Soviet Union came out of 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. Even more important was the simultaneous abolition of the card distribution of goods, which turned into a kind of symbol of the war hard times, simultaneously with the monetary reform. After that, the government began to gradually increase the wages of workers and employees, as well as to regularly reduce retail prices for consumer goods: it was held annually from 1948 to 1954. True, at the same time, a program was being implemented for the forced distribution of government bonds, the purchase of which took an average of 1-1.5 monthly salaries per year. This markedly devalued the population's gain from lower prices. Still the size of the real wages workers and employees slowly rose. 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 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, the rural population was declining - peasants were recruited to construction sites, factories, and 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 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.

War destroyed part of the economic potential, which was about one one third of the country's national wealth . A huge number of factories and plants, mines, railways and other 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 had withstood a severe and difficult test in the war years 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 The share of production in this area 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%.

Recovery and development 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 lag in 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 managers.

The war and its aftermath - the card supply system for the population - upset the country's financial system. 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.

Average salary in the country:

In 1947 it was 5 thousand rubles a month,

In 1950 - 700 rubles (after 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.

In the entire history of mankind, no country has suffered such damage as a result of military operations. The USSR lost about 30% of national wealth. The death toll amounted to 27 million people, the number of wounded and maimed cannot be calculated with any precision. In 1946, the population of the USSR, which amounted to 172 million people, barely exceeded the level of 1933. 1710 cities and towns (60% of their total number), over 70 thousand villages and villages, about 32 thousand industrial enterprises, 65 thousand kilometers of railways, 25 million people lost their homes. 100,000 collective farms and state farms were destroyed, 7 million heads of cattle, 20 million pigs, 27 million sheep and goats were slaughtered or driven to Germany. The amount of direct losses caused by the war in 1945 was estimated at 679 billion rubles, which was 5.5 times the national income of the USSR in 1940.

True, the volume of industrial production decreased slightly - by only 9%. But it must be taken into account that the bulk of the production was the production of weapons. And peaceful industries have greatly reduced output. Consumer goods by the end of the war were produced in 2 times less than before it. In 1945, the industry of the areas liberated from the occupation produced only 30% of the pre-war output. The greatest damage was inflicted on ferrous metallurgy (in terms of metal production and ore mining, the country was thrown back by more than 10-12 years), oil (the backlog was 15 years), coal, chemical, energy, and mechanical engineering.

A relatively small (about 9%) decline in the overall level of industrial production is explained by the evacuation, unprecedented in its scale. Up to 2.6 thousand enterprises were evacuated, of which more than 1.5 thousand are large. Thus, the accelerated development of the eastern regions began, where 3.5 thousand square meters were put into operation. large enterprises, increased at a particularly rapid pace military production. As a result, the industrial power of the Urals increased 3.6 times, Western Siberia - 2.8 times, the Volga region - 2.4 times. With a general reduction in industrial potential, heavy industry (the so-called group "A" - the production of means of production) - exceeded the pre-war level by 12%. Its share in the total volume of industrial production increased in 1945 to 74.9%.

This was achieved largely due to a sharp drop in the production of already underdeveloped industries and the food industry. In 1945, the output of cotton fabrics amounted to only 41% of the level of 1941, footwear -30%, sugar -21%, etc. Thus, the war caused not only colossal damage to industry, but also changed its geographical and especially sectoral structure. Therefore, in some respects, the war can be regarded as another, very specific stage in the further industrialization of the USSR.

Since 1943, as the invaders were driven out, the USSR began to restore the economy destroyed by the war. In addition to these works, it was necessary to carry out the conversion of industry, since by 1945 more than 50% of industrial production was accounted for by military products. But the conversion was partial, since simultaneously with the reduction specific gravity produced military equipment, ammunition, the military-industrial complex (MIC) was modernized, new types of weapons were developed. In September 1945, a report appeared in the press that the first atomic bomb had been successfully tested in the USSR, and in August 1953, a hydrogen bomb. In the same years, mass demobilization took place. The personnel of the armed forces decreased from 11.4 million people. in May 1945 to 2.9 million in 1948. True, soon the size of the army in connection with the war in Korea grew again: in the early 1950s. it reached almost 6 million people. In 1952, direct military spending was 25% state budget, i.e. only 2 times less than in the military year of 1944.

Unlike the process of rebuilding after the Civil War, it was no longer necessary to rebuild the entire industry. The value of the fixed assets of industry in 1946 was equal to the pre-war value: in the East of the country during the war the same amount was built as was destroyed in the West. Therefore, the restoration now came down to three processes: the restoration of what was destroyed in the areas subjected to occupation, the demobilization of part of the industry and the return to their old places of the evacuated enterprises. Many enterprises, mounted in new places, remained there.

The pre-war level of industrial production was restored in 1948, and in 1950 industry produced 70% more products than in 1940. The pre-war level of national income was restored only in 1950, but the official figures for the dynamics of industrial production during this time need clarification. The recovery of the economy was accompanied by some improvement in the standard of living of people compared to the pre-war period. In 1947, food cards were abolished, and then prices were lowered for several years. In 1947, the average price level was three times higher than in 1940, and the reduction in prices made it possible to lower their level by 2.2 times, so that, after the decline, they still remained somewhat higher than pre-war. In addition, the decline in prices was accompanied by the withdrawal of part of the money earned from the population in the form of compulsory loans. Thus, the standard of living in 1946 - 1950. did not increase, but only approached the level of 1940, without reaching it.

Postwar the economic growth The USSR had several sources. First of all, the planned economy still retained the mobilization character inherent in it during the years of the first five-year plans and during the war years. Millions of people were sent in an organized manner to the restoration of the Dneproges, the metallurgical plants of Krivoy Rog, the mines of Donbass, as well as the construction of new factories, hydroelectric power stations, etc. The USSR received reparations from Germany in the amount of 4.3 billion dollars. On account of reparations from Germany and other defeated countries, industrial equipment, including factory complexes, was imported into the USSR. 1.5 million German and 0.5 million Japanese prisoners of war worked in the USSR. In addition, the Gulag system during this period contained approximately 8-9 million prisoners, whose work was practically unpaid.

Among the sources of economic growth can be attributed to the continued policy of redistribution of funds from the social sphere in favor of heavy industry. Every year, the population of the country had to subscribe to state loans for an average of 1-1.5 monthly wages. In total for 1946-1956. 11 loans were placed. As before, the main burden for the formation of funds for heavy industry was borne by agriculture, which emerged from the war weakened. During the war, more than 40% of all collective farms and state farms were destroyed. The working-age population decreased from 34.4 million people. to 23.9 million. The number of tractors was 59% of the pre-war level, and the number of horses decreased from 14.5 to 6.5 million heads. In general, the volume of gross output decreased by 40%. After the war, the level of agricultural production compared to the pre-war level was lower than the level after the First World War and the Civil War. A severe drought (the worst in the previous 50 years) once again severely undermined economic potential agricultural regions: Moldova, the Lower Volga region, the Central Black Earth regions, the Crimea.

The pre-war level of agricultural production was restored in the first half of the 1950s, i.e. much later than in industry. But this restored level was at the same time the level of agriculture in tsarist Russia on the eve of the First World War. Grains were now harvested 88 million tons. per year (in Russia on the eve of the war 86 million tons). Cattle in the first half of the 50s. there were 56-57 million heads (in 1916 - 58.4 million). Meat was produced 5 million tons. (the same number in 1913)

True, at that time successes were achieved in the mechanization of agricultural production. By the beginning of the 50s. The number of tractors has increased by 2 times compared to the pre-war level, and grain combines by 2.5 times. But the very process of raising the technical level of agriculture would be one-sided. The so-called “basic field work” was mechanized: flashing, sowing, harvesting and threshing of grain, while livestock, the production of industrial crops, potatoes and vegetables were almost not affected by mechanization processes. If the listed "basic field work" was now mechanized by 80-90%, and not by 50-60%, as before the war, then flax harvesting was only 30%, and potatoes - 10%. At the same time, technical progress was understood precisely as mechanization, while the production of fertilizers and land reclamation remained aloof from this process.

As in the prewar years, unequal commodity exchange between town and country continued with the help of pricing policy. Government procurement prices for key products changed very slowly and did not reflect changes in production costs. Thus, the purchase prices for milk reimbursed only a fifth of the costs of its production; for grain - a tenth; for meat - the twentieth. All losses were covered by subsidies or government loans, which, as a rule, were not returned, but written off. The peasants, receiving almost nothing for their workdays, lived off their personal subsidiary plots. On household plots, which occupied a few percent of the country's sown area, vegetables, potatoes were grown, and livestock were kept.

But beginning in 1946, the state began to cut household plots and impose significant monetary taxes on farms. In addition, each peasant household had to pay a tax in kind on meat, milk and other products. This practice in relation to the rural population continued to tighten. In 1948, it was strongly "recommended" to the collective farmers to "sell" the available small livestock to the state, although the collective farm Charter allowed them to be kept. In response to this "recommendation", the peasants began to slaughter cattle, as a result of which over 2 million pigs, goats, sheep, and other animals were slaughtered in half a year.

It became more and more difficult for collective farmers to sell their products on the market, as fees and taxes on the income from the sale increased sharply. In addition, it was possible to sell products on the market only if there was a certificate that the relevant farm had fulfilled its obligations to the state. If there was no document, the products were confiscated, and the peasants themselves were fined. In 1947, the mandatory production of a minimum workday for collective farmers was confirmed. Failure to comply could result in criminal penalties. Thus, as in the years of the first five-year plans, the post-war village survived on the verge of starvation.

The control over the farms by the MTS and their political departments again increased. The MTS again received the right to distribute plan assignments among the collective farms. Higher organizations through the MTS system determined the timing of sowing, harvesting and other agrotechnical work for the farms. The MTS also carried out mandatory procurement of agricultural products, collected payment in kind from the collective farms for the performance of mechanized work, and so on. Moreover, in the early 1950s the amalgamation of collective farms was carried out under the same pretext of strengthening the processes of mechanization of agricultural production. In fact, the consolidation of collective farms simplified state control over the farms through the MTS. The number of collective farms decreased from 237,000 in 1950 to 93,000 in 1953.

Despite these measures, agriculture developed slowly. Even in the relatively favorable 1952. year, the gross grain harvest did not reach the level of 1940, and the yield in 1949 - 1953. was only 7.7 centners per hectare. (In 1913 - 8.2 centners per hectare). In 1953, the number of cattle was less than in 1916, and the population over these years has grown by 30-40 million people, i.e. the food problem remained very acute. The population of large cities was supplied intermittently.

In 1952, I. Stalin published the work “ Economic problems socialism in the USSR”, in which he continued to insist on the priority development of heavy industry and the acceleration of the process of transforming collective-farm cooperative property into public (state) property. It was especially emphasized that the collective farms, nominally still the owners of the products produced, are a temporary, transitional structure. In order to improve the efficiency of agriculture in 1948, the grandiose "Stalin's Plan for the Transformation of Nature" was adopted, in accordance with which it was planned to create field-protective forest belts in the southern and southeastern regions of the European part of the USSR to retain moisture in the fields and reduce the harmful effects of dry winds on agricultural land. This plan also provided for the construction of an irrigation system in Central Asia - the Great Karakum Canal, through which water from the Amu Darya was to be supplied to irrigate fields in Turkmenistan. Protective forest belts protect fields from dry winds, improve the water regime of the soil, moisten the air, create a favorable microclimate for crops, and prevent the top fertile layer from blowing out and soil erosion. In order to give afforestation in the steppe and forest-steppe regions an organized character and national scale, the “Plan for field-protective plantings, the introduction of grass-field crop rotations, the construction of ponds and reservoirs to ensure high and stable yields in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of the European part of the USSR” was adopted.

Particular attention was paid to afforestation. During 1950-1965. it was planned to create 8 large forest belts in 16 regions with a total length of 5320 km. In addition, it was planned to plant protective forest belts on the fields of state farms and collective farms with a total area of ​​5,709,000 hectares. Work began in the spring of 1949. Until 1951, strips were laid on an area of ​​1 million 852 thousand hectares. Their length is more than 6 thousand km. Forest plantations created more than 40 years ago still protect 25 million hectares today. lands and are an example of the peaceful application of human strength and caring attitude to the earth and nature.

In accordance with the plan for the transformation of nature, the construction of huge hydroelectric power stations on the Volga, Dnieper, and other rivers (Gorkovskaya, Kakhovskaya, Kuibyshevskaya, Saratovskaya, Stalingradskaya) also began. All these stations were put into operation in the 1950s-1960s. In 1952, the Volga-Don Canal was built, connecting single system five seas: White, Baltic, Caspian, Azov, Black.

As mentioned above, in 1947 the card system was abolished. Its cancellation was planned for the end of 1946, but due to drought and crop failure, this did not happen. The abolition was carried out only at the end of 1947. The USSR was one of the first European countries to abolish card distribution. But before abolishing the cards, the government introduced uniform food prices to replace the previously existing card and commercial prices. As a result, the cost of basic food products for the urban population has risen. So, the price of 1 kg. black bread was 1 rub., and became 3 rubles. 40 kopecks, price 1 kg. meat increased from 14 to 30 rubles, sugar - from 5.5 to 15 rubles, butter - from 28 to 66 rubles, milk - from 2.5 to 8 rubles. At the same time, the minimum wage was 300 rubles. per month True, for low- and medium-paid categories of workers and employees, at the same time with uniform prices, “bread allowances” were established on average about 110 rubles. per month, but these allowances did not solve the general problem of income.

At the same time, a monetary reform was also carried out. Its necessity was determined by the imbalance monetary system in the year of the war, because the sharp increase in military spending required the release into circulation of a huge amount of money not backed by consumer goods and services. As a result of a significant reduction in retail turnover, the population had more money in their hands than was required for the normal functioning of the economy, and therefore the purchasing power of money fell. In addition, the country had a lot of counterfeit money issued by the Nazis during the war.

On December 14, 1947, the Government issued a decree "On the implementation of the monetary reform and the abolition of cards for food and industrial goods." Old money was exchanged for new money at the rate of 10:1 during the week. For those who kept money in savings accounts, the exchange was more preferential. So, deposits up to 3 thousand rubles. remained unchanged and were not subject to reassessment. Deposits in the amount of 3 to 10 thousand rubles. exchanged at the rate of 3:2, and deposits over 19 thousand - 2:1.

At the same time, all previously issued state loans were combined into a single new 2-percentage loan, and old bonds were exchanged for new ones at a ratio of 3:1, bonds of a freely marketable loan of 1930 - at a ratio of 5:1. With the help of such methods, the excess money supply was withdrawn, and the reform itself acquired a mainly confiscatory character. In the course of the reform, it was mainly rural residents who suffered, who, as a rule, kept their savings at home, and speculators who made money during the war and did not have time to realize large sums of cash.

On January 1, 1950, the government recognized the need to raise the official exchange rate of the ruble against foreign currencies and determined it in accordance with the gold content of the ruble (0.222168 g of pure gold), although in those years this fact had no economic significance, since the established official ruble exchange rate was not used in any calculations.

All the years of the first five-year plans, the war and post-war years were a time of extreme, extraordinary development for the country. During this period, the urgent needs of the population were postponed until later. For almost 25 years, the economy has been working with the greatest strain. All the successes achieved were paid for at a superhuman cost. According to official statistics, the average nominal wages of workers rose between 1928 and 1954. more than 2 times. According to other sources, during this period, the cost of living in the USSR increased by 9 to 10 times, as retail prices rose constantly. But if the general index of retail prices in state and cooperative trade in 1928 is taken as 1, then in 1932 it was 2.6, in 1940 - 6.4, in 1947 -20.1, in 1950 -11.9. But real wages for this period, excluding taxes and subscriptions to a loan, but including a wage supplement in the form of free medical care, education and other social services, changed as follows: if we take the level of wages in 1928 as 1, then in 1937 it was 0.86; in 1940 -0.78; in 1944 -0.64; in 1948 –0.59; in 1952 -0.94; 1954 -2.19.

Meanwhile, in the memory of the older generation, the opinion was rooted that under Stalin, prices fell every year, and after him they only grew. But the secret of lowering prices is to be found in the huge jump that took place after the start of collectivization. For example, retail prices for rye bread rose in 1928-1952. almost 19 times, for beef - 17 times, for pork - 20.5 times; for sugar - at 15; for sunflower oil at 33; for eggs - at 19.3; for potatoes - 11 times. Therefore, annual price reductions of a few percent for basic food commodities were not difficult to implement. In addition, this reduction in prices was carried out at the expense of an actual decrease in the standard of living of collective farmers, since, as indicated above, the growth rate of purchase prices for agricultural products was much higher than the growth in retail prices. And finally the majority rural population almost did not feel this decline in prices, since the public supply in the countryside was very poor.

The housing problem was still extremely acute. Many workers with families in the cities lived in dormitories, in communal apartments, barracks and cellars In these years, housing construction was carried out in a very limited size. The main appropriations from the budget were spent on the military-industrial complex, heavy industry, and the energy system. The further development of the USSR economy rested on its excessive centralization. All economic issues were resolved only in the center, and local economic bodies were strictly limited in solving any cases. The main material and financial resources needed to fulfill the planned targets were distributed through a significant number of instances. Departmental disunity, mismanagement led to constant downtime in production, large material losses.

An army of special commissioners, or "pushers," grew up, who were engaged in the extraction of raw materials, scarce materials at factories, in ministries. Reports of heads of enterprises, ministers were overgrown with annotations in the implementation and overfulfillment of plans, therefore, statistical data should be taken critically because of their certain unreliability. An example is the report of G.M. Malenkov at the 19th Party Congress (1952), in which it was said that the grain problem in the USSR had been resolved and that a crop of 8 billion poods had been harvested. And just two years later, it was announced that the data on the development of agriculture were inaccurate.

After the war, various administrative reforms were carried out several times, but they did not introduce fundamental changes into the essence of the planned system. In March 1946, the people's commissariats became ministries, and the people's commissars into ministers, which meant that they were no longer people's commissars. Civil ranks were established, classes, vaguely reminiscent of the "table of ranks" of Peter I. economic system left its mark on the whole public life countries.

After the war (1946) began public persecution of writers, composers, theatrical figures and film directors. The purpose of these companies was to force the creative intelligentsia to work strictly in the spirit of "party spirit" and "socialist realism." A similar goal was pursued by discussions on philosophy, biology, linguistics, and political economy, which began in 1947. The fight against "cosmopolitanism" and "crotchet before the West" was encouraged. inciting chauvinism and anti-Semitism intensified. Since 1948, repressions have resumed.

The choice of the economic strategy of the USSR was determined by the political course. In this case, it depended primarily on the will of Stalin, the correlation of forces in the ruling circles, as well as on the international situation, and especially on its understanding by the Soviet leadership. The external economic factor determined both the degree of conversion and the amount of resources directed to the development of the military-industrial complex (MIC), and the level of economic cooperation with Western powers, and in particular the possibility of obtaining foreign loans and investments. These were fundamental circumstances that largely determined the scale of savings, their structure (in particular, the share of domestic savings in the gross domestic product) and the degree of closedness of the Soviet economy.

The victory in the war dramatically changed the international situation. The USSR became not only a full member, but also one of the leaders of the world community; his relations with the Western powers acquired a partnership, even, it seemed, friendly character. Nevertheless, it was not so much about the wider inclusion of the USSR in the world economic context, but about the choice of an economic development model. The war changed the social atmosphere and gave impetus to the democratic renewal of the system, hopes for a change for the better. In the public mind, fear began to gradually disappear. The war taught me to think critically. For many, it was a "discovery" of the West. For the first time, millions of citizens went abroad (more than 6 million people in the army and another 3.5 million repatriates). They were able to evaluate the achievements of Western civilization themselves and compare them with the Soviet ones.

Unprecedentedly broad cooperation with the "imperialist" countries in the fight against a common enemy, the weakening of ideological manipulation during the war years, shook the established stereotypes and aroused interest and sympathy for the West. Reformist sentiments also penetrated the Bolshevik elite, which was noticeably renewed during the war years. The war accustomed the administrative circles to the initiative and relegated the fight against pests and enemies of the people to the background.

During the war years, the degree of centralized state regulation of some sectors of the economy decreased. As a result, in areas that were not occupied, the incomes of rural residents increased slightly. Concern for the survival of the population and the fulfillment of government tasks prompted local authorities to encourage small-scale production. The return to civilian life required: either the legalization, institutionalization of these innovations, a significant adjustment of the pre-war economic policy, or a return to the previous super-centralized model of the economy with a hypertrophied military sector (even civilian enterprises had at the same time a military profile, mobilization capacities in case of war), the strictest administrative political control over the activities of the administration of enterprises and all employees.

Already in 1945 - 1946. when considering the draft 4th five-year plan, a discussion arose about ways to restore and develop the economy. During these and subsequent years, whole line leaders of various ranks who advocated softening or changing certain aspects of economic policy, the balanced development of the national economy, and some decentralization of its management. Similar proposals were also made during the development and closed discussion of the new Constitution and new program parties.

Among them were the secretary of the Central Committee, the first secretary of the Leningrad regional committee of the CPSU A. Zhdanov, the chairman of the State Planning Commission N. Voznesensky, the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR N. Rodionov, and others. them into the basic structural unit of agricultural production. These leaders supported their calculations with an analysis of the international situation, believing that the transition to peaceful life would cause an acute economic and political crisis, which would not only avert any threat of the creation of an anti-Soviet coalition of Western powers, but, on the contrary, promise the USSR new opportunities, in particular, as sales market for crisis-ridden Western economies.

Supporters of the return to the pre-war model, among whom were G. Malenkov, L. Beria (who headed the most important military projects), the leaders of heavy industry, on the contrary, appealed to the work of the economist E. Varga, who refuted the theory of an imminent and inevitable crisis of capitalism and proved its ability to adaptation. Believing that this makes the international situation potentially explosive, Malenkov and Beria advocated the accelerated development of the military-industrial complex.

They managed to win their first major victory when they approved the 4th five-year plan. Adopted in May 1946, the Law on five year plan restoration and development of the national economy for 1946-1950. contained very intense tasks and proclaimed as the main task: "To ensure the priority restoration and development of heavy industry and railway transport." As early as 1946, it was supposed to "complete the post-war restructuring of the national economy" and in the near future not only catch up with, but also surpass "achievements of science outside the USSR." However, many aspects of economic strategy have not yet been fully defined. The tasks of the 4th five-year plan did not exclude some variability in development.

However, the progressive collapse of the anti-Hitler coalition, the struggle with the Western powers for the division of Europe and the beginning cold war contributed to the final victory of the supporters of centralization and development of the military-industrial complex, behind which stood Stalin. In the absence of the threat of fascism that unites the world, the initially inherent contradictions within the anti-Hitler coalition, the geopolitical interests of the powers inevitably led to a new split of the world into hostile blocs.

After the Potsdam Conference (July-August 1945) and the defeat of Japan (the act of surrender of which was signed on September 2, 1945), the contradictions between the allies sharply intensified. The most important reason for the collapse of the anti-Hitler coalition and the beginning of a military-political confrontation was the struggle for spheres of influence. Already in 1945, through the efforts of the Soviet authorities, people's democratic governments controlled by the USSR were created throughout Eastern Europe. The transformation of Eastern Europe into a de facto protectorate of the USSR came as a surprise to many Western politicians, who still regarded communist ideology as the basis of Soviet foreign policy, and not Stalin's imperial ambitions and cold geopolitical calculation.

All these countries received intensive material, financial and military assistance, the true extent of which was always kept secret. It is only known that as preferential long-term loans in 1945 - 1952 they were granted 15 billion rubles. (3 billion dollars). Such huge funds for those times were provided to countries in response to the implementation of socio-economic transformations in them according to the Soviet model.

The United States, in turn, sent Western European countries a huge financial assistance in the amount of 12.4 billion dollars under the Marshall Plan. These funds were used not only for post-war economic recovery, but also to strengthen the US military and political influence in the region. On October 4, 1946, W. Churchill publicly accused the USSR of having fenced off Eastern Europe with an "Iron Curtain" and called for organizing pressure on the USSR. In essence, it was a call for open confrontation with the USSR. Nevertheless, the inertia of allied relations still persisted for some time. In 1949, with the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the NATO bloc, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) and the Warsaw Pact organization were created - the split of Europe into two hostile camps was finally formalized, which had the most negative (primarily economic) consequences for the internal life of the USSR.

The fact is that at the turn of the 1940-1950s. industrially the developed countries began to introduce the achievements of the modern scientific and technological revolution (NTR) into production, and this led them to a new, post-industrial stage in the development of the economy. The Soviet economy, due to its over-centralization, insufficient initiative and entrepreneurial spirit in various economic structures, was unable to widely introduce scientific and technological developments into production (except for the military-industrial complex) and began to lag behind developed countries. market economy. In addition, these countries began to noticeably outstrip the USSR in terms of the standard of living of the population, in ensuring various democratic rights and freedoms. The USSR sought to prevent the "pernicious influence" of the West on the Soviet people, using the resources of the repressive apparatus.

Towards toughening domestic policy and the deployment of a new round of terror Stalin pushed and personal experience, and some internal factors, in particular, the famine of 1946, which contributed to a sharp tightening of state control over the countryside and the aggravation of the socio-economic situation in the cities. In 1947, the USSR refused to participate in the Marshall Plan. In 1947, the Berlin Crisis broke out, which almost led to a military conflict with the United States. The final victory of the hardliners was sealed by the rout of their opponents. N. Voznesensky (accused of underestimating the indicators of the 4th Five-Year Plan), P. Rodionov and many other economic leaders were repressed. The tasks of the 4th five-year plan were revised towards an even greater increase; new, super-stressful tasks were given to military production.

Despite the relative stabilization in Europe, the parties were actively developing plans for a new war, with the United States focusing on atomic bombing. But in the USSR in 1949, a nuclear device was detonated for the first time. In 1950, North Korea, with the help of China and the USSR, tried to reunite the country by force. on the side South Korea The United States and 15 other countries flew under the UN flag. In the northeastern regions of the USSR, near Alaska, accelerated construction of an airfield and bases began, and tasks for the production of weapons increased sharply. These many other signs testified to accelerated preparations for an armed conflict with the United States.

This determined the economic policy of recent years. Stalinist USSR. The country not only returned to the previous model of the economy, but also lived literally in the pre-war regime. The forced development of heavy industry was accompanied by propaganda campaigns and the spread of terror. Without it, without non-economic coercion, it was impossible to pursue such an economic policy. Repressions began to increase after the war in the western regions of the USSR, they affected the Soviet prisoners of war who ended up in the camps after returning, and then were used against various representatives of the intelligentsia, military personnel, etc. The last hopes were finally crossed out by the campaign to combat cosmopolitanism, which unfolded from the end of 1948. Playing on the patriotic moods of the Soviet people, the authorities thereby tried to eradicate the interest and sympathy for the West that arose during the war years from the minds of people, strengthen the ideological isolation of the country, incite chauvinist and anti-Semitic feelings and urgently renew the image of an external enemy that was shaken during the war.

The unfolding new round of mass terror was interrupted by the death of Stalin. Nevertheless, for 1945-1953. the number of prisoners in the camps and colonies of the Gulag alone increased from 1.5 to 2.5 million people. As a result of the post-war wave of repressions, 5.5 - 6.5 million people were imprisoned and exiled. Numerous major facilities of the fourth and fifth five-year plans were built by the hands of prisoners in the nuclear, metallurgical, energy industries, as well as in transport.

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 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 reforms being carried out in the country to eliminate the military industry, to break up 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 grew 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.

The accelerated economic growth of Germany defeated in the war and its promotion 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% of the state budget went to military spending: the Potsdam agreements forbade Germany to arm itself. 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