The Collectivisation of agriculture BGS History AS Revision Tests The Collectivisation of agriculture

1) Why did Stalin want to collectivise? (7!!!) Soviet agriculture was backward- there had been poor harvests from 1927-1929 Food was needed for workers in the town Town workers were needed Cash crops were needed To deal with the opposition of the Kulaks & encourage a revolutionary spirit amongst the peasants To deal with the Right Wing To establish his own credentials

2) What was the “Grain Procurement Crisis”? From 1927-1929. Bad harvests had caused a price rise, and then the kulaks withheld their grain from the market during, causing the price of goods to rise even more

3) How did Stalin respond? Restarted grain requisitioning

4) What did he say that it demonstrated? (2) That peasants were capitalist and could slow down industrialisation. The failure of the NEP (used it to undermine Bukharin)

5) What were the “emergency measures” put in place? (3) Rationing in the cities Grain requisitioning Punishments for grain hoarders (labour camps)

6) When did “Mass Collectivisation” begin, and how? (2) December 1929 The liquidation of the Kulaks

7) How did the majority of peasants respond? Rebelled- chose to destroy grain and livestock rather than surrender it to the collective farms

8) What were the “Twenty-Five-Thousanders”? A group of “socially conscious” industrial workers who helped to implement collectivisation

9) What was their “official role”? To offer technical help to the peasants and instruct them on the use of the new technology

10) What was their “real role”? Enforcers of dekulakisation- searching for secret stores of grain, rounding up of Kulaks and organising their exile, forcing the remaining peasants into the collectives

11) What was “Dizzy with success”? Stalin’s article, published in 1930, where he defended the policy of collectivisation

12) When did collectivisation restart? 1931

13) What occurred as a result? A famine “unprecedented in Russian history”

14) Why did this happen? Stalin set unrealistic targets, with severe punishments in place for those who failed to meet them

15) Why was this famine different? It was caused by government policy rather than natural disasters

16) What was the effect on rural areas? (3) Around 10,000,000 peasants were exiled as a part of “dekulakisation” Most farms could barely cover production costs Created anger and resentment towards the government

17) What were the other consequences? (4) Increase in grain exports Failed to deliver greater unity between peasants and industrial workers as “kulaks” were victimised Did cause “urbanisation of working class” Created a feeling of crisis in the Communist Party, but united them around Stalin.