Economic stagnation

Context

While there was some economic and agricultural achievements, overall the Soviet economy was in decline.

Task – “Table for the reasons why Soviet economy was in decline”

Draw table with:– Social– Political– Economic

Read through bullet points on p.116-118 and summarise each into the table’s columns.

Task - stick in source from p.118.

Explain message of source. How do it relate to:

– Economic – Social

– Political

Relied upon outdated technology.

Due to fall in birth rates outside central Asia, meant working population stopped increasing

Emphasis on military drained resources

Task

Complete “Activity” on p.119 (try to complete question 5 to best of your ability).

Corruption

There had always been corruption in USSR, especially concerning economy.

Managers lied about production, number of workers on the payroll and other things.

In a society plagued with shortages and bureaucracy, bribery and the blackmarket helped to fill in the deficiencies that the Soviet “official” economy left.

A Soviet factory (top) and people buying goods on the blackmarket

Task

Explain the involvement of 2 figures involved in corruption using p.120-121:

– Sharaf Rashidov– Yuri Sokolov

Use 2nd paragraph under “Legacy of corruption” p.121 to answer the following:

1. How did ordinary citizens contribute ordinary citizens contribute to the second economy/blackmarket?

2. How was this to the detriment of the regime?