Michael Lynch, Bolshevik and

Stalinist Russia 1918-56

Chapter 3, “Stalin and the Soviet Economy” and Timothy Snyder, Bloodlands, pp.
24-46

Lynch, Chapter 3

1) By what two essential methods did Stalin aim to “modernize” the Soviet economy? Why
was this called both “the second revolution” and “revolution from above”?

Stalin aimed to modernize the Soviet economy through collectivization and industrialization. He
called it the ‘second revolution’ to indicate that it was an important stage in Soviet history as the
original 1917 Revolution had been. The modernization of the Soviet state was also frequently
defined as a ‘revolution from above’ as it was put forward by the state, which had assumed total
control. As compared to the 1917 Revolution which had been a revolution from below, or by the
working class.

2) Why would collectivization lead to modernization of the Soviet economy, from Stalin’s
perspective?

Stalin believed that the needs of Soviet Russia could only be met through the modernization of
his economically backward nation. He believed that collectivization would allow the Soviet
Union to use the collective profits from the land to finance a massive industrialization program.

3) What were the consequences of collectivization?

What Stalin wished for:

- Large farms were more efficiency and would develop the effective use of agricultural
machinery
- Creation of surplus food supplies to be sold abroad to raise capital for Soviet industry
- Decreased the number of rural workers for the new factories.
What really happened:
- Disruption on the land
- Peasant bewilderment
- Catastrophic fall in food production
- Reprisals against the peasants
- Hunger and famine
- Government failure to deal with famine

4) What were the purposes and results of the first 5-Year Plan?

Purposes: liquidate the Kulaks as a class, political propaganda to improve support for Stalin, and
economic ‘gigantomania’

Results: the first five year ‘plan’ just laid down what was to be achieved, but did not say how it
was to be done. A set of targets to hit rather than a plan. The first five year plan was actually an
extraordinary achievement overall. The Plan was a huge propaganda project and it worked well
in Stalin’s favor. Coal, iron, and electrical power supply all increased in huge proportions. The
production of steel and chemicals was less impressive, while the output of finished textiles
actually declined. Living conditions actually deteriorated during this time and consumer goods
were not affordable. This was not accidental, however, The Plan was not intended to improve
living standards. Its purpose was collective, not individual. Although he became too ambitious
and put forward an ‘optimal’ five year plan in 1932 which was unrealistic and unattainable.

Quantity > Quality

5) What was the Stakhonovite movement?

The Stakhonovite movement was exploited by authorities to inspire or shame workers into
raising their production levels even higher through the Party’s control of newspapers, cinema,
and radio.

6) What happened to workers’ “quality of life” during the 1930s? (i.e. wages, living and
working conditions, housing)

Decreased wages, yet it was unthinkable to strike or request better wages during a time of
economic depression and the existence of the Soviet Union being at risk. Real wages were not
permitted to rise above subsistence level and the rigors of the ‘Labor Code’ were not relaxed.
Tenements and 5 story buildings without lifts were the usual in cities. This overcrowded living
conditions were perfectly normal, where four or five families were forced to share a single
bathroom and kitchen.

Armaments > Improving social conditions

7) What economic successes could Stalin point to by 1940 (p. 83)?

- Coal output (from 35 million tons to 150)

- Steel output (from 3 million tons to 18)
- Oil output (from 12 million tons to 26)
- Electricity output (from 18 kWh to 90)

Remarkable increase in production overall. These four key points provided the basis for the
military economy, which enabled the USSR not only to survive four years of German
occupation, but eventually to amass sufficient resources to turn the tables and drive the German
army out of Soviet territory.

Questions for Bloodlands excerpt (pp. 24-46)

1) What was a kulak? What happened to kulaks? Who decided these questions?

Basically just peasants and members of the lower classes. In an attempt to eradicate the evil
lower class that always started revolutions against the higher ones, they were forcibly transported
out of Ukraine. They were shot or placed in concentration camps up north.

2) On what scale was this occurring? What statistics stand out?

“In the first four months of 1930, 112,637 people were forcibly transported from Soviet Ukraine
as kulaks.” (26) Huts were emptied with little to no preparation to gather their belongings.
 3) Why did the Ukrainian peasants starve in 1931-32?

- Workers had been forced into gulags and fed poorly, while people outside the gulags
typically ate even less.
- Ukrainian crop standards could not be met, causing the Soviets to take more resources
from farmers, in turn causing farmers to be unable to produce food.

4) How did Stalin explain the famine in Ukraine in 1932? This became more convoluted
(and crazy) as 1932 came to an end. (see p. 40-41)

Stalin placed the blame of the famine on Ukrainian workers and comrades. He then ordered
collective farms to be denied resources. Stalkin ordered for officials to be arrested and for the
deportation of Ukrainieans to resume. He began to claim that the Ukrainian famine was much
less severe than it was being reported, claiming his enemies were inflating the statistics.

5) Snyder discusses seven steps that Stalin and his agents took in Ukraine in 1932 and 1933
that made the famine in Ukraine particularly terrible, while being preventable. What do
these seven steps reveal about Stalin’s regime?

Stalin’s regime relied primarily on pinning blame on groups of people who were powerless to
defend themselves, thereby shifting any potential blame from himself to them. Stalin utilized the
support of the brainwashed public to punish the groups who he chose to blame, allowing the
public to feel like they were making some kind of change despite only making the situation
worse. This helped Stalin maintain control.