Khrushchev: Economy and Society

Which of the following was NOT a member of the collective leadership of the USSR after the death of Stalin?

• Malenkov

• Molotov

• Khrushchev

• Stakanhov

• Beria

Which of the following was Beria NOT found guilty of at his trial in 1953?

• Terrorism

• Being a counter revolutionary

• Theft of state property

• Treason

What is 'biological yield'?

• the maximum possible yield of a standing crop in a field at the moment of ripeness

• the maximum possible deaths caused by a biological weapon

• the maximum possible yield per square acre per growing season

• the minimum expected yield per square acre per growing season

Which of the following were part of Khrushchev's assessment of the state of Soviet agriculture in 1953

• Productivity was low

• State procurement prices were too high

• Farmers incomes were too low

• Taxes were too low to raise the necessary investment capital

• The numbers of livestock were lower than in 1916

Which areas of the USSR were NOT part of the 'virgin lands' campaign?

• The Ukraine

• Siberia

• Kazakhstan

• Azerbaijan

What area of land was under new cultivation by 1956?

• 27.3 million acres

• 35.9 million acres

• 43.7 million acres

• 53.9 million acres

Who were NOT part of the new farm workers for the 'Virgin lands' campaign?

• Soldiers

• Komsomol volunteers

• Students

• Navy Sailors

Was the 'Virgin lands' campaign a success initially?

• Yes - approximately 70 million tons were produced on these lands in 1956

• No - production was 30% less on the new lands than in established agricultural areas

• Yes - the new lands quadrupled annual output in the USSR

• No - the quality of maise produced in the new areas was substandard

What were major problems with the cultivation of the 'Virgin Lands'?

• There were too few agricultural workers to farm the new lands

• Single crop cultivation destroyed soil fertility

• Soil erosion led to the disappearance of millions of tons of top soil

• All of the newly produced grain went to vodka production

Why was Khrushchev obsessed with Maize?

• It was his favourite food

• He believed it would be good to feed humans and cattle

• It contained vitamin D which was generally deficient in the Soviet diet

• He owned 2 huge maize farms in the Crimea