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uni survival guide

Aims

to increase production of coal, iron and steel
to develop heavy industries
to socialise agriculture
Features
state-owned collective farms (set up to replace peasant-run farms)
"Gosplan" - village committee under control of the Communist Party. Decided projects, grain quotas
All equipment came from the Tractor Station
Private Plots; the peasants were allocated one acre
50% of the produce went to the government and Tractor Station
Self-serviced village facilities
Elimination of the Kulaks and "Nepmen", and their reprisals
Achievements
most products increased in output, except grain
new industries (machinery!), chemical plants, cities, dams, electricity.
Caucus and Ural regions developed
Increased literacy
Problems
Confusion over Kulak's position and collectivisation overall
The best farmers - the Kulaks - were eliminated
Agricultural produce situation worsened - deaths, famine, Kulak reprisals, and grain used to play overseas debts
Forced labour - no-one could leave their job
Food and consumer goods in short supply

Aims

See Plan One!
to treble coal/iron/electricity output
Achievements
Iron and steel production increased
other resources were developed
livestock headcount increased
motor vehicles and textile production increased
U.S.S.R. became a major world economic and industrial power
grain production was boosted to 96 000 000 tonnes
Cotton production trebled
Sugar beet production doubled
Rationing became unneccessary and was stopped
SOME increase in the availability of consumer goods, like clothes and books, but the quality remained poor
Problems
Poor quality consumer goods (as above)
still not enough livestock production

Aims

there was enormous off of life - 8 million died
the failure to produce consumer goods led to discontentment
Discontentment was also fostered by no land ownership, and no privacy being afforded to them
the city populations grew
there was FAMINE
tortures became more common as discontentment grew further
rural productivity fell because the best farmers had been lost
literacy increased
people became regimented and disciplined because of the forced labour and military-style governing
people became disoriented and disillusioned when they were moved east onto the collectives
the Plans allowed the U.S.S.R. to withstand the Nazi invasion
they also made the U.S.S.R. able to withstand the Western Depression and remain self-sufficient
Quotas placed much pressure on the people
the purges of the 30s saw many talented people die for nothing