Collectivisation - Group 3 By Alex, Hannah, Anna, Olivia S

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 where Russian agriculture was reformed. Stalin planned to take land from the peasants. creating collective farms (Kolkhozy). Peasants would then receive a wage from working at the Kolkhozy. These new, larger farms would pool the labour and resources and therefore operate more efficiently. In addition the state-provided tractors and fertilisers would modernise production, again making the operations more efficient. This meant that less workers were needed, therefore they could work in the industry.

Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation? Economic factors The harvests in 1927, 28 and 29 were all poorer than the previous years and were getting poorer still. As the production decreased, the price of agricultural products increased meaning standard of living for urban workers declined. It even affected the highest authorities and the soviet government. As of 1921, grain surpluses had been sold abroad to financially provide the resources for industrialisation. No grain surpluses meant no money for industrialisation. Collectivisation had many economic benefits. One of these was that large farms would be more efficient if all the workers were working together. Another was that there was a possibility for increased mechanisation. This meant fewer workers were needed to work on the farm and more could be sent to the cities to work; there was extra power for Russia’s developing industry. Collectivisation was supposedly going to cause an increase in production, allowing the government to sell more abroad and providing a higher living standard for the workers.

Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation? Ideological factors In many ways Communism had done little to change Russian agriculture, as peasants were still using traditional farming methods and their attitudes remained conventional The peasants lacked revolutionary spirit which was evident from the way the farmed- peasants produced grain for themselves and own profit, rather than for the greater good of the community These factors led many Communists to believe that collectivisation was essential if the capitalist peasants were to embrace ‘Socialism in one country’.

Why did Stalin introduce collectivisation? Political factors His idea of collectivisation was also initiated by his struggle against Bukharin and the Right side of the party. Collectivisation appealed more to the Party’s left wing. The idea of collectivisation was far more appealing than the right wing’s idea of importing grain. Grain imports would mean reducing the pace of industrialisation because the money used to buy grain could not be spent on developing Russia’s industry. Stalin had a background of a peasant, however knew little about agriculture. During his visit to a farm, Stalin showed how simplistic his view of farming was. He believed Russia’s agriculture could be transformed by an act of the will and strong leadership. He also asserted that peasants who refused to cooperate with state agricultural policy were essentially terrorists and enemies of the people, who should be shown no mercy.

The Grain Procurement Crisis, 1927 - 1929 http://quizlet.com/42952067/collectivisation-flash-cards/ https://prezi.com/92ixutydrjdd/collectivisation/ Economic Factors: • Thus large farms would increase efficiency • Collectivisation would bring mechanisation and more efficiency • More mechanisation = less people to work on farms=more people to work in developing industry • Collectivisation would increase production = more overseas sales = more resources for industrialisation=higher standard of living for workers Ideological Factors: • Peasants farming methods were still traditional • Communism had not changed Russian agriculture • *Peasants had a lack of revolutionary spirit • *Produced for themselves, for their own profit rather than the community (Kulaks) • Therefore collectivisation essential if capitalist farmers were to embrace socialism (Communism)

The Grain Procurement Crisis, 1927 - 1929 This demand for more grain resulted in the reintroduction of requisitioning which was resisted in rural areas. In 1928 there was a 2 million ton shortfall in grains purchased by the state. Stalin claimed the grain had been produced but was being hoarded by "kulaks." Instead of raising the price, the Politburo adopted an emergency measure to requisition 2.5 million tons of grain. The seizures of grain discouraged the peasants and less grain was produced during 1928, and again the government resorted to requisitions, much of the grain being requisitioned from middle peasants as sufficient quantities were not in the hands of the "kulaks." In 1929, especially after the introduction of the Ural-Siberian Method of grain procurement, resistance to grain seizures became widespread with some violent incidents of resistance. Also, massive hoarding (burial was the common method) and illegal transfers of grain took place. Faced with the refusal to hand grain over, a decision was made at a plenary session of the Central Committee in November 1929 to embark on a nationwide program of collectivization. In November 1929, the Central Committee decided to implement accelerated collectivization in the form of kolkhozes and sovkhozes. This marked the end of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which had allowed peasants to sell their surpluses on the open market. Stalin had many so-called "kulaks" transported to collective farms in distant places to work in agricultural labor camps. It has been calculated that one in five of these deportees, many of them women and children, died. In response to this, many peasants began to resist, often arming themselves against the activists sent from the towns. As a form of protest, many peasants preferred to slaughter their animals for food rather than give them over to collective farms, which produced a major reduction in livestock.

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) Emergency measures After the Grain Procurement Crisis, Stalin wanted to increase the power of the government. In winter 1928-1929, he re-introduced rationing into the cities. At the end of 1928 grain requisitioning was resumed. Grain hoarding could be punished and Stalin rewarded poorer peasants who told of their neighbours hoarding by giving them land that had once belonged to the Kulaks. This all caused hatred amongst the the peasants with party members such as Bukharin persuading the party to stop the policy. In spring 1929, the government started requisitioning meat and then revised ‘Article 61’ of the Criminal code giving the police powers to send Kulaks to labour camps.

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) The liquidation of the Kulaks Mass collectivisation begun in December 1929 in which Stalin instructed to ‘liquidate the kulaks as a class’. This decision was significant for two reasons: → Firstly, ‘dekulakization’ marked the end of capitalism and independent farming in the countryside → Secondly, the liquidation vastly increased the speed of collectivism, as initially Stalin had proposed that only 30% of Russia’s farms be collective by 1934, but the call the liquidate the kulaks created immediate collectivisation of all farming in Russia Stalin appealed to the poorest peasants to lead the way. The new collective farms would control all of the land in the local area, and the peasants would pool their resources- this meant that the poorest peasants would be able to use the kulak’s resources and share in a greater harvest → However, the poorest peasants were a minority of Russia’s farmers. For the majority, collectivisation meant a loss of independence and a significant financial loss, therefore the majority of peasants rebelled. They chose to destroy grain and livestock, including what machinery they had, rather than surrender it to the collective farms. E.g 18 million horses and 1 million sheep and goats were destroyed between 1929-33

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) The twenty five thousanders Before the start of collectivisation, Stalin initiated a new policy. Communists were unhappy about the collectivisation and were therefore unwilling to implement them. To get round this Stalin sent 25,000 ‘socially conscious’ industrial workers into the countryside. Over 27,000 applied for this scheme. Following a two week course, the ‘Twenty- five-thousanders’ were supposed to offer technical help to peasants and instruct them on the use of the new. more complex machinery. In reality, they were used to enforce dekulakisation. They were expected to find secret stores of grain, confiscate them, round up the Kulaks and exile them, forcing any remaining peasants into collective farms.

Dizzy with success The first wave of collectivisation resulted in human suffering. Kulaks and their families were shot or herded into cattle trucks and exiled to Siberia. Those who survived this were imprisoned into labour camps run by the secret police, with tens of thousands dying. Stalin was unmoved by the fate of his victims. The process caused chaos in the agricultural economy. Resistance to collectivisation resulted in the slaughter of livestock, destruction of tractors and the burning of crops. Finally the process of collectivisation created a feeling of hostility towards the government. Although Stalin disregarded the human suffering caused by collectivisation, economic and political difficulties forced him to call a halt to it in March 1930. An article published Pravda called ‘Dizzy with Success’, consisted of Stalin defending his policy but also claiming that some local officials had been ‘overenthusiastic’ whilst implementing it. He also argued that the target of it had been met and therefore the program would be suspended. He never admitted that Collectivisation had caused problems and never revealed the amount of deaths or how many people had been exiled. By March 1930, half of Russia’s farms had been collectivised. By August however, many peasants had gone back to their own farms and by the end of the year only a quarter of Russian farms remained in collectives.

The course of Collectivisation (main stages) Famine The result of this second wave of collectivisation was famine unprecedented in Russian history. The famine was a result of government policy rather than natural disaster. In 1931, the government issued unrealistic targets to Russian farmers. Nonetheless, Stalin announced that failure to meet these targets were considered sabotage and would be punished severely. True to his word, when farmers failed to meet their targets Stalin ordered the seizure of grain by the Red Army and the secret police. In order to meet the targets, they confiscated all the grain. Peasants caught hiding corn were exiled or shot. Stalin was uncompromising, as a punishment for failing to meet their targets, Stalin set up military checkpoints to stop food entering Ukraine. Trains passing through the region were ordered to keep their windows shut in order to stop food falling on to the tracks. Aid was refused, as Stalin claimed there was no famine within Russia. People were forced to take drastic measures to survive, for example fighting over horse manure as there was some undigested grain within it. There was an estimated 10 million dead during the period of famine. The seizure of the grain was distributed to the cities or exported to provide money for industrialisation.

Consequences of Collectivisation Effects on rural areas Between 9,500,000-10,000,000 people were exiled as a part of the dekulakistion In 1929 150,000 kulak families were Siberia which rose to 240,000 in 1930, and rose again to 285,000 in 1931 (in some cases 10% of the peasants in a single village were exiled) The peasants who remained on the collective farms endured enormous hardship, as they were forced to meet unrealistic targets and paid little for the crops produced- most farms were barely able to cover their production costs Consequently, collectivisation filled peasants with anger and resentment towards the government, instead of communist spirit which was Stalin’s aim On the farms there was little incentive for hard work as the land was no longer the peasant’s own and they received little reward for their labour, leading to labour productivity in rural areas declining. The exiled peasants were often the hardest working and most talented, meaning that without their energy and talents production would have been much lower The harvest of 1933 was 9 million tonnes less than that of 1926. In terms of livestock, the no. of horses halved between 1928-1932, while the no. of pigs dropped by 65% In 1930 the Central Committee agreed the creation of a national network of Machine Tractor Stations (MTSs). Because of bad planning, however, the implementation of the MTS network was not really started until early 1931. Additionally in order to extract more grain, the government kept the price of hiring tractors high leading to few farms being able to obtain machinery At the end of 1932, there were almost 75,000 tractors and 2,500 MTSs across Russia, however half of Russian farms were not included in the network, and the large number of tractors did not make up for the millions of horses lost. This meant that MTSs were unable to make significant improvements in productive capacity of Soviet agriculture HOWEVER in one sense the policy was an overwhelming success. In 1930, around 25% of peasant households were collectivised and by 1941 this figure rose to 100%. Nevertheless, the cost of this success was astronomical.

Consequences of Collectivisation Industrialisation and urbanisation A major goal of this policy was to provide more grain for export so that it would generate funds for industrialisation. The amount of grain produced fell from 1926. Despite this the amount of grain being exported by the state increased, In 1928, the state procured 11 million tonnes of grain. By 1929 this had risen to 16 million and by 1933 this had reached 23 million. There was no famine in the cities but there was still a drop in the standard of living for industrial workers, which fell due to collectivisation. The value of their wages fell by half between 1928 and 1932. The amount of meat consumed by urban workers fell by two-thirds from 1928 to 1932. Collectivisation failed to deliver greater unity between workers and peasants, the government of course blaming Kulak spirit among the peasants. This propaganda was fed to the workers so they believed that the peasants were refusing to play their part in socialism. In 1928, only 18 per cent of soviet citizens were working class. By 1939, it was 36 per cent. The number of Russians living in cities rose from 22 million to 63 million between 1922 and 1940, which caused many problems as the government were reluctant to invest in housing in urban areas.

Consequences of Collectivisation Political consequences The famine in the countryside and the poverty in the cities created a feeling of crisis in the top levels of the Communist Party. Rather than provoking criticism of Stalin, the chaos united the party behind Stalin. Another civil war was on the horizon, and they were desperate to support new policies, blaming the Kulaks and peasant saboteurs for any problems. Communists on the left side viewed Stalin’s harsh reaction to the peasants was a return to heroic traditions featured in the civil war. After collectivisation, Stalin emerged stronger than ever before.

Conclusion Collectivism Led to the deaths of over ten million peasants in the famine of 1932-34. A similar number went to labour camps. More grain procured and exported, Russia was urbanised.

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?