From Russia to the USSR

1. From Russia to the USSR 15.2.3

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Costs of Stalin’s Programs • The social and political costs of industrialization were enormous. • The number of workers increased by millions between 1932 and 1940. However, investment in housing declined and millions of workers and their families lived in miserable conditions. • Wages of industrial workers fell

8. 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 1933. • In response, He gave the peasants each one tiny, privately-owned piece of land for a garden.

9. Assignment • Pg 304 #1, #3-6