How was socialism built in the countryside? Lesson outcomes: To identify the economic issues of the late 1920s To assess the policies introduced with Stalin to deal with the economic problems To evaluate how far these economic changes met the needs of Russia Starter: what do we already know about the economy in Russia?

Watch the clip below to discover what my big problem is? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQZ9qWO63Sk (Stop at 48seconds) Can you suggest how I could solve it? Watch the rest of the clip to discover if you were right.

What do you think it might mean? Collectivisation One of Stalin’s first economic policies was the policy of ‘collectivisation.’ What do you think it might mean? http://moorhistory.weebly.com/topic-9-stalins-economic-policy.html Good link with website extract

Collectivisation One of Stalin’s first economic policies was the policy of ‘collectivisation.’ Traditionally, peasants had worked on small farms with limited technology. Stalin planned to merge all the small farms into larger ‘collective’ farms. These new, larger farms would pool the labour and resources and therefore operate more efficiently. State provided tractors and fertilisers would modernise production making the farm more efficient.

What do the following images suggest about Stalin’s economic policies?

What do the following images suggest about Stalin’s economic policies?

What do the following images suggest about Stalin’s economic policies? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0Xx-CT5wtc 20min BBC Docu clip on Collectivisation and Purges

Your task: Stalin hoped that peasants working on large farms together would be more productive than working alone. You are going to test this theory by producing a collectivised presentation on ‘collectivisation’. In your groups you will need to divide up the tasks. Use the headings on the following slides to help you. Remember the success of this task relies on you working collectively as a group. Google Docs

Collectivisation of Agriculture – Past exam qs   How far do you agree that the collectivisation of agriculture made an essential contribution to Stalin’s transformation of the Russian economy? (June 09) How accurate is it to say that the most important result of the collectivisation of agriculture was that it imposed Communist control on the countryside? (June 11) To what extent did collectivisation improve Soviet agriculture in the years 1928–41? (June 12)

Economic factors Poor harvest Workers for industry Can sell surplus 2. Ideological factors Capitalist attitudes of peasants Why did Stalin Collectivise? Read p.39-41 (Bunce) and note down the reasons why Stalin decided to collectivise farms. Use the 4 subheadings provided. In your opinion, what was the most urgent reason for Stalin? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQZ9qWO63Sk 5mins 3. Political Factors Role in beating the right wing Stalin’s personal ideas 4. The Grain Procurement Crisis 1927-9

Why Collectivise? Economic Factors: Ideological Factors: 1926 saw record grain harvests for the USSR. However 1927, 28 and 1929 were all poorer. This forced the price in agriculture to rise and consequently the standard of living decreased. The decrease in agriculture production also affected the government, which relied on surplus grain to export to help industrialisation. If there were no grain surpluses then their would be no money for Russia’s industry. Collectivisation promised increased efficiency accompanied by mechanisation. This meant that fewer people would be needed to work on the farms, and extra manpower could go to the industry. Collectivisation also promised higher yields. Ideological Factors: It was clear in the way that peasants farmed (subsistence) that they were very capitalist. In fact little had been done to change agriculture under communism. Collectivisation provided a way in which capitalist peasants could embrace socialism. Political Factors: Collectivisation helped Stalin win power and defeat Bukharin. The radical nature of collectivisation also appealed to the left wing of the party. Grain imports were un-socialist and were slowing down industrialisation and therefore Collectivisation was a better option.

 Your task Read p.41-43 (Bunce) and explain how Stalin collectivised Russia. Use these subheadings to help: Emergency measures Liquidation of kulaks Twenty-five-thousanders Dizzy with success Famine

Course of collectivisation Emergency measures – rationing reintroduced; grain hoarding criminalised; kulaks sent to labour camps Liquidation of kulaks – ‘dekulakisation’ introduced; collective farms formed BUT resentment led to destruction of crops, livestock & machinery Twenty-five-thousanders – socially conscious industrial workers sent into countryside Dizzy with success – Pravda article, blaming over enthusiastic local officials Famine – grain seizures, farmers executed or exiled, grain taken to cities or exported

Collectivisation Timeline 1927–1939 1927 Stalin announced collectivisation – peasants asked to take part voluntarily. Ignored. 1928 Food shortages. Police confiscated food and took it to the towns. 1929 Stalin announced compulsory collectivisation, enforced by the army. The peasants burned their crops and barns, and killed their animals. 1930 Famine. Stalin paused collectivisation. Peasants were allowed to own a small plot of land. 1931 Collectivisation re-started. By 1932 two-thirds of the villages had been collectivised. More resistance, burning/ killing. Meanwhile, the government took more food for the towns, so: 1932–3 Famine, esp. in Ukraine (where 5 million died). Stalin blamed, and declared war on, the Kulaks – their land was taken and they were shot/ sent to labour camps in Siberia/ whole villages surrounded and killed. 1934 All 7 million kulaks ‘eliminated’. 1939 99% of land collectivised; 90% peasants live on one of ¼ million kolkhoz; 4,000 state farms. Farming run by government officials.

Pace of Collectivisation Policy towards rich peasants Policy towards poorer peasants Reaction of the Peasants 1928: Emergency Measures Government power over economy increased Rationing in cities Requisitioning of grain introduced Spring 1929 Policy is resumed as Stalin’s power within the parties grows 1929 Mass collectivisation begins ‘dekulakisation’ ends capitalist farming ‘Twentyfive thousanders’ 1930 ‘Dizzy with success’ Collectivisation suspended 1931 Collectivisation reintroduced Famie begins

Pace of Collectivisation Extreme measures taken but halted due to resistance Much faster than original proposal of 30% of farms by 1934 Requires immediate collectivisation of all farms Forced mass collectivisation to begin with Suspended sue to chaos created Pressure to resume second wave of collectivisation Policy towards rich peasants ‘kulaks’ ‘Kulaks’ were targeted as enemies of Communism Article 61 of Criminal Code is revised: can now send rich peasants to labour camps for up to two years for ‘failure to carry out general instructions’ Stalin aims to ‘liquidate the kulaks as a class’ ends capitalism within farming Twenty-five-thousanders’ assist with the ‘dekulakisation’ Most executed or exiled to Siberia Died of disease or hunger in the labour camps ‘gulags’. (kulaks have mainly been removed) Hugely ambitious targets set – anyone not achieving them would have all grain requisitioned Peasants caught hiding food were shot Policy towards poorer peasants Grain requisitioning is punished. (Article 107 Soviet Criminal Code) Poorer peasants rewarded for informing on richer neighbours. Given the land of the ricer peasants. As before Stalin wants them to lead the way – poorest peasants to pool their resources and all share in the harvest Stalin sends the ‘twenty-five-thousanders’ into the countryside to instruct the poorest peasants and teach them how to use new machinery – also forced them into collectivised farms Continued to be forced into collectivised farms ½ of farms collectivised by March 1930 August: many farms returned to their farms By the end of the year: Only ¼ of farms remained collectivised Reaction of the Peasants Created huge resentment towards the policy – Bukharin persuaded the party to suspend the policy Many peasants reluctant to inform on neighbours and members of the Community Resistance continues but is less of a problem for Stalin who has more power now Majority of the Russian peasants were not the ‘poorest’ so therfoe this was a loss of independence and financial gain Peasants destroyed livestock and grain – 18 million sheep and goats and horses were destroyed in 4 years Mass resistance continued Led to surge of hostility towards the government and chaos Peasants were reduced to desperate measures such as eating horse manure or even dead bodies of humans 1928: Emergency Measures Government power over economy increased Rationing in cities Requisitioning of grain introduced Spring 1929 Policy is resumed as Stalin’s power within the parties grows 1929 Mass collectivisation begins ‘dekulakisation’ ends capitalist farming ‘Twentyfive thousanders’ 1930 ‘Dizzy with success’ Collectivisation suspended 1931 Collectivisation reintroduced Famine begins

Plenary Why did Stalin do it? (SixFactors Now To Collectivise Kolkhoz) 1.   Soviet agriculture was backward Old-fashioned/ inefficient/ no machinery/ too small/ subsistence (only grew enough for themselves).       2.   Food was needed for workers in the towns Essential if the Five-Year Plans were to succeed. 3.   NEP was not working By 1928, the USSR was 20 million tons of grain short to feed the towns. 4.  Town-workers were needed If the USSR was to become modern/ industrial, peasants needed to migrate to work in the towns. 5.   Cash Crops were needed If the USSR was to industrialise, peasants needed to grow cash crops (eg grain) which could be exported to raise money to buy foreign machinery and expertise.     6.   Kulaks opposed Communism The Kulaks opposed Communism – they liked their private wealth. They hid food from the government collectors. Also they were influential, and led peasant opinion. Stalin wanted to destroy them. What are the key points that you have learnt about Stalin and the NEP from your studies today?

Read pages 36-43 in Lynch and make any additional notes that you need to on collectivisation Write an intro and conclusion to the essay question ‘how far did collectivisation improve Russian agriculture?’

Imagine Stalin is holding a press conference with a handful of his trusted aids. Write at least 3 questions you wish to ask Stalin about collectivisation. You may want to think about these areas: his true motives, dekulakisation, the 25000’ers, the NEP

The consequences of collectivisation

We arrived at the large building of Petrovo towards evening We arrived at the large building of Petrovo towards evening. There was an unearthly silence. A peasant spoke. All the dogs have been eaten, that why it’s so quiet; he said. There are hundreds of people here dying of hunger. I don’t know how many die each day. Many are too weak to come out of their houses. We’ve eaten cats, dogs, mice and birds. Tomorrow you will see that the trees have no bark- we’ve eaten that. And we’ve eaten horse manure. We fight over it. From ‘I Choose Freedom’ by V. Kravchenko, 1932 Children starving in 1932- 33

 Your task Read Bunce, p.43-5 and note down the consequences of collectivisation in Rural areas Urban areas Within Communist Party (Political Consequences)  How similar were the consequences to War Communism?

Consequences – rural areas 10,000,000 exiled as part of dekulakisation, 10% of peasants Unrealistic targets Productivity declined – no incentive to work hard; 1933 harvest 9m tonnes less than 1926; livestock numbers halved Mechanisation slow – expensive to hire tractors from MTS, struggled to meet demand By 1941 all farms collectivised

Consequences – urban areas Grain procurement by state increased, e.g. 11m tonnes (1928) to 23m tones (1933) Grain exports increased, e.g. 0.03m tonnes 19298) to 5m tonnes (1931) Standard of living fell – prices increased, wages fell, meat consumed decreased 2/3 btwn 1928 & 1932 Growing suspicions of peasants by industrial classes Urbanisation increased, e.g. 22 to 63m (1922-1940)

Consequences - political Fear of civil war - party leadership united behind Stalin Kulaks & peasant saboteurs blamed Left-wing Communists supported collectivisation as true communism

 Your task Study the source sheet your teacher provides. What can you learn from each sources about the effects of collectivisation & dekulakisation you get. Which source is most useful for historians investigating this period of Russian history?

What was collectivisation? Collectivisation was Stalin’s method of bringing socialism and economic efficiency to the countryside. However, collectivisation in the countryside failed – but in terms of industrialisation there was some success. The policy created economic chaos, famine and massive open hostility to the government. The policy strengthened Stalin’s position, and in this way was regarded as a political triumph.

The effect on rural areas Collectivisation had a disastrous effect on the Russian peasantry. Between 9,500,000 and 10,000,000 people were exiled as part of the dekulakisation drive. In 1929 alone, 150,000 kulak families were sent to Siberia, which rose to 240,000 in 1930 and 285,000 in 1931. In some cases, 10% of peasants in a single village were exiled. The peasants who remained endured enormous hardship. They were forced to meet unrealistic targets and paid little for the crops they produced. Most farms were barely able to cover production costs. Peasants were not filled with communist spirit, collectivisation created anger and resentment towards the government. There was little incentive for hard work on collective farms as the peasants no longer owned the land and received little reward, as a result labour productivity declined in rural areas.

The effect on rural areas Overall, collectivisation failed to raise agricultural production. The peasants who were exiled were the hardest working and most enterprising. Without their talents and energy, production fell. The harvest of 1933 was nine million tonnes less than that of 1926. In terms of livestock, the number of horses halved between 1928 and 1932, while the number of pigs dropped by 65% in the same period.

Mechanisation Collectivisation was also accompanied by mechanisation, but in the early phase was ineffective. In June 1930, the Central Committee agreed the creation of a national network of Machine Tractor Stations (MTS). MTS was badly planned and not formally introduced until early 1931. In order to extract more grain from the peasants, the government kept the price of hiring tractors high. Consequently, few farms were able to acquire new machinery. By the end of 1932, there was almost 75,000 tractors and 2,500 MTS’ across Russia. However, half of Russian farms were left out of the network and the extra tractors did not make up for the loss of millions of horses. The MTS were unable to make significant improvements in Soviet agriculture productivity. In some ways, the policy was an overwhelming success. In 1930, 25% of peasant households were collectivised. By 1941, all farms in Soviet Russia were collective. However, the cost of this achievement was astronomical.

Industrialisation and urbanisation One of the goals of collectivisation was to provide more grain for export in order to generate the funds to industrialise. The amount of grain produced fell onwards from 1926. But the amount of grain procured (bought up) and exported by the state increased. In 1928, the state bought up 11 million tonnes of grain which rose to 16 million tonnes in 1929, and 23 million tonnes in 1933. Similarly grain exports rose from 0.03 million tonnes in 1928, to over 5 million tonnes in 1931.

Effects of industrialisation on workers There was no famine in the cities, but the standard of living for industrial workers fell sharply following collectivisation. Wages fell by half between 1928-1932. The amount of meat consumed by workers fell by two thirds from 1928-1932. Collectivisation failed to deliver greater unity between workers and the peasants . The government blamed ‘kulak spirit’ among the peasants for poor harvests. The propaganda fed the suspicions of urban workers that the peasants were refusing to play their part in building socialism. Stalin’s agricultural policy did play a part in increasing urbanisation. In 1928, 18% of Soviet citizens were working class and by 1939 this figure had risen to 50%. In some cities, the urban population trebled during the 1930’s. Between 1922 and 1940, the number of Russians living in cities rose from 22 million to 63 million. Which created problems as the government were reluctant to invest in housing in urban areas.

Political consequences The famine in the countryside and poverty in the cities created a crisis feeling in the top levels of the Communist Party. Rather than provoking criticism of Stalin and his policies, the chaos united the Party behind their new leader. Party leaders were fiercely loyal to the new policies and blamed the kulaks and peasants for the problems Stalin emerged from the mayhem of collectivisation stronger than ever before.

Overall outcome Collectivisation led to deaths of over ten million peasants in the famine of 1932-1934. A similar number were moved to forced labour camps in Siberia. Soviet agriculture would take decades to recover. For Stalin the policy was a success, more grain was procured and exported, Russia was urbanised and Stalin had new heights of authority.