In 1928, Joseph Stalin, now leader of the USSR, knew that the agricultural sector had to be made more efficient in order for it to feed the huge workforce which would take Russia through industrialisation. In his ascent to power, Stalin criticised Lenin's New Economic Policy for its Capitalistic features and so, through the Gosplan, a centrally controlled economy was created which subsequently gave birth to the five-year-plans and Collectivisation. By removing the Kulaks (wealthy peasants), combining numerous small holdings into one large farm and introducing modern equipment, collective farms were established. There is no doubt that this was a much more Socialist policy than the NEP, but whether it was successful is highly debatable: it would entirely depend on the interpretation of the word 'success' which, for this essay at least, will be that it has benefitted the majority of the people it has affected. However, it would be all too easy for one's opinion to be based entirely on the increase in agricultural output after 1928.
How far do you agree that the economy of Tsarist Russia was transformed in the years to 1914? During the Tsarist rule, Russia’s economy dramatically changed both for the positive and the bad. Every Tsar wanted one thing. To modernise Russia from which they saw to be dramatically, economically behind countries across Europe. Their main of doing this was by building the trans-Siberian railway and was thought to be ‘the way forward’ for Russia.
History Essay – Russia To what extent did Witte achieve economic modernisation in Russia? Russia saw a lot of changes in the years 1881-1903. A lot of these were due to Witte. The Russian empire wasn’t strong as it seemed and it was certainly not modern. Witte tried to change this with a series of projects, to help the economy and industry of Russia.
This status had depended on military power but by the 1890s military power was becoming increasingly linked to economic power. Furthermore Russia itself was the most economically backward Great Powers; based solely around agriculture which itself was old-fashioned and unmodernised. If Russia was to compete as a Great Power its ability to deal with these problems would be essential for the Tsarist system’s survival. A man called Peter Stolypin would become essential for reform in Russia. The political situation in 1881 was non-existent; the Tsar had complete power.
(30 marks) June 2009 How far do you agree that the economy of Tsarist Russia was transformed in the years to 1914? (30 marks) OR To what extent were the weaknesses of their opponents responsible for the survival of the Bolshevik government in the years 1917–24? (30 marks) How far do you agree that the collectivisation of agriculture made an essential contribution to Stalin’s transformation of the Russian economy? (30 marks) OR To what extent did Stalin establish a personal dictatorship in the years 1929–39? (30 marks) January 2010 To what extent did Russia undergo economic and political reform in the years 1906-14?
This was sometimes called ‘Revolution from above. During the years 1928 to 1941 Stalin decided to introduce a series of reforms in order to radically change Russia’s economy. This would not only create a more prosperous country, but as well would stand out the figure of Stalin and would make him a memorable leader for his acts, moving of the way the image people had of Lenin as the real and unique leader Russia once had. During these years, through collectivisation and industrialisation (Five Year Plans), Stalin was able o successfully improve Russia’s economy. This was mostly due to his policies of collectivisation which made economic sense and forced a lot of peasants to leave the land, which was a process needed in order to change an agricultural rural society to an urban and industrial one as well s the fact that his industrialisation plan increased massively the heavy industry in Russia; the production of raw materials such as iron, coal, steel and oil all increased successfully.
The imperial government clearly did not foresee industrialization as an eventual catalyst to their demise. They saw it as the opportunity for Russia to become one of, if not the most, powerful country in the world. The height of industrialization in Russia occurred at the end of the 19th century. The man that the autocracy appointed Minister of Finance during this period was Segei Witte. He was appointed the position in 1892, and held it until 1903.
The 3rd Duma served its full term and the 4th lasted until the outbreak of the First World War. During this time, the Duma managed to reform effectively. For example, improvements were made to the army and navy; the land captains introduced in 1892 were replaced by justices of the peace. The government introduced a plan to have universal education within ten years and health and accident insurance programmes were introduced for industrial workers. This appeased the peasants, so that they would not revolt again and another revolution wouldn’t occure.
Sergei Witte was minister of finance from 1892 to 1903 and wanted to modernise Russia. He invited foreign experts to advise him on industrial development and believed in state capitalism. He negotiated
How far do you agree that the economy of Tsarist Russia was transformed in the years to 1914? It can be argued that there was there was a change in the economy of Tsarist Russia in the years to 1914, but there is some debate to the extent of the transformation of the economy. It is undeniable that there is evidence which shows there was a degree of change within the USSR; this is shown through the actions of Sergi Witte, Stolypin and the four Duma’s from the years 1906 to 1914. Firstly, it was well known that in 1881 the USSR’s economy was mostly agricultural based, and so from 1891 Sergi Witte proposed a number of changes which concentrated on the industrialisation of the nation, these focused on the railway network and foreign investment. The Trans-Siberian railway was started in 1891; this was a massive improvement to the economy because it opened up the Eastern Empire and advanced the growth of new towns and cities, whilst connecting new industrial centres which helped to stimulate the growth of iron and coal industries.