11A

Performance as a Measure of Progress: Socialist Competition

Socialist competition was a state-designed tool intended to replace market competition in a centrally planned economy, as well as to demonstrate the supposed success of collective farming. In unified agricultural cooperatives, the performance of individuals and the collective as a whole was regularly monitored, and the fulfilment of plans was continuously evaluated and displayed on noticeboards or highlighted during ceremonial events. Records, pledges and announcements of top workers became part of everyday life in work collectives. This process was accompanied by significant pressure to meet mandatory targets and a growing discrepancy between the actual situation and the figures officially reported during the competition.