** Soviet Union World War II recovery








Soviet Recovery from World War II


Figure 1.--Here we see women with babes in arms making repairs in their kolkhoz after World War II. A kolkhoz was one of the two main kinds of collective farms. The Germans as they retreated attempted to destroy everything of economic value, including buildings and equipment. Agriculture was a long-term Soviet problem. But as the fighting in the East was largely fought in the most important agricultural lands. Getting the collective farms back up and running was a real problem.

It is difficult for Western Europeans to fully appreciate the catasteophic expeiemced by the people of Eastern Europe. espcially the Soviets, Poland, and Yugoslavia. Here the Soviet Union was different becuse the war was largly conducted in the extreme west of the country invluding areas that the Soviets had annexed during the War (the Baltics, Poland, and Romania). The War as a result was largely fought outside of the Russian heartland. The Wehrmacht had pnetrated in to the Russian hearland in the final phase of Barbarossa (October-Novmber 1941), but much of this was recovered in the Red Army Winter Offensive before Moscow (December 1941). The Soviets also managed to move a substntial part of their industry east beyond the Urals which was not captured and destroyd by the invasding Germans. Even so the damge to the Soviet Union and the loss of life was noyhing short of horific. Some one in eight of Soviet citizens prished in the conflict. Something like one third of the econmy was destroyed, but this was in the far west and includes the non-Russian areas the Soviet Union annexed during and after the War. The country was awash with displaced people and families that were torn apart. A harvest failure and the damage done by he Germans in the Ukraine resulted in a regional famine, but the famine of 1946 killed a fraction of the numbers that died of hunger during the famine resultibg from the Civil War (1919-23) or the fanine Stalin inflicted on the Ukraine (1931-32). As the Soviets received American food aid throigh UNRRA. Soviet sources claim to have restored income levels to pre-War levels as early as 1948. We are not sure that this was the case. And the Soviets reported very high levels of economic expansion during the 1950s and 60s. Soviet economists began to claim that they would overtake the West. Agriculture continued to be weakpoint in the Soviet economy. Stalin refused to participate in the American Marshall Plan and would not allow the Soviet puppet government to participare as well. Instead they wererequired to partivcipate in the Molotov Plan. The Soviets had some advantages, virtually inexaustable reservs of raw materials and the ability to extract reparation from their occupation sector in Germany. And while the economy grew, Soviet workers lagged far behind workers in the West. Problems included massive military spending, the inherent inefficencies of Communism and central planning,

Devestation

It is difficult for Western Europeans to fully appreciate the catasteophic expeiemced by the people of Eastern Europe. especially the Soviets, Poland, and Yugoslavia. Here the Soviet Union was different becuse the war was largly conducted in the extreme west of the country invluding areas that the Soviets had annexed during the War (the Baltics, Poland, and Romania). The War as a result was largely fought outside of the Russian heartland. The Wehrmacht had pnetrated in to the Russian hearland in the final phase of Barbarossa (October-Novmber 1941), but much of this was recovered in the Red Army Winter Offensive before Moscow (December 1941). The Soviets also managed to move a substntial part of their industry east beyond the Urals which was not captured and destroyd by the invasding Germans. Even so the damge to the Soviet Union and the loss of life was noyhing short of horific. Some one in eight of Soviet citizens prished in the conflict. Something like one third of the econmy was destroyed, but this was in the far west and includes the non-Russian areas the Soviet Union annexed during and after the War.

War Damage

Substantial areas of the Soviet Union, especially the western Soviet Union was devestated by the War. Much of the destruction was in the non-Russian areas of the wesern Soviet Union. This included the areas annexed in 1939-40 (the Baltics, Poland, and ??? as well as Bylorussia and the Ukraine. There were three major reasons for the destruction: war damage and then the Soviet Scoarched earth policy as the Red Army was driven back early in the War (1941-42) and the NAZI scoarched earth policy (1943-45) as the Wehrmcht retreated back to Germany. The result was not only emense loss of like but a virtually unfathomable destruction of homes, farms, factories, and public buildings. The occupied areas of the Soviet Union were devestated to a greater extent than even Germany.

Returning Home

Soviet soldiers returning home had a very different experience than the American soldiers after the War. The Soviets held a massive victory celebration in Red Square (May 9, 1945). Marshal Zukov rode a white horse. Reportedly Stalin wanted to ride the horse, but was afraid of being thrown off. Slowly trainloads of Soviet soldiers brought the men home. The men returned to desolated towns and villages. In many cases their families were there to geet them. All to frequently they returned to desolasted homes and there was no indication of what had happened to their families. Most of the Soviet POWs held by the NAZIs died in attrotious conditions. The German collapse, however, did not meam liberation. Stalin considered POWs as traigors for surrendering to the Germans. Thus they were committed to the Gulag. The same fate awaited many of the slave laborors that the Germans had deported to the Reich to wrk in war industries.

Displaced People

The country was awash with displaced people and families that were torn apart.

Famine (1946)

A harvest failure and the damage done by he Germans in the Ukraine resulted in a regional famine, but the famine of 1946 killed a fraction of the numbers that died of hunger during the famine resultibg from the Civil War (1919-23) or the fanine Stalin inflicted on the Ukraine (1931-32). As the Soviets received American food aid through UNRRA.


Figure 2.--Here we see Soviet boys in 1950. The look to be in a rural area which presumably means a collective farm. The boys seem far more prosperous than what we saw before the War. I am not sure if the bike belonged to a family or the collective farm.

Income Levels

Soviet sources claim to have restored income levels to pre-War levels as early as 1948. We are not sure that this was the case.

Economic Expansion

And the Soviets reported very high levels of economic expansion during the 1950s and 60s. Soviet economists began to claim that they would overtake the West.

Agriculture

Agriculture continued to be weakpoint in the Soviet economy.

Marshall/Moloyov Plans

Stalin refused to participate in the American Marshall Plan and would not allow the Soviet puppet government to participare as well. Instead they were required to partivcipate in the Molotov Plan.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The Soviets had some advantages, virtually inexaustable reservs of raw materials and the ability to extract reparation from their occupation sector in Germany. And while the economy grew, Soviet workers lagged far behind workers in the West. Problems included massive military spending, the inherent inefficencies of Communism and central planning,







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Created: 7:14 AM 3/19/2018
Last updated: 7:14 AM 3/19/2018