Nikita Khrushchev consolidated his position in 1955 after eliminating all competition, the Great Patriotic War resulted in economic problems within the Soviet Union. Khrushchev had decided that the agriculture as well as the industry sectors of the soviet economy needed reforms, this process became known as ‘reform communism’, a type of communism permitting some kind of reform whilst maintaining its essential features. (Todd, 112)) Khrushchev understood that the collectivisation of agriculture policy was not working, (Ilic,11) thus introducing new policies such as the “virgin lands” policy and the idea of encouraging further initiatives as well as decision making by having smaller reforms in agriculture. Furthermore, Khrushchev wanted to increase
…show more content…
The Virgin lands policy refers to the use of land that was not initially meant for agricultural use. The policy was under way as some 6 million acres of virgin land were ploughed. (Ilic, 13) However, the policy was not a success as the farmers were often unaware of the weather conditions and would often run out of fertilizer, which was needed to rejuvenate the soil. (Todd, 112) This meant that land which was not suitable for harvesting was ploughed, leading to a shortage of food and the reliance of foreign imports from North America and Australia. Khrushchev’s new policy, did not increase grain production or better living condition, instead it created a security issue for the USSR as imports of grain from foreign countries increased opposition against …show more content…
(Ilic, 12) Furthermore, there was some improvement within the Soviet Union, for example medical care had improved as well as the education system, where in 1956 secondary school was introduced for everybody. Also, working conditions were improved, as shorter working days were introduced, better pensions and other social benefits announced. However, the Soviet living standards were still considerably low, even with the improvements mentioned the living standards remained low in comparison to those in the
The Virgin lands policy refers to the use of land that was not initially meant for agricultural use. The policy was under way as some 6 million acres of virgin land were ploughed. (Ilic, 13) However, the policy was not a success as the farmers were often unaware of the weather conditions and would often run out of fertilizer, which was needed to rejuvenate the soil. (Todd, 112) This meant that land which was not suitable for harvesting was ploughed, leading to a shortage of food and the reliance of foreign imports from North America and Australia. Khrushchev’s new policy, did not increase grain production or better living condition, instead it created a security issue for the USSR as imports of grain from foreign countries increased opposition against …show more content…
(Ilic, 12) Furthermore, there was some improvement within the Soviet Union, for example medical care had improved as well as the education system, where in 1956 secondary school was introduced for everybody. Also, working conditions were improved, as shorter working days were introduced, better pensions and other social benefits announced. However, the Soviet living standards were still considerably low, even with the improvements mentioned the living standards remained low in comparison to those in the