Collectivisation - Group 2 By Amy, Anil, Anastasiya

Instructions 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. See next page for further instructions.

Instructions Use the chat function to decide who is going to do which section. Allocate tasks fairly! Information can be found in Bunce p39 - 45. Other textbooks will also be provided. Avoid copying information word for word. Carefully summarise the key points. Create extra slides if necessary. Pictures must be included to illustrate your points. Check carefully for spelling mistakes.

What is collectivisation? Collectivisation was the process of reforming Russia’s agriculture. Stalin decided the best way to do this was to take all the peasants individual farms away and then all the peasants would work on one large farm and would earn a wage.

Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation? Economic factors Larger farms and machinery being introduced increased efficiency, this meant that less workers were needed on the farms so instead they could go and work in factories to increase industrialisation. Collectivisation was also meant to produce a surplus of grain that could be sold abroad and the money made from this would also fund industrialization. This worked at first as in 1926 saw a record grain production of russia, but after that the harvests just got worse. This caused the standard of living for workers declined . As the grain production was decreasing this also menat there was less grain to sell abroad.

Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation? Ideological factors Communism had not changed russian agriculture much as peasants still used their traditional farming method. It was clear there was not much revolutionary spirit as peasants did not work to try and improve the country they just worked for their own profit. This led to many communists believing that collectivisation was a key aspect if the capitalist peasants wanted to embrace socialism.

Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation? Political factors Collectivisation appealed to Stalin’s left-wing supporters and was motivated by his struggle against Bukharin and the parties right wing. It was also appealing to the communists as it was better than the right wing alternative of importing grain. He stated that peasants that didn't co-operate were essentially terrorists and enemies and would be shown no mercy.

Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation? The Grain Procurement Crisis, 1927 - 1929 It illustrates the economic, ideological and political causes of the new policy acted as a catalyst that ended the NEP brought in collectivisation the government bought grain in the free market but because of a poor harvest, the price of grain went up the kulaks withheld grain to push up the price even higher and Stalin described it as ‘Kulak Grain Strike’ and used it as an excuse to bring back grain requisitioning it was thought that the peasants could slow down the process of industrialisation so their ideology was essentially capitalist so conflict was bound to happen Stalin used this crisis to show NEP’s failure and undermine Bukharin’s position in the right of the party

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) Emergency measures Stalin’s response to the Grain Procurement Crisis was to increase the power of the government over the economy Stalin introduced rationing due to the scarcity of bread and sugar Under Article 107 of the Soviet Criminal Code grain storage was punished and Stalin rewarded the poorer peasants who gave away the richer peasants with land from the Kulaks It created disputes and Bukharin asked to get rid off this policy In Spring of 1924 requisition of meat happened and in the middle of the year, Article 61 of the Criminal Code gave the police power to send kulaks to labour camps for not carrying out instructions

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) The liquidation of the Kulaks In December 1929, the kulaks were to be destroyed as a class as it ended capitalism and independent farming and increased speed of collectivisation Stalin said that it would be only collectivised 30% of Russia’s farms but it had to be all if the kulaks would be liquidated poorest peasants would lead the way and the new collective farms would control all of the land in the local area and this meant that they could use the kulaks’ resources for themselves but they were a minority so for the majority, it meant loss of independence and financial loss so many peasants rebelled so they destroyed their crops and killed all livestock

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) The twenty five thousanders Stalin sent a decree to send 25,000 industrial workers to the countryside and over 27,000 happily volunteered for two weeks they taught them how to use new machinery and technical help the 25,000 were actually there to enforce ‘dekulakization’ and the volunteers were to find secret stores of grain and round up the kulaks and force the remaining peasants into collective farms

Dizzy with Success The first wave of forced collectivisation resulted in untold human suffering.The majority of Kulaks and their families were either shot or herded into cattle trucks and exiled into Siberia. On arrival in Siberia, those who survived the journey were imprisoned in forced labour camps, Many died of disease and hunger.Stalin was unmoved by the fate of his victims and stated “Moscow does not believe in tears”. Dizzy with Success was an article published in the Pravda, Stalin defended his policy but claimed that some officials had been “over enthusiastic” while implementing collectivisation. He argued that the target for collectivisation had been met and therefore the programme would be suspended. Stalin never admitted that collectivisation had caused problems.

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) Famine : The pause of collectivisation was short lived as in 1931 it resumed. The result of this second wave of collectivisation was famine. This famine was the result of government policy rather than natural disaster. Stalin was uncompromising ,For example as punishment for failing to meet targets of production , Stalin set up military checkpoints to stop food entering Ukraine. International offers of aid were rejected as Stalin claimed there was no famine in Russia. People were forced to take drastic measures to survive such as fighting over horse manure which contained some undigested grain. Stalin's policy was in such chaos that often grains sat in barns rotting while peasants starved in nearby villages. There are estimates that at least 10 million people died in the famine.

Consequences of Collectivisation The effect on rural areas : Collectivisation undoubtedly failed to raise agricultural production. The peasants who were exiled were often the hardest working and the most enterprising. Therefore without their talents and energy production could only fall. The harvest of 1933 was nine million tonnes less than that of 1926. The peasants who remained on the collective farms endured enormous hardship and were forced to meet unrealistic targets. Paid little for the crops they produced , it produced anger and resentment towards the government. There was little incentive for hard work on the farms as the peasants no longer owned the land they worked on and received little reward for their labour.Labour productivity in the rural areas declined.

Consequences of Collectivisation Industrialisation and urbanisation: One of the goals of collectivisation was to provide more grain for export in order to generate money to fund industrialisation. Although the amount of grain produced fell from 1926 onwards the amount of grain produced and exported by the state increased. 1928 - 11 million tonnes 1929 - 16 million tonnes 1933 - 23 million tonnes Although there was no famine in the cities , the standard of living for industrial workers fell. The value of their wages halved between 1928 and 1932. Stalins agricultural policy did play a part in increasing urbanisation. In 1928 only 18% of soviet citizens were working class,This figure rose to 50% in 1939. Between 1922 and 1940 the number of Russians living in cities rose from 22 million to 63 million.

Consequences of Collectivisation Political consequences It didn’t provoke criticism of Stalin but it united the Party under one leader they didn’t want another civil war so they kept to the new policies and blamed the peasants and kulaks fro Russia’s problems on the left wing, they thought of it as a ‘return to the heroic traditions of the Civil War Stalin came out of collectivisation stronger than before

Conclusion

Final task - Do not attempt this task until you have finished your presentation. This task should be completed on your own. Do not use Google Docs. Please use word. Write an introduction, conclusion and one of the middle paragraphs for the following essay ‘How far is it accurate to describe Stalin’s policy of collectivisation as a failure?’ You must follow the top tips on introductions, conclusions and paragraphs. (Available on the website if you need them) Tips: Consider political and social as well as an economic criteria. In reaching a judgement you need to be clear about what the aims of collectivisation were and take them into account as part of the process of deciding whether or not it was, overall, a failure?