Physicist and astronomer Stefan Feeney of University College London, one of the...
During the war years, the USSR lost a third of the national wealth. Strengthened only the military industry. It was necessary to choose the path of economic revival: 1) to support the emerging easing and tendencies towards independence on the ground without a directive from the Center (Voznesensky, Kuznetsov, Rodionov, etc.) or 2) to return to the model of the 30s (Malenkov, Beria),
Growing international tensions, poor harvests, and the famine of 1946 led to the victory of the proponents of coercive measures. The return to the scheme of development of the 1930s was developed and theoretically substantiated by Stalin in his last work "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR", which marked the course towards the nationalization of agriculture - the creation of state farms. The Fourth Five-Year Plan called for:
Restoration and development of industry, especially heavy industry;
Restoration of the 8-hour working day;
Cancellation of mandatory overtime;
Vacation recovery.
But working conditions remained difficult. The achievements of the scientific and technological revolution were introduced only in the defense industry.
The results of the five-year plan - rapid growth in 1947-48. - was replaced by a slowdown that lasted until 1954 - everything was reminiscent of the 30s. The model of socialism was not viable. The people restored cities and enterprises with their heroic labor. Agriculture after collectivization was the most backward in the Soviet economy.
In 1946, a drought in Ukraine, Moldavia, and southern Russia caused a famine, which was hushed up, and at that time grain was exported to the countries of Eastern Europe. The leadership of the country, proceeding from the needs of the state and not taking into account the possibilities of collective farms, demanded the fulfillment of plans at any cost. The control over agriculture increased again. The technical equipment of agriculture remained low, taxes were constantly growing, purchase prices were low, and workdays were actually not paid. The state did not have money for the development of collective farms.
In 1947, the card system was abolished and a monetary reform was carried out, but this did not lead to an increase in the purchasing power of the population. The situation was aggravated by the annual loans, carried out forcibly. The absence of queues in stores was explained by high prices compared to wages. The price reduction concerned only the urban population. Life in the village deteriorated.
After the war, the political system began to recover. The first repressions fell upon the military, whose increased influence Stalin feared. The "Leningrad case" is being fabricated - against people from the Leningrad party organization, which swept across the country (2 thousand repressed). During the war, besieged Leningrad managed to survive without the help of the center.
The system of ideological leadership (the main ideologist A. Zhdanov) ruled out any free thought. Workers of science and culture suffered - Akhmatova, Zoshchenko. Mikhoels, Shostakovich and many others. Ties with world science were cut off, which for decades determined the lagging behind of Soviet science from the world level in a number of areas.
Ideological, political and military-strategic confrontation between the capitalist and socialist systems. There is an "export of socialism" when communists were brought to power in countries liberated from fascism by the Red Army, or contrary to the agreements on the democratic choice of the people signed by the USSR at the Yalta and Potsdam meetings of the "Big Three" (USSR, USA, Antlia ). Soviet aid to the communists of China, North Korea, Berlin
the crisis of 1949 contributed to the emergence of the Atlantic Pact (NATO).
The Stalinist leadership hostilely perceived any deviation from the "socialist model". The independent position of the Yugoslav leaders aroused Stalin's dissatisfaction and led to a crisis in Soviet-Yugoslav relations.
In 1949, the USSR created its own atomic weapons, which ensured its position in the world. Therefore, the foreign policy of the first post-war decade is characterized by wariness and hostility.
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The first steps after the war were the demobilization of the army, its sharp reduction (almost 4 times by 1948); redistribution of expenses in favor of peaceful branches of industry and reorientation of production to peaceful needs; the abolition of the State Defense Committee and the transfer of its functions to the Council of People's Commissars (since March 1946 - the Council of Ministers); restoration of the 8-hour working day, annual holidays, the abolition of mandatory overtime work. The Fourth Five-Year Plan (1946-1950) set the task of restoring and surpassing the pre-war level of the national economy. At the same time, the primary goal was formulated unambiguously - the restoration and development of heavy industry. The restoration of agriculture, light industry, the abolition of the rationing system, the revival of destroyed cities and villages were considered important, but subordinate to the main goal of the task.
New industrial enterprises were built.
In 1947, the distribution card system was abolished and a monetary reform was carried out.
The national economy was generally restored by the beginning of the 1950s.
In the post-war years, the authorities did everything possible not only to preserve, but also to strengthen the totalitarian system in the country.
Repressions began again: first, against Soviet prisoners of war who found themselves in German captivity (out of 5.5 million people, almost 2 million ended up in places of detention), and residents of the occupied regions. This was followed by new waves of deportations of the population from the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Baltic States, Western Ukraine and Belarus. The population of the Gulag grew.
Thus, all elements of the totalitarian system - the absolute domination of a single ruling party, the cult of the leader, a single dominant ideology, a properly functioning repressive apparatus - were strengthened and strengthened in the post-war period.
The Soviet leadership sought to use the victory with maximum benefit to create its own sphere of influence in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe, which were liberated by the Red Army (Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Albania, etc.). The United States and Great Britain regarded these actions as a threat to their national interests, an attempt to impose a communist model on these countries. In 1947 US President G. Truman proposed to form a military-political alliance of Western countries, create a network of military bases on the borders of the USSR, and launch a program of economic assistance to European countries affected by Nazi Germany (the "Truman Doctrine"). The reaction of the USSR was quite predictable. The rupture of relations between the former allies became a reality already in 1947. The era of the Cold War began.
In 1949, the USSR achieved the creation of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, which coordinated economic relations within the socialist bloc. Within the framework of the CMEA, the USSR throughout all subsequent years provided very substantial economic assistance to the allied countries. In 1955, the organization of the Warsaw Pact was created - a military-political union of European political countries.
In the same year, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formalized, and the USSR announced the successful testing of nuclear weapons.
44. Khrushchev: on the way to power. Socio-political development of the USSR. Socio-economic policy during the Khrushchev thaw.
20th congress and its significance (February 1956).
Agenda: Summing up the activities of the party, adoption of directives for the sixth five-year plan, analysis of the international situation.
Closed meeting of the congress on February 25. At this meeting, Khrushchev delivered a report on the cult of personality and its consequences. Criticizing Stalin, Khrushchev started from Lenin's will. Accordingly, Khrushchev justifies the trials against the Trotskyists and condemns the repressions against honest communists. Stalin is charged with anti-democratism and abuse of power. A significant part of the report is devoted to the falsification of cases of the NKVD. The perpetrators of the repressions are named Stalin, Beria, Yezhov, Stalin's comrades-in-arms are honest Leninists.
Significance of the decisions of the 20th Congress.
20th congress - Khrushchev's finest hour. The decisions do not affect the essence of the totalitarian regime, and yet this is a major step towards overcoming Stalinism, the cleansing of society from the ideology of the practice of state terror. The decisions of the 20th Congress split the international political movement.
The beginning of de-Stalinization.
The fate of Khrushchev's report: it was hidden from the people and the international community. June 30, 1956 adopted a resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU on overcoming the cult of personality and its consequences.
Public atmosphere: revival, rise, warming, revival of hopes and faith in the future.
Rehabilitation of the repressed, rehabilitation of a number of deported peoples.
Khrushchev emphasized by his actions and statements that de-Stalinization should be controlled, limited, not infringing on the foundations of the Soviet system. Attempts to go further in democratization were thwarted.
De-Stalinization was limited.
Reform attempts:
one). Economic reforms
2). Broad social programs
3). Attempts to optimize the management of the country, elements of liberalism in the activities of the party apparatus
4). army reduction
5). Liberalization of cultural life
6). New trends in foreign policy
By the mid-1950s, the development of democracy, the strengthening of constitutional norms, the enhancement of the role of the Soviets and the strengthening of their ties with the masses had become an urgent task of public life. In 1957, the Central Committee of the CPSU adopted a resolution "On improving the activities of the Soviets of Working People's Deputies", which outlined measures to improve the work of the Soviets. At the end of 1962, the Soviets were reorganized. In most territories and regions, 2 Councils of Workers' Deputies were created - industrial and rural, to which industrial and rural areas were subordinated. In 1957, the sectoral principle of management was replaced by a territorial one. The whole country was divided into 105 economic administrative regions. In each of them, the Union Republic Council of Ministers created the Council of the National Economy (SNKh), which managed enterprises and construction projects. Thus, during this period there were significant changes in the state apparatus.
A new program of the CPSU was adopted.
In October 1961, the 22nd Congress of the CPSU was held. The Party proceeds from the premise that socialism has completely triumphed in the country. The country entered the period of building communism.
The program is utopian, but specific social programs (food, housing) have been implemented. Implementation (building the foundations) will take 20 years.
There was a further personalization of power and the strengthening of the positions of the party-state bureaucracy, the functions of the Central Committee, which was expanding in composition, were increasingly transferred to the bureaucratic structures of its apparatus.
Khrushchev's time is a time of energetic, but not sufficiently thought-out reform.
45. Brezhnev. The era of "stagnation".
Resigned N.S. Khrushchev ended
the process of liberalization of social and political life ended
the reforms he initiated. A new leadership has come to power. Per-
became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (since 1968 - General Secretary)
L.I. Brezhnev, who had been a party worker for many years
those. It was he who was one of the initiators and organizers of the displacement
N.S. Khrushchev. A cautious, conservative person, he is most of all
strove for social stability. The head of the government was appointed
Chen A.N. Kosygin, who led the State Planning Committee of the USSR in different years, mi-
ministries of finance, light and textile industry.
The ideological and theoretical basis of the activities of the new leadership
management was developed in the late 60s the concept of "developed
socialism". In official documents, "developed socialism" was interpreted as an obligatory stage on the path of advancing Soviet society
to communism, during which it was necessary to achieve an organic
unification of all spheres of public life. The concept did not
doubt the theoretical propositions about the communist perspective,
sti in the Program of the CPSU.
A departure from the course of de-Stalinization began. Stopped in print
criticism of the cult of personality I.V. Stalin, exposing the lawlessness of
lin regime. Censorship was tightened again. As before, the
access to sources of scientific information - domestic and
foreign - for researchers. This measure resulted in severe
consequences of the day of development of science.
In the early 70s, L.I. Brezhnev stated that
The USSR achieved equality of the republics in terms of the level of economy and culture
ry and that the national question in the country is resolved. It was also stated about
the formation of a new historical community - the Soviet people. One-
but neither during this period, nor later than the complete actual equality of the
the public was not reached. Moreover, in interethnic relations
new problems arose that required immediate resolution
niya. Representatives of the republics demanded the expansion of the network of schools with
serving in their native language. The movement to protect the environment has intensified.
environment, for the preservation of historical monuments and national
traditions. But the country's leadership did not pay due attention to the
melting conflicts in the national sphere. The growth of national self-
consciousness of the peoples, speeches in defense of the national interests of the
viewed as a manifestation of local nationalism.
By the end of the 1960s, the economic reform begun in 1965 began to wane. The average annual growth rate of the national income decreased from 6.8% to 3%.
The stagnation was due to a number of reasons, including subjective and objective ones. Brezhnev himself was a conservative sympathetic to the Stalin era. With his arrival, a time of vigorous change gave way to a time of stability. Reliance on the command-bureaucratic system was unshakable. “Cadres decide everything” - this principle led to the fact that a narrow layer of the nomenklatura was entrenched in power, concentrating all power in its hands. The Brezhnev Doctrine (limitation of the sovereignty of the socialist countries) was implemented on the international arena.
Declaring a peace-loving policy, the USSR built up its military potential, supported its allies, and sought to maintain parity with the United States.
Detente is a new wave of warming in international relations. Limitation of strategic arms. 1979 - agreement on the limitation of strategists. Voor. Establishing a ceiling strategist. offensive means.
46. Perestroika: plans and implementation.
The nature of perestroika (1985-1991) was determined by the desire to reform Soviet society, by the beginning of the 80s. entered into a protracted socio-economic and spiritual and moral crisis. At the same time, the specific content and even the goals of the reformist course changed. There are three stages in the history of perestroika: 1985-1986, 1987-1988, 1989-1991.
1985-1986: period of acceleration. Elected in March 1985 as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU M.S. Gorbachev proceeded from the fact that, firstly, reforms are necessary and, secondly, they must realize the enormous economic and political opportunities that socialism built in the USSR has. The concept of accelerating socio-economic development was put forward. The goal was to double the industrial potential of the USSR by the year 2000. The methods of implementing this strategy turned out to be quite traditional: activation of the "human factor" (social competition, strengthening labor discipline, the fight against drunkenness - the famous anti-alcohol campaign); use of hidden reserves. It was not possible to achieve a significant increase in growth rates.
1987-1988: "glasnost" and perestroika.
In 1988, the next step was taken: small private business was allowed.
In 1987 the concept of a new political thinking in foreign policy was formulated: the world was recognized as integral and indivisible, universal human values were placed above class and party values, a balance of interests was recognized as a universal way to solve international problems.
1989-1991: late restructuring. In 1989, elections were held for the Congress of People's Deputies. Meanwhile, by 1990-1991. the situation has acquired a conflict, explosive character. The basic structures of the Soviet system were crumbling.
1990-1991 were marked by the so-called "parade of sovereignties", when all the union republics declared themselves sovereign states. In 1991, presidential elections were held in Russia. They became B. N. Yeltsin. The nationwide referendum held in March 1991 showed that the majority of citizens were in favor of preserving the USSR. In the summer of 1991, an agreement was prepared on reforming the federal state and expanding the powers of the republics. Its signing gave a chance to preserve unity.
In 1989-1990. in fact, the world system of socialism collapsed. Revolutions in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe led to the victory of democratic forces oriented towards the countries of the West. In 1990, the unification of Germany took place. The following year, the CMEA and the Warsaw Pact were disbanded.
On August 21, the coup attempt was crushed. Gorbachev returned to Moscow, but the union treaty was never signed.
In December 1991, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed a statement in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the termination of the Union Treaty of 1922 and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On December 25, Gorbachev announced his resignation from the presidency. The collapse of the USSR has become a fact.
Perestroika failed.
The Great Patriotic War ended with a victory over a strong and cruel enemy. But this was achieved at the cost of huge human and material losses. The war created complex problems in all spheres of Soviet society. The total economic damage caused to the state amounted to 2.6 trillion. rubles. In the country, 1710 cities and more than 70 thousand villages and villages were completely or partially destroyed, more than 25 million people lost their homes. The invaders burned and destroyed over 6 million buildings, 31,850 industrial enterprises. Colossal damage was caused to agriculture, 98 thousand collective farms, 1876 state farms, 2890 machine and tractor stations were ruined and plundered.
Problems generated by the war:
1) increased flows of migrants, repatriated. As of February 1, 1946, 5.2 million people were repatriated to the USSR, of which 1.8 million were former prisoners of war and 3.4 million were civilians;
2) change in the ratio of the male and female population. The number of able-bodied men in 1946 decreased in comparison with 1939 by 2 times;
3) the need for employment of millions of demobilized military personnel of thirteen ages (by 1948, more than 8 million people out of 11.2 million who were in the army had been demobilized);
4) drought 1946 - 1947 created a food supply problem. According to I.M. Volkov, the grain procurement plan for the USSR at the beginning of 1947 was fulfilled by 78.8%. The number of cattle decreased by 1.5 million heads, pigs - by 2 million, sheep and goats - by 2.9 million;
5) the need to put finances in order, reduce the money supply, denominate the ruble, reduce the size of the state. loans;
6) the abolition of some people's commissariats of the defense complex, the restoration of a normal working day, the provision of annual holidays;
7) the abolition of the activities of the emergency supreme authorities that operated during the war years, the restoration of the normal activities of Soviet bodies in the center and in the field.
Perspective goals of post-war economic development I.V. Stalin stated in a speech at a meeting of voters on February 9, 1946. Judging by the priorities announced in this speech, it was supposed to preserve the main features of the economic model that had developed in the USSR before the war, since, in the opinion of the Soviet leadership, it had proved its effectiveness. Thus, the mobilization character of the Soviet economy was preserved.
The main task of the economy was to restore the country destroyed by the war. Restoration proceeded by the usual Stalinist administrative-command methods: daily, seven days a week, work, overtime work; overvoltage of the administrative apparatus; extensive use of forced labor. If before the war millions of ordinary citizens convicted on insignificant, often far-fetched reasons were used as "slaves of socialism", then after the war they were replaced by prisoners of war (1.5 million Germans and 0.5 million Japanese), prisoners of the Gulag, "displaced persons ”, which numbered more than 5 million people (Soviet prisoners driven to work in Germany, etc.).
The recovery period in the history of the Soviet national economy began in full in 1946. During the 4th five-year plan (1946-1950), 6.2 thousand large industrial enterprises were restored and built again. Labor productivity increased by 25%. The pre-war level of industrial production was already reached in 1948, and in 1950 it was surpassed by 73%. To a certain extent, the use of captured machinery and equipment received from Germany in accordance with reparations also contributed to the rapid recovery of enterprises. New enterprises arose in the Urals, Siberia, in the republics of Transcaucasia and Central Asia (Ust-Kamenogorsk lead-zinc plant, Kutaisi automobile plant). Entered into operation "Zaporizhstal".
The metallurgical and fuel and energy base of the country was restored most rapidly. In a short time, the largest power plant in Europe, Dneproges, was restored. The foundations of nuclear power engineering and the radio-electronic industry were laid. The construction of a whole cascade of the Volga hydroelectric power stations began. The first gas pipelines were built (Saratov - Moscow, etc.).
The monetary reform, which was carried out from December 16 to 22, 1947, stabilized monetary circulation. Old-style money was exchanged for new ones in the ratio of 1 new ruble for ten old ones. This made it possible to reduce the amount of money from 63.4 to 43.6 billion rubles. The total public debt decreased from 158.8 to 58.8 billion rubles.
Less significant were the successes in the recovery period in agriculture. The situation in it was greatly aggravated by the drought of 1946/1947, which affected Ukraine, Moldova, the right-bank regions of the Lower Volga region, the North Caucasus, and the central black earth regions. In 1947 - 1948. in the RSFSR alone, about 1 million people died from starvation and related diseases. The results of the recovery period were: cancellation of the card system, commissioning of 100 million sq. m. meters of living space, expanding the network of universities, the successful development of many fundamental issues of science and technology.
In the post-war period, the mobilization system was preserved, which provided a short-term opportunity for accelerated economic development in the first post-war years. In the early 50s. its possibilities were practically exhausted. The country was on the verge of significant economic shocks, as evidenced by the sharp deterioration in 1951-1953. all economic indicators that created serious tension in society. Period 1945-1953 should be considered the logical conclusion of the economic and political line pursued after the NEP.
The transition to peaceful living conditions required the transformation of the existing state apparatus. In September 1945, the GKO was abolished, the functions of which were transferred to the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. A number of departments of the executive committees of local Soviets were also liquidated. In March 1946, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR was renamed into the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the Council of People's Commissars of the Union and Autonomous Republics - into the Councils of Ministers of the corresponding levels, and the People's Commissariats - into the ministries of the republics. In 1947, elections were held to the Supreme Soviets of the Union and Autonomous Republics, in late 1947 - early 1948 - regular elections to local Soviets. In March 1950, in connection with the expiration of the term of office of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the second convocation, regular elections to the supreme body of power were held. In February 1947, permanent commissions for legislative proposals of the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities of the USSR Armed Forces were created. These commissions were entrusted with the task of preliminary consideration and preparation of bills for sessions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
In the late 1940s - early 1950s. two trends emerged in the USSR: on the one hand, an attempt to actually remove the party from direct administrative functions, an aggravation of the internal struggle in the leadership, and the slow emergence of a civil (non-Bolshevik) society; on the other hand, the second (after 1937-1938) wave of mass political repressions. The Stalinist leadership could not accept the possibility of dissent, especially among the circles of the intelligentsia.
Lecture 7. Topic 7. The USSR in 1953 - 1991
In the socio-political life of the USSR in 1945-47. very noticeable influence democratic momentum of war(some tendency to weaken the Soviet totalitarian system). The main reason for the democratic impulse was the relatively close acquaintance of Soviet people with the Western way of life (during the liberation of Europe, in the process of communicating with the allies). An important role was played by the horrors of war endured by our people, which led to a revision of the system of values.
The response to the democratic impulse was twofold:
- 1. Minimal steps were taken towards the "democratization" of society. In September 1945, the state of emergency was terminated and the unconstitutional authority, the GKO, was abolished. The congresses of public and political organizations of the USSR resumed. In 1946 the Council of People's Commissars was transformed into the Council of Ministers, and the people's commissariats into ministries. In 1947, a monetary reform was carried out and the card system was abolished.
- 2. There was a significant tightening of the totalitarian regime. A new wave of repressions began. The main blow, this time, was inflicted on repatriates - prisoners of war and forcibly displaced persons returning to their homeland. Cultural figures also suffered, who felt the influence of new trends more sharply than others (see the section "Cultural Life of the USSR in 1945-1953"), and the party-economic elite - "Leningrad Case" (1948), in which over 200 people were shot , the chairman of the State Planning Committee N.A. was shot. Voznesensky. The last act of repression was the "case of doctors" (January 1953), accused of attempting to poison the top leadership of the country.
A characteristic feature of the first post-war years was the deportation of entire peoples of the USSR, which began in 1943 on charges of collaborating with the Nazis (Chechens, Ingush and Crimean Tatars). All these repressive measures allow historians to call 1945-1953 years. " apogee of Stalinism". The main economic tasks of the post-war period were the demilitarization and restoration of the destroyed economy.
The sources of resources for recovery were:
- 1. High mobilization abilities of the directive economy (due to new construction, additional sources of raw materials, fuel, etc.).
- 2. Reparations from Germany and its allies.
- 3. Free labor of Gulag prisoners and prisoners of war.
- 4. Redistribution of funds from light industry and the social sphere in favor of industrial sectors.
- 5. Transfer of funds from the agricultural sector of the economy to the industrial sector.
In March 1946, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a plan for reconstruction, which outlined the main directions and indicators. The demilitarization of the economy was basically over by 1947, accompanied simultaneously by the modernization of the military-industrial complex, which played an increasingly prominent role in the conditions of the beginning of the Cold War. Another priority sector was heavy industry, mainly engineering, metallurgy, and the fuel and energy complex. In general, during the years of the 4th five-year plan (1946-1950), industrial production in the country increased and in 1950 surpassed pre-war figures - the restoration of the country was generally completed.
Agriculture emerged from the war very weakened. However, despite the drought in 1946, the state began to reduce household plots and put into effect a number of decrees punishing infringement on state or collective farm property. Taxes were raised significantly. All this led to the fact that agriculture, which, in the early 50s. with difficulty reached the pre-war level of production, entered a period of stagnation (stagnation).
Thus, the post-war development of the economy continued along the path of industrialization. Alternative options, which provided for the predominant development of light industry and agriculture (the project of G.M. Malenkov, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR), were rejected due to the difficult international situation.
In the socio-political life of the USSR in 1945-47. very noticeable influence democratic momentum of war(some tendency to weaken the Soviet totalitarian system). The main reason for the democratic impulse was the relatively close acquaintance of Soviet people with the Western way of life (during the liberation of Europe, in the process of communicating with the allies). An important role was played by the horrors of war endured by our people, which led to a revision of the system of values.
The response to the democratic impulse was twofold:
Minimal steps were taken towards the "democratization" of society. In September 1945, the state of emergency was terminated and the unconstitutional authority, the GKO, was abolished. The congresses of public and political organizations of the USSR resumed. In 1946, the Council of People's Commissars was transformed into the Council of Ministers, and the people's commissariats into ministries. In 1947, a monetary reform was carried out and the card system was abolished.
There was a significant tightening of the totalitarian regime. A new wave of repressions began. The main blow, this time, was inflicted on repatriates - prisoners of war and forcibly displaced persons returning to their homeland. Cultural figures also suffered, who felt the influence of new trends more sharply than others (see the section "Cultural Life of the USSR in 1945-1953"), and the party-economic elite - "Leningrad Case" (1948), in which over 200 people were shot , the chairman of the State Planning Committee N.A. was shot. Voznesensky. The last act of repression was the "case of doctors" (January 1953), accused of attempting to poison the top leadership of the country.
A characteristic feature of the first post-war years was the deportation of entire peoples of the USSR, which began in 1943 on charges of collaborating with the Nazis (Chechens, Ingush and Crimean Tatars). All these repressive measures allow historians to call 1945-1953 years. " apogee of Stalinism". The main economic tasks of the post-war period were the demilitarization and restoration of the destroyed economy.
The sources of resources for recovery were:
High mobilization abilities of the directive economy (due to new construction, additional sources of raw materials, fuel, etc.).
Reparations from Germany and its allies.
Free labor of Gulag prisoners and prisoners of war.
Redistribution of funds from light industry and the social sphere in favor of industrial sectors.
Transfer of funds from the agricultural sector of the economy to the industrial sector.
In March 1946, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a plan for reconstruction, which outlined the main directions and indicators. The demilitarization of the economy was basically over by 1947, accompanied simultaneously by the modernization of the military-industrial complex, which played an increasingly prominent role in the conditions of the beginning of the Cold War. Another priority sector was heavy industry, mainly engineering, metallurgy, and the fuel and energy complex. In general, during the years of the 4th five-year plan (1946-1950), industrial production in the country increased and in 1950 surpassed pre-war figures - the restoration of the country was generally completed.
Agriculture emerged from the war very weakened. However, despite the drought in 1946, the state began to reduce household plots and put into effect a number of decrees punishing infringement on state or collective farm property. Taxes were raised significantly. All this led to the fact that agriculture, which, in the early 50s. with difficulty reached the pre-war level of production, entered a period of stagnation (stagnation).
Thus, the post-war development of the economy continued along the path of industrialization. Alternative options, which provided for the predominant development of light industry and agriculture (the project of G.M. Malenkov, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR), were rejected due to the difficult international situation.
