War destroyed Part economic potential, which was about one one third of the country's national wealth . A huge number of factories and plants, mines, railways and others industrial facilities.

Restoration work began during the Great Patriotic War, immediately after the liberation of part of the occupied territories.

In August 1943 A special resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR "On urgent measures to restore the economy in areas liberated from German occupation" was adopted. By the end of the war, as a result of the titanic efforts of our workers, it was possible to recreate part of industrial production.

However the main recovery processes took place after the victorious conclusion of the war, during the fourth five-year plan (1946-1950).

It was believed that the Soviet economic model withstood a harsh and difficult test in the war hard times and therefore not only justified itself, but was also very promising.

As in the years of the first five-year plans, the emphasis in the development of industry was placed on the production of means of production (group "A"), i.e. for heavy industry, and specific gravity The production of this sphere in the total volume of industry was higher than before the war:

- in 1940 it was 61.2%,

- in 1945 - 74.9%,

- in 1946 - 65.9%,

- in 1950 - 70%.

Restoration and development of the national economy:

Fourth five-year plan (1946-1950) - restoration and development of the economy of the USSR

- restoration and construction of 6.200 industrial enterprises.

The largest industrial facilities:

restored: built:

1) Dneproges; Kolomna plant of heavy transport engineering;

2) Zaporizhstal; Kaluga Turbine Plant;

3) Donetsk coal gas pipeline Saratov - Moscow

Achievement of the pre-war level of industrial production ( 1948 ).

Emphasis on the growth of indicators for the production of metal, fuel and industrial raw materials to the detriment of the production of consumer goods.

Monetary reform and the abolition of the card system for basic consumer goods ( December 1947).

Serious backlog Agriculture. The pre-war level of agricultural production was reached only in the early 1950s.

The industry was reorganized in a peaceful way, the output of civilian products increased. The level of pre-war industrial production was reached, according to official data, by 1948. In total, 6,200 large enterprises were restored and built again, including such giants as Dneproges and Zaporizhstal, the Ust-Kamenogorsk lead-zinc plant, the Kolomna heavy transport engineering plant, the Saratov-Moscow gas pipeline, etc.

Agriculture in the fourth five-year plan did not have time to reach the pre-war level. This was achieved only in the next five years.

At the same time, the country faced enormous difficulties and problems. In 1946, a famine broke out in a number of regions, which was the result of:

- droughts

- the traditional policy of the state in relation to agriculture

farms.

Since the period of collectivization, the village has been used by him as a segment from which resources and funds were taken for:

Industrial Development;

Ensuring foreign policy tasks ( in particular, in 1946-1947. The Soviet Union exported 2.5 million tons of grain to Europe at preferential prices).

The famine, as usual, was not recognized at the official level, and the authorities only stepped up administrative and repressive measures. In the summer and autumn of 1946, two party-state resolutions were adopted:

- "On measures to ensure the safety of bread, preventing its squandering, theft and spoilage" and

- "On ensuring the safety of state bread."

They proclaimed accounting and control, and not grain production, as the main means of resolving the food problem. These decisions resulted in mass repressions against collective farm chairmen and other agricultural leaders.

The war and its aftermath - the rationing system for supplying the population - upset financial system countries. The critical situation in the consumer market, the expansion of natural exchange, inflationary processes jeopardized the program for the restoration of the national economy, so question of monetary reform.

As the then People's Commissar of Finance A. G. Zverev recalled, it was prepared carefully and top secret. It was also proposed to combine it with the abolition of the card system, which was supposed to demonstrate the overall success of the Soviet economy not only for the population of the country, but also in the international arena.

I. V. Stalin believed that this action must be carried out before it happens in other European countries, also forced during the war to resort to a rationed supply of the population (England, France, Italy, Austria). In the end, it did. On December 16, 1947, the following began in the USSR:

- implementation of monetary reform,

- canceled cards for food and industrial goods.

Money was put into circulation, which was exchanged within a week (until December 22, 1947) for the available old cash at a ratio of 1:10 (i.e. 10 old rubles were equated to one new ruble).

Deposits and current accounts in savings banks were revalued as follows: 1:1 (up to 3 thousand rubles); 2:3 (from 3 thousand to 10 thousand rubles) and 1:2 (over 10 thousand rubles).

Everywhere:

Reduced prices for bread, flour, pasta, cereals, beer;

Prices for meat, fish, sugar, salt, vodka, milk, eggs, vegetables, fabrics, footwear, knitwear have not been changed.

Overstocked Moscow counters were shown in documentary newsreels in all corners of the country, so that every worker would think about how the well-being of the people is steadily growing. But it is quite obvious that the reform pursued confiscation purposes and "ate" part of the savings of the Soviet people.

The life of the people in the first post-war period was not easy in terms of material and everyday life, although it was attractive in terms of emotional and psychological intensity:

The war ended victoriously

Peaceful construction began

There is hope for a better future.

Medium wage in the country:

In 1947 it was 5 thousand rubles a month,

In 1950 - 700 rubles (after the monetary reform). This corresponded approximately to the level of 1928 and 1940.

Basic retail prices of food products (in rubles) in 1950 .:

1 kg of premium bread cost 6-7;

1 kg of sugar - 13-16;

1 kg of butter - 62-66;

1 kg of meat - 28-32;

A dozen eggs - 10-11.

Industrial goods cost much more. For example, the cost of men's shoes was 260-290 rubles, and a suit - 1500 rubles.

Since 1949, a constant decline in prices began, but the purchasing power of the population was extremely low, which created the illusion of abundance and better life.

Financial situation population was aggravated by forced state loans from the people through subscription and purchase of various bonds. But nevertheless, all this, due to the peculiarities of human memory, is a pleasant memory of the older generation.

The war unleashed by fascist Germany caused Soviet Union great damage. More than 25 million Soviet citizens died at the fronts, behind enemy lines, in concentration camps. Many hundreds of thousands of people were mutilated and could not return to a full-blooded human life. The country lost the best production personnel, the technical support of production was suspended, and the commodity-money turnover was sharply reduced.

On September 13, 1945, the Pravda newspaper published a report by the Extraordinary State Commission for the Establishment and Investigation of the Atrocities of the Nazi Invaders. The occupiers plundered, destroyed and burned 1,700 cities, more than 70 thousand villages and villages on the territory of the USSR, and made 25 million people homeless. About 32,000 industrial enterprises, 65,000 km of railway track, 13,000 railway bridges, 16,000 steam locomotives, over 400,000 wagons were put out of action. The Nazis plundered and ruined 98 thousand collective farms, about 2 thousand state farms, 3 thousand machine and tractor stations, stole 17 million cattle, 47 million sheep, goats, pigs. During the war years, agriculture in the USSR lost 7 million horses, 137,000 tractors, and much more. The list of Hitler's atrocities occupied several newspaper pages.

The direct damage caused by the invaders amounted to 679 billion rubles, which is approximately equal to the total capital investments of the USSR for the first four five-year plans. If we take into account the expenses of our country on the restructuring of industry on a war footing, waging war and the loss of income from the areas captured by the Nazis, then the damage amounted to 2 trillion. 596 billion rubles For comparison, all state budget revenues in 1940 amounted to 180 billion rubles.

As a result of losses National economy was thrown back: for the production of cement and the processing of commercial timber to the level of 1928-1929, for the production of coal, steel, ferrous metals to the level of 1934-1938, i.e. not less than 10 years.

During the war years, a significant part of the equipment was badly worn out, and much was already unusable. The curtailment of military production affected primarily heavy industry enterprises, where the volume of output in 1946 was 27% less than in 1945. In the light and food industries, the transition to civilian production occurred much earlier. As early as 1946, the output of consumer goods increased by 13% compared with the previous year. However, as before, priority remained with heavy industry, which was fueled by income from the sale of consumer goods.

The problem of personnel was also exceptionally acute. Thus, compared with the pre-war period, the total number of workers and employees in the national economy decreased by more than 5 million people (from 33.9 million in 1940 to 28.6 million in 1945), including . in industry - by 14%, in transport - by 9%, in agriculture - by 15%. The bulk of the labor force was made up of women, the elderly and teenagers. The composition of those employed in production also deteriorated sharply. Thus, the number of engineers in industry in 1945 was 126 thousand less than in 1940.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the Soviet people were in dire need of literally everything. The cities maintained a rationing system for the distribution of food and many consumer goods. On a regular card, about 2 kg of meat and fish, 400 g of fat, 1.5 kg of cereals and pasta were issued monthly.

At the same time, a significant part of the funds went to the defense of the USSR and international assistance to the countries of people's democracy.

Country Recovery Program

The restoration of the national economy and its partial restructuring in a peaceful way began in the summer of 1943 - the moment of the mass expulsion of the Nazis from the occupied territories of the country.

The main provisions of the program for the restoration and further development of the national economy were outlined in Stalin's speech to the voters of the first post-war elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 9, 1946.

Five-year plan for the restoration and development of the economy of the USSR for 1946-1950. provided for the accelerated development of the Soviet economy, the rise in the living standards of the people, and the strengthening of the country's defense might. Industry was supposed to reach the pre-war level already in 1948, and by the end of the five-year plan to exceed it by 48%. Two times more funds were allocated for capital construction than for all the pre-war five-year plans combined. The total investment amounted to 250.3 billion rubles. 157.7 billion rubles were allocated for industry, and 19.9 billion rubles for agriculture. The plan also provided for an increase in the production of consumer goods, the replacement of the rationing system with an expanded state trade. It was envisaged to reduce prices for all goods, increase wages, large housing and cultural construction, expand the healthcare system, public education, etc. Although the already meager funds were devoured by the military-nuclear moloch. In accordance with the five-year plan for the restoration and development of the national economy of the USSR, similar plans were adopted in all 16 union and 20 autonomous republics.

The Soviet people steadfastly bore the burden of the post-war devastation. The idealized pre-war life, and most importantly, the victory over fascism, nourished the people's confidence in a wonderful future, their readiness to endure all difficulties and hardships, and the desire to work hard.

Already in 1945, about 5 million people returned to the USSR, forcibly taken to work in Germany, 2.5 million Soviet prisoners of war, most of whom ended up in the Gulag camps. Until 1948, the Soviet Army was reduced by almost 8.5 million people.

The victory over fascism caused a great political and labor upsurge of the entire Soviet people. Forms of labor activity were different. The enthusiasm of the working people was actively supported by the party and trade union bodies, the Komsomol and the administration. However, most of the organizational measures were not limited to the analysis economic phenomena but to the demands of the political situation. Without discussing the fundamental issues of reality, a simple, traditional and still trouble-free technique was used - “push or attribute”.

At the end of the 40s, the struggle between two lines of development continues. economic mechanism: one - aimed at strict centralization, comprehensive control, command methods, and the other - at expanding the economic independence of production, introducing self-financing, the material interest of workers.

People began to appear in the leadership of the country and in the localities who, in the practice of state and economic management, were convinced that emergency management measures suppress economic independence, the initiative of the workers, which leads to social apathy, economic stagnation, increased command and bureaucratic actions and political repression. Already at the end of the 1940s, society did not accept command methods of managing and organizing the war period, as well as production dictates, neglect of the social and spiritual needs of a person. The war ended, but the difficulties and disorder of life remained.

Although the public consciousness was ready to accept the new "enemies of the people", it increasingly felt the need for reforms. However, the trend of reform significantly diverged from the interests of the administrative system. The logic of reform would eventually lead to the realization of the need not for private, but for fundamental changes in public life, which in practice would show the perniciousness of the administrative-command apparatus and the socio-political system. Realizing the danger of the collapse of the established system of government, the party-bureaucratic apparatus strengthened the tried and tested methods of work - promises, lies, diktat.

The transition of industry to a peaceful course

In the field of industrial production in the postwar years, a number of complex tasks were simultaneously solved: the transition from military production to the production of civilian products; restoration of destroyed enterprises; expansion of production and product range; construction of new enterprises; technical re-equipment and development of advanced technologies. During the years of the Fourth Five-Year Plan, it was necessary not only to restore the pre-war level of industrial production, but also to surpass it by almost half.

The successful fulfillment of the tasks set was due to: a unified state plan covering all sectors of the national economy, which made it possible to centrally distribute the country's budget; the industry of the eastern regions of the USSR, which, after reconversion, became a powerful base for the speedy restoration of the western and central regions affected by the war; additional funds received from government loans, high prices for food and consumer goods, low wages.

In the course of the restoration and further development of the national economy, with the technical re-equipment of production, the growth of the cultural and technical level of the working class, the improvement production processes close and constant cooperation between engineers and scientists was a vital necessity. Without such an alliance, it became impossible to solve complex economic problems and further technical progress.

In March-April 1947, a competition began between engineering and technical workers of industry for increasing labor productivity and reducing the labor intensity of products based on the improvement of technologies and the introduction of advanced work methods. The initiator of the competition, the Ural technologist of the third mechanical workshop of the Kirov Tractor Plant A. Ivanov, by updating the production technology, improving the skills of workers and using the experience of innovators, achieved an outstanding result in his area: the productivity of machine operators increased by 2 times, 30% of workers were released, 11 metal-cutting machines , the cost of manufacturing parts has sharply decreased. On May 17, 1947, Pravda wrote: “If each technologist in his area acts as creatively as A. Ivanov, then industry will achieve a significant increase in labor productivity, better use of machines and available equipment, and an increase in output ... It is necessary to support in every possible way this new manifestation of creative activity and Soviet patriotism of engineering and technical workers. On May 30, 1947, the Presidium of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions adopted a resolution on the organization of the All-Union Competition for Technologists. Thus, it was no longer single specialists, but entire groups of engineers who took on obligations aimed at improving technology, introducing mechanization and reducing the labor intensity of production operations, further increasing labor productivity, and ensuring savings in raw materials and materials.

During 1946, industrial production was restructured for the production of civilian products, and in 1948 the pre-war level of production was already surpassed by 18%, including in heavy industry by 30%.

During the recovery period, special attention was paid to ferrous metallurgy enterprises and coal mines in Donbass. In honor of their restoration, special award medals were established. However, the pre-war level of coal production in the Donbass was reached only in 1950, and the metallurgical industry of the Ukrainian SSR, which before the war provided 75% of the country's total metal, was restored only in 1951.

Along with the restoration of the old ones, the construction of new industrial facilities was going on. Power stations were built: Farkhadskaya (Uzbek SSR), Sevan (Armenian SSR), Kramskaya and Sukhumskaya (Georgian SSR), Rybinskaya (on the Volga), Shchekinskaya (Moscow region), etc. Metallurgical complexes were laid in Rustavi (Transcaucasia), Bogovat (Uzbekistan ), Ust-Kamenogorsk lead-zinc plant, pipe-rolling plants in Sumgayit (Azerbaijan) and Nikopol (Ukrainian SSR), etc.

Between the Volga and the Urals, a new oil field was intensively developed. The so-called Second Baku already in 1950 provided 44% of all oil production in the country, although another 80% of the country's fuel was allocated to coal.

In total, over the years of the five-year plan, 6200 large enterprises. However, the five-year target for the commissioning of new production capacity in ferrous metallurgy, the coal industry and the construction of power plants were not fulfilled.

On the whole, however, the tasks were exceeded for the production of metals, coal and oil production, electricity generation, etc. However, a number of industries, and especially the production of consumer goods, did not reach the pre-war level.

The state of agriculture after the Great Patriotic War

One of the most important tasks of the Fourth Five-Year Plan was to restore agriculture and ensure the further development of agricultural production in general. Without a general upsurge in agriculture, it was impossible to improve the material situation of the working people, to abolish the rationing system for the distribution of foodstuffs and consumer goods, and to provide industry with raw materials.

Meanwhile, the damage inflicted by the Nazi occupiers only on collective farms amounted to 181 billion rubles. In terms of sown area, the country was at the level of 1913. Gross agricultural output in 1945 was 60% of the level of 1940. During the war years, the machine and tractor fleet was reduced by an average of one third, the number of horses was halved. There were farms where they plowed on their own traction, and sowed by hand from a basket. The loss of life was especially noticeable. The difficulties of the recovery period were exacerbated by the severe drought of 1946. In addition, spending on agriculture during the years of the Fourth Five-Year Plan was almost 4 times less than on industry.

In the most difficult conditions, in a short time, collective farms and state farms, MTS were mainly restored. Industrial enterprises and townspeople provided great assistance to the collective farms. In 1946, 3/4 of the sown areas of the occupied regions were put into working condition.

Gross agricultural output by the end of the five-year plan was to exceed the level of 1940 by 27%. The Plenum of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (February 1947) adopted a resolution “On measures to improve agriculture in the post-war period”, which emphasized the technical equipment of agriculture with tractors, cars, and various agricultural machines. And yet, there was not enough equipment on the collective farms, besides, it was ineffective, its downtime was great, and there were not enough spare parts. The situation with mechanization in animal husbandry was unsatisfactory.

During the Fourth Five-Year Plan, the capacity of rural power stations tripled. In 1950, 76% of state farms and 15% of collective farms were electrified against 4% in 1940.

Serious attention was paid to the promotion and implementation of scientific achievements and best practices in agriculture. Three-year agro-zootechnical training courses for collective farmers on the job were of great importance.

At the same time, in the process of restoring agriculture in the localities, and often in the center, serious mistakes were made. A grass-field system of field cultivation was routinely planted, which led to a reduction in the sowing of cereals and legumes, and hindered the production of the grain needed by the country. Excessively centralized planning, multi-stage and incompetent bureaucratic leadership fettered the economic initiative of the peasants, led to irrational distribution of agricultural crops, violated the timing of sowing, harvesting, etc.

The development of agricultural production was significantly hampered by low procurement prices for grain, potatoes, meat and other products, as well as raw materials that the state received from collective farms in the order of obligatory deliveries. Procurement prices not only did not cover the cost of their production, but did not even justify the transportation costs for the delivery of harvested products. The pay for a collective farmer's workday was extremely low and did not stimulate his interest in work.

At the same time, high taxes were levied on collective farmers (tax on personal plots, personal livestock, beehives, fruit trees, etc.).

The standard of living of the population after the Great Patriotic War

The main indicator of the standard of living of the Soviet people was the growth of the national income, the physical volume of which in 1950 tons exceeded the pre-war level by 1.62 times. This made it possible for the Soviet government to abolish in December 1947 the rationing system for the distribution of foodstuffs and consumer goods. At the same time, a monetary reform was carried out in the ratio of ten to one, i.e. one old-style chervonets was exchanged for one ruble of new money. Cash deposits in savings banks and the State Bank were revalued by preferential terms. The monetary reform did not affect the wages of workers and employees, the labor incomes of the peasants, which remained the same. Thus, excess (issue) and counterfeit money, and a significant part of the population's money savings, were seized.

The standard of living of the population was characterized by wages and retail prices for foodstuffs and industrial household goods. After the war, before the abolition of the rationing distribution system, retail prices increased by an average of 3 times compared to 1940: for foodstuffs by 3.6 times, for manufactured goods by 2.2 times. The wages of workers and employees over these years have increased only 1.5 times. The average wage in the national economy in 1940 was 33 rubles; in 1945 - 43.4 rubles; in 1948 - 48 rubles; in 1950 - 64 rubles. per month, from which it was necessary to deduct the amount for a subscription to government loans. The highest salary was for scientific workers - an average of 46.7 rubles per month. in 1940 and 38-48 rubles. in 1950. Thus, the abundance of food, consumer goods and even luxury goods (gold, furs, etc.) in stores was a consequence of the low purchasing power of the bulk of the population.

In 1950, per capita consumption was: meat - 26 kg, milk and dairy products - 172 kg, knitwear - 0.3 pieces. etc. Many cultural and household items - televisions, washing machines, radiograms, etc. were considered luxury items.

The improvement in the material situation of the general population was ensured by a decrease in retail prices for consumer goods of mass demand and for household services. In state trade, prices fell every year in April. If their level before the abolition of the rationing system is taken as 100%, then on March 1, 1949, their index was 71%, on April 1, 1954 - 43%, and yet prices were more than 1/3 higher than the pre-war level. People with high earnings benefited more from price reductions: trade workers, Catering, various blanks, material supply, as well as employees of the apparatus of government.

It was very hard for the peasants, who were actually forcibly attached to the land. In the early 1950s, the collective farmer received 16.4 rubles for his hard work. per month, i.e. 4 times less than the worker. Wheat was bought from collective farms for 1 kopeck. per kilogram at a retail price of flour 31 kopecks. and so on.

In a letter to G. Malenkov, secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, G. Malenkov, a student of the Smolensk Military-Political School, N. Menshikov wrote: “As a communist, it pains me to hear such a question from collective farmers: “Do you know if the collective farms will soon be dissolved? ... there is no strength to live like this further"".

A difficult situation after the war was with the housing stock, the restoration and construction of which was carried out simultaneously and in conjunction with industrial construction. If in 1940 the average per capita of the urban population was 6.7 sq. m. m, then in 1950 - 7 square meters. m, and yet many lived in basements, and the bulk of the population - in communal apartments.

Thus, the standard of living of the population was still far from normal and largely depended on investments in heavy industry, defense, and international assistance.

Change in the territories included in the USSR

A feature of the restoration and development of the national economy was the transformation in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus, Right-bank Moldavia, which joined the USSR in 1939-1940, as well as in the Tuva Autonomous Region, Transcarpathian, Kaliningrad and Sakhalin regions, included in composition of the USSR in 1944-1945.

Socialist transformations begin from the moment the German fascist troops are expelled from these territories. By decision of the Soviet and Party bodies, concrete measures are taken to eliminate all organs and institutions of nationalist power and to create Party, Soviet state and local institutions. The main core of the party and state events were operational groups of party and Soviet activists, representatives of partisans and underground fighters, as well as local residents demobilized from the Soviet Army.

A fierce struggle with the organs of Soviet power was waged by nationalists - capitalist elements in the city, the kulaks in the countryside, the clergy, who had well-armed conspiratorial detachments.

To approve the new government, it was necessary to carry out socialist transformations throughout the entire economic complex. Along with the process of nationalization, the restoration of industrial enterprises and the expansion of the material and technical base of the republics went on. As a result, industrial output in 1950 in Estonia exceeded the pre-war level by 3.4 times, in Latvia by 3 times, and so on. Industrial production was significantly expanded, its new branches were mastered, enterprises were equipped with first-class machines and the latest technological equipment.

In an atmosphere of acute struggle, changes also took place in agriculture, where the sad experience of the collectivization of the countryside, the struggle against landlords and kulaks was also used. The violent methods of transforming agriculture led to the expropriation and liquidation of the kulaks, who constituted the bulk of the Baltic farm population, as well as to the expulsion of all those who resisted from their native places.

Particularly striking changes have taken place in the Tuvan village. Semi-patriarchal and feudal relations dominated here, and a significant part of the Arat population led a nomadic lifestyle. Thanks to the help of the Soviet peoples, the strong-willed party and Soviet leadership, the peasantry of the Tuva Autonomous Region, bypassing the capitalist stage of development, passed to "socialism".

Complex and difficult, and in many ways incomprehensible, was the political process, or rather, the dogmatic memorization of Marxist-Leninist theory by the population, "mastering the method of socialist realism" and "scientific communism." In the field of culture and education, there was a massive ideological filling and Russification.

Thus, the restoration and development of the USSR proceeded by traditional methods, from class positions and with the help of party-administrative pressure.

Sources and literature

The seal of secrecy has been removed. Losses of the Soviet Armed Forces in wars, hostilities and military conflicts: Stat. study. M., 1991.

Zubkova E.Yu. Society and reforms, 1945-1964. M., 1993.

Knyshevsky Loot: The Secret of German Reparations. M., 1994.

Manenkov A.I. Cultural construction in the post-war village (1946-1950). M., 1991.

Polyak G.B. Post-war restoration of the national economy. M., 1986.

Khanin T.E. Dynamics of economic development of the USSR. Novosibirsk, 1991.

The pre-war level of industrial production in Germany was restored somewhat later than in other European countries, only in 1951. And not only because of the great military destruction. The restoration of the economy was delayed by the ongoing reforms in the country to eliminate military industry, to break down the monopolies, delayed the financial exhaustion of the country and the reparations imposed on Germany.

But then the industry of Germany began to develop rapidly. The average annual growth rate of industrial production in Germany in 1950-1966. amounted to 9.2%. During the period from 1948 to 1990, the industrial production of the FRG increased 12 times, while the production of the developed capitalist countries as a whole grew 5.7 times. More than 9% of the industrial output of the developed capitalist countries is produced in the FRG.

Accelerated the economic growth defeated in the war Germany and its nomination in the 50s. on the 2nd place in the world journalists called "economic miracle". What was the reason for this "miracle"?

First, the renewal of fixed capital with increased participation of the state and low military spending. Because the pre-war level of production was restored somewhat later than in other countries, therefore, the renewal of fixed capital was also completed somewhat later, that is, on a higher technical basis, because in these few years production technology has managed to make a certain step forward.

The renewal of capital was carried out to a large extent by the state, because the corporations weakened by the "downsizing" were unable to carry out technical re-equipment. Therefore, in the first post-war years, taxes on corporate profits here reached 90-94%, and the state used these funds for a radical reconstruction of industry.

The ability to spend large amounts of money on reconstruction increased due to the fact that in the 50s. only 5-6% went to military spending state budget: Potsdam agreements forbade Germany to arm. Therefore, the funds that were used in other countries to improve weapons were invested here in experimental plants and workshops, in Scientific research. As a result, Germany was ahead of other countries in terms of the technical level of industry.

Secondly, in the post-war years, it became possible to develop those non-military branches of production that had been suppressed by the fascist state for many years. Demand for goods! these industries could be satisfied, but, unlike other countries, for this it was necessary to build new factories here. Therefore, in the 50s. capital investment in industry in the FRG reached a quarter of the national product, while in England or the USA they amounted to no more than 17%.

But these were temporary factors. While German industry developed and satiated the accumulated demand, while the reconstruction of industry was being completed, in other countries the reconstruction of enterprises was going on, the domestic market became again narrow.

As the domestic market narrowed, the export of industrial products began to increase. Occupying the third place among the developed capitalist countries in terms of industrial production, the FRG ranks second in terms of exports. It exports goods much more than Japan, and almost as much as the United States exports. In 1989, the FRG accounted for 11.4% of the total exports of the developed capitalist countries, while the US accounted for 12%. Germany exports more goods than England and France combined

Test questions on the topic 1945-2000
1. In what year was the card system for the distribution of goods canceled?

1) 1945 2) 1947 3) 1950 4) 1953

2. In what year was the pre-war level of industrial production restored?

1) 1945 2) 1947 3) 1948 4) 1950

3. What is "deportation"?

1) Deportation of peoples to remote regions of Siberia and Central Asia

2) Justification of unreasonably repressed citizens

3) Transfer state property private owners

4) Transfer private property in the hands of the state

4. What case was the largest manifestation of repression in the post-war years?

1) "The Case of Doctors" 2) "The Case of Cosmopolitans"

3) Sending former prisoners to camps 4) "Leningrad case"

5. What were the members of the Anti-Fascist Jewish Committee accused of?

1) Cooperation with the Germans 2) Spying for the US

3) Struggle to create Israel 4) Terror against communists

6. What business was started in September 1952?

1) Kirov murder case 2) Leningrad case

3) The Case of the Cosmopolitans 4) The Case of the Killer Doctors

7. When did I.V. Stalin die?

8. What was the name of the system of camps for political prisoners in the late 40s and early 50s?

1) Gulag 2) NKVD 3) ALZHIR 4) KGB

9. Who was the main contender for power after the death of I.V. Stalin?

1) N.S. Khrushchev 2) G.M. Malenkov 3) L.P. Beria 4) G.K. Zhukov

10. Who was at the head of the USSR in the period from 1957 to 1964?

1) G.M. Malenkov 2) N.S. Khrushchev 3) L.I. Brezhnev 4) L.P. Beria

11. As the writer I. Ehrenburg called the socio-political development of the USSR at the beginning of the reign of N.S. Khrushchev (1957 - 1960)

1) Perestroika 2) Detente 3) Thaw 4) Stagnation

12. What was the reason for the failure of Khrushchev's reforms in the field of agriculture?

1) Lack of land resources

2) Harsh natural and climatic conditions

3) Sabotage of opponents of reforms

4) Inconsistency and incompleteness of reforms

13. What happened in our country after the 20th Congress of the CPSU?

1) Abolition of censorship in the media

2) The revival of the cult of personality

3) Introduction of the policy of publicity

4) Softening the totalitarian regime

14. When and where was the first artificial Earth satellite launched?

1) 1948 in the USA 2) 1957 in the USSR 3) 1961 in the USSR 4) 1958 in USA

15. When did the first manned space flight take place?

16. Where did the workers clash with the troops in June 1962?

1) in Novocherkassk 2) in Moscow 3) in Chelyabinsk 4) in Kyiv

17. What were the names of dissidents, opponents of the Soviet totalitarian regime?

1) Traitors 2) Dissidents 3) Bureaucrats 4) Nationalists

18. Who was at the head of the USSR in the period from 1964 to 1982?

1) N.S. Khrushchev 2) L.I. Brezhnev 3) Yu.V. Andropov 4) M.S. Gorbachev

19. Who was the initiator economic reforms 1965-1979?

1) A.N. Kosygin 2) L.I. Brezhnev 3) M.S. Gorbachev 4) E.T. Gaidar

20. What was it called economic development USSR in the 70s?

1) rise 2) stagnation 3) restructuring 4) "shock therapy"

21. Who came to power in 1982?

22. What period was called "Perestroika"?

1) 1982-1985 2) 1985-1987 3) 1987-1991 4) 1985-1991

23. When were entrepreneurial activities and the use of hired labor allowed in the USSR?

1) 1977 2) 1985 3) 1988 4) 1993

24. Who was the first president of the USSR?

1) M.S. Gorbachev 2) B.N. Yeltsin 3) Yu.V. Andropov 4) P.G. Chernenko

25. Who was the first president of the Russian Federation?

1) M.S. Gorbachev 2) B.N. Yeltsin 3) V.V. Putin 4) Yu.V. Andropov

26. When did the collapse of the USSR occur?

27. What happened in August 1991?

1) the collapse of the USSR 2) an attempted military coup by the State Committee for the State of Emergency

3) confrontation between legislative and executive power

4) the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan

28. What does the term "cold war" mean?

1) military operations beyond the Arctic Circle

2) war without the use of firearms

3) political, ideological confrontation between the capitalist and socialist systems

4) economic blockade

29. What event is considered the beginning of the Cold War?

1) The end of World War II in 1945.

2) Caribbean crisis of 1962.

3) The Berlin crisis of 1948.

4) Churchill's speech in Fulton (USA) in 1946.

30. What is the "Marshall Plan"?

1) plan of military operation in Korea

2) US economic aid plan for Western Europe

3) Plan to create NATO

4) plan of attack on the USSR

31. When was the North Atlantic military bloc (NATO) created?

1) 1942 2) 1945 3) 1949 4) 1961

32. When did the Cuban Missile Crisis take place?

1) 1949 2) 1956 3) 1958 4) 1962

33. What years are called the period of detente of international tension?

1) 1953-1959 2) 1963-1969 3) 1970-1979 4) 1985-1991

34. Indicate the dates of the presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan

1) 1966-1976 2) 1979 -1989 3) 1980 - 1991 4) 1985 - 1998

35. What happened in the Russian Federation in October 1993?

1) confrontation between legislative and executive power

2) an attempted military coup

3) conclusion of agreements in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

4) economic crisis

36. What were the consequences of "shock therapy" in the early 1990s?

1) impoverishment of the population

2) growth of the middle class

3) the rise of industrial production

4) financial stabilization

37. When was the current Constitution of the Russian Federation adopted?

1) 1989 2) 1993 3) 1998 4) 2003

38. When did Russia become a political member of NATO?

1) 1998 2) 2000 3) 2002 4) 2008

39. Who is the current President of the United States?

1) Bill Clinton 2) Hillary Clinton 3) George Bush 4) Barack Obama

40. Who is the current president of France?

1) Georges Mitterand 2) Nicolas Sarkozy 3) Charles de Gaulle 4) Georges Clemenceau

41. Who is now the chancellor of Germany?

1) Herbert Kohl 2) Angela Merchel 3) Helmut Schroeder 4) Otto von Bismarck

The Soviet Union emerged from the war with huge human and material losses. 1710 cities, over 70 thousand villages and hamlets, 32 thousand industrial enterprises were destroyed. The direct damage caused by the war exceeded 30% of the national wealth.

In March 1946, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted the fourth five year plan. It was planned not only to restore the national economy, but also to surpass the pre-war level of industrial output by 48%. It was planned to invest 250 billion rubles in the national economy. As in the years of industrialization, these funds were received at the expense of the country's population, mainly the peasantry.

During the war years, the entire economy was rebuilt on a war footing, the production of goods was actually stopped. A huge mass of money, not backed by goods, was deposited in the hands of the population. To relieve the pressure of this mass on the market, in 1947 a confiscatory monetary reform was carried out. The money that was in the hands of the population was exchanged in a ratio of 10:1. A more benign regime was envisaged for funds kept on personal accounts in savings banks. But this benefit affected only a few, because the amount of deposits was 15 times less than the annual wage fund of workers and employees, in other words, the meager savings of citizens were then kept in "boxes" at home. Nevertheless, the reform helped in a short time to stop inflation and stabilize the financial system upset by the war. Of even greater importance was the simultaneous monetary reform the abolition of the card distribution of goods, which has become a kind of symbol of military hard times. After that, the government began a gradual increase in wages for workers and employees, as well as a regular decrease in retail prices for consumer goods: it was carried out annually from 1948 to 1954. However, at the same time, a program was being implemented for the forced distribution of government bonds, for the purchase of which it took an average of 1-1.5 monthly salaries per year. This markedly devalued the population's gain from lower prices. Nevertheless, the size of the real wages of workers and employees slowly increased. If in 1944 it was 64% of the 1928 level, in 1948 - 59%, then in 1952 it was already 94%, and in 1954 - 119%. Holidays and the 8-hour working day were restored, medical and sanatorium services for workers were improved. In 1948 - 1950. about 5.5 million workers and employees received vouchers at the expense of trade unions in sanatoriums, dispensaries and rest homes.

After the reform, the card system introduced during the war years was abolished. However, prices for food and consumer goods were on average 3 times higher than pre-war. As in the years of industrialization, forced state loans were made from the population. These drastic measures allowed the economy to recover.

The restoration of the destroyed industry proceeded at an extremely rapid pace. In 1946, there was a certain decline associated with the conversion, and from 1947 a steady rise began. In 1948, the pre-war level of industrial production was surpassed, and by the end of the five-year plan, it exceeded the level of 1940 by 70%, instead of the planned 48%. This was achieved through the renewal of production in the territories liberated from fascist occupation. The restored factories were equipped with equipment manufactured in German factories and supplied as reparations. In total, 3,200 enterprises were restored and re-launched in the western regions. They produced peaceful products, while defense enterprises remained where they were evacuated - in the Urals and Siberia.

The development of the post-war economy was one-sided. The main emphasis was placed on the development of heavy industry, to the detriment of light industry and agriculture. Investments in industry by 88% were directed to mechanical engineering. The production of consumer goods increased extremely slowly, there was a shortage of the most necessary. Transport lagged sharply behind, especially the construction of roads. In essence, there was no construction of public housing - in fact, the government shifted these concerns onto the shoulders of the citizens themselves.

The situation in agriculture was especially difficult. Only 7% of the total allocations were allocated for its development in the fourth five-year plan. They went mainly to the construction of tractor factories. With the help of machines, only plowing of fields and harvesting of grain was carried out - everything else was done by hand. The village was not electrified. In 1953, only 15% of collective farms received electricity.

The main burden of restoration fell on the village. The state withdrew in the form of taxes and obligatory deliveries more than 50% of the production of collective farms and state farms. Purchasing prices for agricultural products have not changed since 1928, while for industrial products they have grown 20 times during this time. In terms of workdays, the collective farmer received less per year than the worker earned per month. In practice, the collective farmers worked on the collective farm for free and lived at the expense of household plots.

At the end of the 40s. were heavily taxed and personal plots. The peasants began to get rid of livestock, cut down fruit trees, as they could not afford to pay taxes. The peasants could not leave the village because they did not have passports. Nevertheless rural population decreased - the peasants were recruited for construction, factories, logging. In 1950, the rural population was halved compared to 1940.

The last independence of collective farms was liquidated. Party district committees removed and appointed chairmen, dictated what, where and when to sow. Their main task was to seize as much agricultural products as possible.

By the end of the Fourth Five-Year Plan, there was a certain rise in living standards in the cities. An annual price reduction began to be practiced. By 1950, real wages had reached the level of 1940, but we should not forget that this level was only equal to 1928, that is, there was actually no increase.

After the death of I. V. Stalin, the new leaders of the country inherited an extremely difficult legacy. The village was ruined, the threat of famine loomed over the country. The new Chairman of the Council of Ministers, G. M. Malenkov, announced that now it is necessary to increase the output of consumer goods, direct more capital investments to the development of light industry, and provide the population with a sufficient amount of food in the shortest possible time. First of all, it was necessary to stop the degradation of the village.

In 1953, a tax reform was carried out, taxes on personal plots were halved. Now the tax was levied only on land, and not on livestock and trees. In September 1953, a plenum of the Central Committee was held on the development of agriculture. The purchase prices for agricultural products were significantly (3-6 times) increased, and the tax on collective farmers was reduced by 2.5 times. The independence of the collective farms and state farms was expanded, they got rid of the petty tutelage of the district party committees. 1953 was a turning point in the history of the Soviet countryside. It has ceased to be regarded only as a source of funds and resources for industry.

The grain problem in the country was acute, and immediate emergency solutions were required. The idea arose to sharply increase grain production by introducing additional land into circulation in the east of the country (in Siberia, Kazakhstan). The country had an excess of labor resources and uncultivated fertile land.