Why Did Stalin Introduce Collectivisation? (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)
Revision Note
How Significant was Collectivisation for the USSR? - Summary
Collectivisation was a significant policy created by Stalin in 1928. It aimed to combine individual farms into collective farms. The state owned and managed some of these farms. This policy had several significant impacts on the USSR.
Economically, collectivisation aimed to increase agricultural productivity. By creating large farms, peasants could use modern resources and farming techniques. However, the forced collectivisation led to widespread resistance among peasants. Peasants destroyed crops, livestock and infrastructure. Collective farms were also poorly run and inefficient. These factors led to widespread famine and food shortages, particularly in Ukraine (the famine in Ukraine was called the Holodomor).
Collectivisation consolidated Stalin's control over agricultural communities. It began the process of dekulakisation. This eliminated the influence of wealthy kulaks, who were seen as a threat to the socialist state. Collectivisation strengthened the state's grip on the rural population.
Socially, collectivisation resulted in the suffering of millions of peasants. The state forcibly relocated peasants, causing the loss of their land. Peasants who resisted collectivisation faced punishment. The policy disrupted traditional rural communities and led to social unrest.
Reasons for Collectivisation
While the Five-Year Plans focused on rapid industrialisation, collectivisation aimed to improve agricultural output
Stalin introduced the concept in 1928
There are many motivations behind collectivisation
Examiner Tip
Students sometimes believe that collectivisation and Five-Year Plans are the same policy. They both began in 1928, but they targeted different sectors of the economy. The Five-Year Plans focused on rapid industrialisation. Collectivisation aimed to increase the efficiency of agriculture. The methods used for each policy are also different.
How did Collectivisation Work?
Stalin was forced to introduced collectivisation in two stages:
Stage One | Stage Two |
|---|---|
Increase the mechanisation of farming and bring the peasants under government control | The slowing down of collectivisation and the introduction of machine tractor stations (MTS) |
The Process of Collectivisation
What Issues did Collectivisation Cause?
The state forced peasants to collectivise
Richer and poorer peasants resented the government for forcing them to leave their home
Peasants continued to rebel
Peasants destroyed crops and animals rather than hand them over to the government
Collectivisation had damaging impacts on Ukraine
Ukraine was a profitable agricultural region of the USSR
It grew a vast amount of grain
Ukraine fought back against collectivisation
Ukraine had a strong cultural and national identity
The government punished Ukrainian peasants
They violently repressed the peasants who refused to collectivise
In 1932, they increased the government quota for grain despite there being a poor harvest
The government caused the 'Holodomor'
This means 'death by hunger'
The government took all food from peasants who could not meet their quota
Worked Example
Why was it important to Stalin to modernise Soviet agriculture?
6 marks
Partial answer:
Stalin felt that collectivisation was important because it would allow the Five-Year Plans to succeed (1). The Five-Year Plans caused rapid industrialisation, which was very expensive. Stalin wanted to grow surplus grain to sell abroad for profit. This could fund machinery and experts for the Five-Year Plans (1). This was important because Stalin considered this vital for the success of the USSR. It would resolve some of the longstanding issues that Russia had with its agriculture and help to modernise the country (1).
Examiner Tip
In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. For full marks in this question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons as to why the modernisation of agriculture was important. Use the PEE structure in your answer:
P - Make a point about the question
E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made
E - Explain why this evidence shows that the modernisation of agriculture was important. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor caused Stalin to aggressively pursue the policy of collectivisation
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