Policies of single-party states
Stalin’s Economic Policy
Lorena
"We are 100 years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this lag in ten years.
Either we do it, or they crush us!"
After Lenin, soviet agriculture soon returned to its prewar levels. Events prompted Stalin to
believe that there would not be enough time for economic development to follow its own
course and Russia labored under its traditional economic weaknesses.
There was no foreign investment available for development and Russia would have to rely
on domestic sources to finance the development of large-scale industry, as well as the
creation of substantial armed forces in the face of an increasingly threatening world.
Since by 1926 the Russian middle class had been eliminated, 78% of the Russian population
lived in the agricultural sector. The vast majority of Russian farmers farmed on private plots
and produced private surpluses.
Stalin saw that there would only be one way for the state to raise money and accumulate
capital, and simultaneously transform the economic base of Russia from farming to industry:
The solution for Stalin was to

collectivize agriculture

forcing the peasants into communes

destroying the kulaks

controlling agricultural output

and fixing the prices of wages and food.
In essence the state interposed itself between rural producers and urban consumers, and
extracted money from each.
As a consequence, soviet agriculture declined catastrophically, as the peasant resisted the
forced collectivization of agriculture. Because of the dislocations in the countryside, millions
of peasant starved to death in 1933 and cannibalism was rampant throughout the rural
sector.
The second consequence was somewhat more positive, at least for the development of
soviet economic and military power. the state was able to deploy over 25% of GNP for
industrial investment and still have considerable sums for investments in science, education
and the armed forces. Russian society was literally transformed in the period from 1928 to
1940 as the number of population working in agriculture fell from 75% to less than 50%.
25 million peasants were forcibly relocated from rural areas to developing industrial centers
and transformed into factory workers by means of intensive training, ideological
indoctrination, and extremely harsh industrial discipline.
The resulting upturn in manufacturing output and national income was something
unprecedented in the history of industrialization. Russian manufacturing boomed during the
great depression. If one examines the period of the two five year plans of 1928 to 1937
Russian national income rose from 24.4 to 96.3 billion rubles, coal output increased from
35.4 to 128 million tons, steel production from 4 to 17.7 million tons, electricity output rose
700%, machine-tool production 20,000% and tractor production (factories that could be
easily converted in tank production) rose 40,000%.
But behind this impressive and unparalleled rate of development there still lurked many
deficiencies. By the mid-1930’s Russian farm outputs was less capable of feeding the
growing urban population, let alone produce a surplus for export. Farm yields per acre were
appallingly low and the infrastructure of Russia was still underdeveloped.
Having been born out of war and feeling acutely threatened by potential enemies—Poland,
Japan, Germany, Britain—the USSR devoted more than 16% of its GNP to defense and the
military which skewed industrial development towards military production
EVALUATION: HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS STALIN’S ECONOMIC POLICIES?
The Five Year Plan:
Success
Failure
Huge Public work schemes
Human cost - 10 to 40 million deaths
Education program
Overcrowding in cities
Industrial output expanded
Production focused on heavy industry and
Russia survived WWII
military
Figures were unreliable
Quantity not quality
No criticism allowed
Collectivization:
Small farms were joined together (Sovkhozes and Kolkhozes)
To improve efficiency
Destroy Kulaks
Increase Stalin's control of countryside
Increase grain production to sell abroad for foreign currencies
Success
Failure
By 1940 99% of land collectivized
1932-33 famine (5 million dead)
Production did increase (Wheat up 33%)
Human cost - 10 million peasants
New modern equipment and chemicals
deported
Education programs in collectives
Sovkhozes were a failure
Red Army was fed during WWII
Unpopular
Kulaks were destroyed
Mao: an evaluation of the dictator’s economic and social policies
Paula
Economic
 Principle economic aim: massive industrialization in order for the new
China to be elevated to the standards of the Soviet Union and the
Capitalist West in industrial output.
 Methods (what was done in order to achieve this) :
o In order to industrialize China, Mao relied solely on mass labors
rather than on advancing technology. In addition, Mao also
resulted to the Stalinist methods (in the form of a series of fiveyear plans) in a trial and error format to see which one best
fitted China.
o Three agricultural stages: land is privately
owned/collectivization/communes.
o ‘Great Leap Forward’
o Backyard furnaces
 Evaluation:
o The fact that Mao relied uniquely on peasants’ physical labour
and did not improve technology summed with the fact that he
applied another countries principles to his country, led to an
overall failure and famine. China, as it was, did not have the
base for building a modern industrial nation
o The Second Five Year Plan (intended to be the ‘Great Leap
Forward’) fell significantly short of its production targets.
Although true figures were hidden from the population,
widespread famine was evident.
Social
 Principle social aim : to use the Chinese population, mainly peasants,
as the driving force for Mao’s desired revolution.
 Methods (what was done in order to achieve this) :
o Women and Youngsters: Mao did not excuse women or the
young from working. Instead, they were also enrolled in the
heavy labour.
o 3 & 5 Anti’s
o Cultural revolution
 Evaluation:
o Although women suffered, their status within the Chinese
society was elevated.
o The Chinese population over went extreme suffering and
humiliation until they reached deep misery.
Mao-Political and Foreign Policies
Lara
Political:

The constitution of 1950->officially adopted in 1954
Included national people’s congress (final authority for legislation)
State council
Chairman of the Republic
State council chose the Politburo (Political Bureau) which made the main
decisions.
All were dominated by the communist party. Only communist party members
could stand for election.
The constitution was important because it provided China with a strong
central government for the first time in many years.

The Hundred flowers Campaign (1957)
To some extent developed out of industrialization which produced a vast
new class of technicians and engineers. Cadres (groups who organized
masses politically and economically) thought the new class of experts could
be a threat to the authority.
Mao and the government, pleased with the progress so far with agricultural
and industrial changes decided to have an open discussion of the problems
and how to improve relations between the cadres and the new intellectuals, ‘’
Let a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend’’.
Mao’s intentions with this may have been simply a calling for
constructive criticism OR he was intentionally trying to spot opponents.
However, Mao got more than he had anticipated as several things were
criticized:
- Cadres for incompetence and over enthusiasm.
- The government for over-centralization
- Communist party for being undemocratic some suggested that opposition
parties should be allowed.
Mao instantly called off the campaign and clamped down on the critics. He
insisted his policies were right.
The campaign showed how much opposition there still was towards
communism and towards uneducated cadres. This convinced Mao that a drive
was needed to consolidate the advance of socialism which led to ‘The Great
Leap Forward’.
.
 The Cultural Revolution (1966-7)
This was Mao’s attempt to keep revolution and the Great Leap Forward on
a pure Marxist/Leninist course.
When the Great Leap Forward’s success was still uncertain, opposition
grew as right wing members of the party thought that incentives (greater
wage differentials) were necessary if communes were to work and felt that
there should be an expert managerial class pushing forward
industrialization instead of cadres.
Maoists were outraged- privileged classes which would exploit workers
was exactly what Mao was condemning. He thought it was vital to keep in
touch with the masses.
This generated great public debate so Mao launched the desperate
campaign to ‘save’ the revolution known as ‘’The Great Proletarian
Cultural Revolution’’. Basically, Mao appealed to the masses in a
propaganda exercise to renew revolutionary fervour. His supporters, the
red guards (mostly students), toured the country arguing Mao’s case.
Schools and factories closed down.
Results-> chaos, a close civil war. Students denounced and physically
attacked anybody in authority (teachers, professionals, officials) not just
Mao’s critics. Millions of people were disgraced and ruined. The situation
was out of control.
Mao privately admitted mistakes but in public blamed advisors and Red
Guard leaders.
1969, the Cultural Revolution was over and Mao was free of blame. Still, it
held China’s economic development ten years and ruined lives.
Foreign:
 Korea->
Defensive, only acted against the USA when the Americans pushed into
North Korea, advancing into the 38th parallel. Chinese volunteers came to
the defence of Korea determined not to let the USA win, and help a
‘’brother’’.
BUT, this resulted in high cost of life for China and it was a huge drain on
China’s backward economy.
 Anti-American->
The USA and China had significant ideological differences. America ‘’lost’’
China to communism so barred admission to the UN and the America CIA
assisted Tibetan resistance. There was an arms race and the nuclear
bomb is sign of Chinese paranoia.
China then started campaign against the USA and USA imperialism.
 Albania->
Only ally, no real Chinese influence in Europe.

AIMS ->Remove the USSR from the leadership of International
Revolution (ideological) and undermine western imperialism SO
-focused on leading newly independent countries facing colonialism,
wanted to exert influence in these countries.
-focused on anti-colonial movements
FAILED, lacked economic and military resources.

Tibet->
Attempt to consolidate its territorial sovereignty. China wanted
reunification so bitterly asserted control over Tibet. China claimed that
the region belonged historically to them but cultures were completely
different.
- A reign of terror was imposed on Tibet.
- Attempt to destroy the Tibetan identity in a campaign.
- War, direct conflict.
Paranoia dominated China’s relations with the outside world and its
superpower status was notional.