‘socialist motherland’ was to engage in large-scale conflict

What was Soviet armement production like on the eve of war?

• Soviet industry was producing 230 tanks, 700 military aircraft and more than 100,000 rifles per month​

What happened to spending on reamement between 1938-41?

• spending on rearmament rose from 27.5 billion roubles to 70.9 billion roubles. ​

How many aircraft factories are constructed in 1939?

9 aircraft factories

What did Stalin achieve by emphasising heavy industry and armaments?

victory in WW2

What two productions were vastly stepped up in the 3rd 5 year plan?

coal and oil

Which social benefits of the 1930s were removed in 1938?

maternity leave and free education

What kind of rationing began?

unofficial rationing

What happened to average wages?

continued to rise by 35% between 1937 and 1940

What happened to free market prices of goods in special shops?

rose by 75%

What became far more reduced in factories.. why?

labour discipline and working conditions mainly due to the lack of manpower

What increased restrictions were placed on workers?

working hours increased, abseentiesm became a crime an workers required pemission to leave their jobs

What verb describes what Stalin wanted to do to the peasantry?

squeeze

What happened to peasants private farms?

in 1939, 2.5 million hectares of small private plots were confiscated and collectivised

What quotas increased for rural peasants?

delivery quotas for livestock products and crops, which did increase the state grain reserve but also had counter productive effects

What counter productive effects did the changes to the countryside create?

area sown by grain only increased by 1%, which did not support the growing population

What happened to the proportion of people living in urban areas?

rose from 18% in 1926 to 33% in 1939

What happened to school leavers in June 1940?

a million of them were conscripted to ‘labour reserve schools’

When did the Soviets reach an agreement with the Nazi’s?

when the Nazis invaded Poland, Scandinavia and much of eastern Europe

What did the 1940 soviet Finnish war cause?

prevented the delivery of coal to leningrad’s industry

what were the effects of the Nazi Soviet agreeement?

increased trade and Stalin’s invasion of the Baltic states, latvia and Lithuania and estonia significantly increased Soviet industrial output for two years before the war between Russia nad germany began