FROM RUSSIA TO THE USSR

FROM RUSSIA TO THE USSR After WWI and the Russian Civil War the country was exhausted They had lost more troops than any other nation and been affected by severe drought leading to famine They needed economic plans to deal with their problems

LENIN’S NEW ECONOMIC POLICY Russian leader Vladimir Lenin acted put in place his New Economic Policy (NEP) into action. The NEP was a slightly changed version of the old capitalist system. Peasants were allowed to sell their produce openly. Retail stores, and small industries could be privately owned and operated. However, heavy industry, banking, and mines remained under government control.

THE SOVIET UNION In 1922, Lenin and the Communists formally created a new state called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR) or the Soviet Union The NEP saved the Soviet Union from economic disaster but, Lenin’s ultimate goal was communism. Lenin died in 1924 and a struggle for power began. The 7 members of the Communist Party’s main policy-making group fought for control.

STALIN TAKES CONTROL Joseph Stalin used his position to gain complete control of the Communist Party. By 1926, Stalin had removed his political rivals and established a powerful dictatorship. The government sent people who resisted into forced labor camps During the Great Purge of the late 1930s, Stalin expelled army officers, diplomats, union officials, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens. About 8 million people who were arrested and sent to labor camps never returned. Others were executed, or put to death

STALIN’S 5 YEAR PLANS Stalin launched his Five-Year Plans which set economic goals for five-year periods. Their purpose was to quickly change Russia from an agricultural nation to an industrial one The first Five-Year Plan quadrupled the production of heavy machinery and doubled oil production. During the first two Five-Year Plans (1928–1937), Russia’s steel production increased from 4 to 18 million tons (3.6 to 16.3 million tons) per year.

COSTS OF STALIN’S PROGRAMS The social and political costs of industrialization were enormous. The number of workers increased by millions between 1932 and However, investment in housing declined and millions of workers and their families lived in miserable conditions. Wages of industrial workers fell

COLLECTIVIZATION Private farms were eliminated and the government owned all of the land, which the peasants worked This resulted in widespread famine. Reportedly 10 million people died from 1932 to In response, He gave the peasants each one tiny, privately- owned piece of land for a garden.

ASSIGNMENT Pg 304 #1, #3-6