the social and economic condition of the soviet union by 1941

what is the textbook judgement on russias condition by 1941?

by 1941, the 5 year plans had transformed russia into a highly industrialised urbanised nation.

-all russian farms collectivised and free markets were ended.

what are some stastics on town population?

-in 1926, 17% of the populatoin lived in towns, but by 1939, 33% did.

which country did the ussr overtake? which was it close to overtaking?

by 1940, the ussr had overtaken britain in iron and steel production and was not far behind germany.

what are some rearmament stats?

-9 aircraft factories constructed in 1939

on the eve of war, soviet industry was producing 230 tanks, 700 planes and more than 100,000 rifles per month.

what were some weaknesses with the economic progression?

-economic development between heavy and light industry was uneven.

-quality of goods was poor, and the bureaucracy favoured stastics over quality.

what was the differnece in electricity production (millions) between 1928 and 1940?

1928: 5 million kwh
1940: 48 million kwh

what is an example of a consumer good that hardly grew? what are the stats?

autmobiles
-by 1940, russia was only producing around half a million cars.

whata re the stats for coal production?

1928: 35.4 million tonnes
1940: 165 million tonnes

what are arguments in favour of the idea that russia achieved socialism?

-collectivisation
-no profits made by some individuals at the expense of others
-common ownership of industry.

what are arguments againsth the idea that stalin transformed russia into a socialist country?

-rather than a classless society, stalin created a hierarchial society that was dominated by the party elite.

-peasants were exploited by collectives, and workers by soviet masters.

-the state grew in power, rather than withered away as marx suggested.

how did central control and hard labour laws help russia during hte invasion?

-central authority and the command economy were vital to teh 1941 war effort.

-hard labour laws and poor working conditions built resillience among the soviet working force.