The Communist Cars

Tags

cars, post-WWII, Stalin, The Big Plan

Stalin with the ZIS 101

Prior to World War II, the communist Soviets had never been fond of the production of automobiles. It represented free enterprise and a bourgeois lifestyle. However, in 1929 the Soviet government singed an agreement with Ford Motors to build a factory in what is now known as Gor’kii. The Gor’kii Automotive Factory (GAZ). The GAZ would be more known for its size and ability to produce, rather than the automobiles themselves. According to Lewis Siegelbaum, author of Cars for Comrades: The Life of the Soviet Automobile, the GAZ, as well as other automobile factories, began slowing in production of commercial automobiles due to the need for steel in the production of tanks. The production decreased from 211,000 in 1938 to 145,000 in 1940.

Pobeda

Following the war, Stalin approved two new models, Pobeda (Victory) and Moskvich (muscovite). Although the prices were far too high for the common worker, the small number produced allowed for there to be more demand than product. People would be put onto waiting lists for months and even years before being able to get their hands on the new automobiles.

Moskvitch 400

Stalin would also have a series of highly prestigious automobiles produced from Moscow’s Stalin Factory (ZIS), including the speedy ZIS-110 and the monstrous armor-plated ZIS-115 and ZIS-110B (convertible version). However, their were only a few dozen 115’s produced and most were owned by the Kremlin. Stalin owned five of his own and alternated which one he would drive each day as a safety precaution.

ZIS 115

The importance of Stalin allowing the increased production and sales of automobiles is how it portrays a consumer based economy and eases tensions with the wary, free-market West. The “Big Plan” identified the Soviet’s inability to deal with conflict following World War II due to the fragility of their political structure and economy. Stalin, therefor, allowed for a more democratic look to the post-WWII USSR. Whether or not the increased production and sales of cars actually eased tensions is unknown, however, it did introduce automobiles to a progressive soviet society.

Sources:

https://books.google.com/books?id=Aksy4KQ-zVYC&q=GAZ#v=snippet&q=GAZ&f=false

http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1947-2/cars-for-comrades/

http://cars-pics-db.com/page/zis-115/default.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=Stalin+and+cars&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI24jFkNvwyAIVgxseCh1Z5gmu#imgrc=f3Bg-pzNZjfkcM%3A

A War of Steel

Tags

post-WWII, Stalin, tanks

The Soviets found themselves with War at their doorstep. In 1941 the Germans had broken the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact of 1939 and began pouring millions of troops through the Western border of the Soviet Union. After two years of brutal fighting and heavy losses, the Soviets finally began to push the Nazis out of the USSR with the recapture of Stalingrad on February 2nd of 1943. Much of the Soviet’s military success can be attributed to the use of tanks.

Stalin took pride in his military, especially that of his tanks. When he was told to be wary of the power of the Vatican, he is quoted saying, “How many divisions does the Pope of Rome have?” Although humorous, his confidence in his tank divisions was without question. Likewise, the military posters of the time emulated Stalin’s tank obsession. Like the poster above, many posters were brutal and showed the sheer power of these new steel war machines.

The Battle of Kursk is known as the largest tank battle to date. The Germans consisted of 50 divisions, two tank brigades, three tank battalions, and eighty artillery assault divisions comprising 2,700 Tiger and Panther tanks, some 2,000 aircraft, and 900,000 men, while the Soviets consisted of 3,600 tanks, 2,800 aircraft, and 1.3 million troops. The battle led to a Soviet victory. It is highly debated whether or not D-Day or the Battle of Kursk was the downfall of the Nazis, but the battle itself is unquestionably one of the most significant battles of World War II. The following poster shows a disgruntled Hitler upset that he lost his “little ring (and there’s twenty-two divisions in the ring).” The ring being the area around the Battle of Kursk that was previously German occupied, and his twenty-two divisions is an estimate of his divisions that he lost. However, it is estimated that he may have lost upwards of thirty divisions.

The Soviet’s depended and loved their tanks during World War II and it is evident in their military victories and several propaganda posters. For the Soviets this was a war of steel. Steel that moved along treads and could shoot 76.2 mm rounds at the backs of retreating Nazis.

Sources:

http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1943-2/battle-of-kursk/

http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1943-2/battle-of-kursk/battle-of-kursk-images/#

http://www.allworldwars.com/Russian%20WWII%20Propaganda%20Posters.html

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact

http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/soviet-union-ww2-events-timeline.asp

http://www.hjta.org/california-commentary/how-many-divisions-does-pope-have/

http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/ww2-soviet-tanks.asp

Udarniki: The Not-So-Elite Workers’ Club

Tags

False Shock Worker, five year plan, Shock Workers, Stalin, Udarniki

Stalin’s Five Year Plan in 1929 brought a new expectation for the work that must be accomplished. However, in a society in which all workers earn an equal wage, how can workers be influenced to work hard with no incentives? The Soviets pushed a movement in 1929 promoting “Shock Workers” (udarniki).

— Soviet Shock Worker Medals

The term was created during the Civil War to designate those who worked hard on arduous tasks. The term was now being coined for workers who exceeded their given quotas. Along with being deemed a “shock worker”, those who exceeded their quotas were given special privileges. Their names were posted on notice boards, they were given access to certain scarce resources, and were even sent on special trips as defined by the collection of testimonies in The First Cruise. Although many of the publications in The First Cruise were politically oriented, the signed testimonies from “shock workers” on a sponsored trip to Europe showed just how highly these workers thought of themselves, writing “Yes, with heads held high we walked through the streets…”

False Shock Worker

The movement was highly effective. In 1929 only 29% of workers were designated as “shock workers”, but only a year later 65% of workers were coined “shock workers”. However, the effectiveness of this movement was its downfall. With the increased number of “shock workers”, their value decreased exponentially. It also put a massive strain on the workers health and the machines used in the industry. It also led to “false shock workers” who reaped the benefit of “shock workers” without the work.

Although the “Shock Workers” would die out, they were essential for Russian industrialization and allowed for the Soviets to compete with Western society.

Cites:

http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1929-2/shock-workers/ (Shock Workers, Lewis Siegelbaum)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakhanovite_movement

Blogs:

https://tlos.vt.edu/soviethistoryf14/2014/10/05/rockin-shock-workers-2/

http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/fromrussiawithlove/2013/10/06/shock-workers-the-heroes-of-industrialization/

Pictures:

http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1929-2/shock-workers/shock-workers-images/

http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1929-2/shock-workers/shock-worker-badges/