Stalins 5 year plan essays PDF

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Stalin’s 5-year plan ‘Stalin was ruthless in his mission to implement communism in Russia through the Five-Year Plans, from 1928 to 1939.’Critically discuss this statement. Use relevant historical evidence to support your line of argument.

Joseph Stalin led the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as an absolute dictator from 1929 to 1953. After Stalin established his supremacy, he abused the power he gained. This resulted in unimaginable destruction to the USSR. After analyzing Stalin's early life, implemented policies, and global impact, we can see that Stalin was a ruthless leader. Stalin wanted to convert the Soviet Union into a world power in a short period. Stalin was determined to achieve massive agricultural and industrial advancement in record time through his Five-Year Plans which was introduced in 1928. Agriculture was collectivized to form much bigger farms under state control. This led to a grain crisis between 1927 and 1928 because many peasants refused to effectively participate in collectivization. Stalin used forcible requisitioning of produce and it became official policy. People who disobeyed were shot or sent to labor camps. Massive uprising by peasants in March 1930. A little more freedom was given and the situation on collective farms slowly stabilized. By 1937, more than 90% of peasants lived and worked on collective farms. Industrialization was necessary for collectivization to succeed. Bigger farms needed tractors and agricultural machines. The focus was on heavy industry and very rapid industrial progress. New factories and towns developed rapidly. New roads and railways had to be built. The government set up extremely ambitious targets. The Second Five Year Plans focussed on heavy industry, communication, railways, energy, and defense. The outbreak of the Second World War interrupted the Third Five Year Plans. Fast industrialization was achieved by massive propaganda, forced labor, terror, competition and incentives, low wages, technical training, and literacy programs. The Soviet Union’s success can be measured by its participation in World War II. The USSR succeeded in helping the Allies obtain victory over Germany. Stalin was able to turn the USSR into a world power by the outbreak of World War II, but at a huge cost of human life.

Stalin’s five-year plan The first Five-Year Plan, introduced in 1928, concentrated on the development of iron and steel, machine tools, electric power and transport. Joseph Stalin set the workers high targets. He demanded a 110% increase in coal production, 200% increase in iron production and 335% increase in electric power. Write an essay in which you discuss the impact of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans on the Soviet Union.*

Joseph Stalin, the leader of Russia from 1928-1953, created a 5-year plan that included methods and goals that were detrimental to Russian agriculture in 1928. Stalin wanted to transform individual farms into large collective farms because he saw that the government was losing money to private traders. Stalin introduced the 5-year plan. This brought all industries under state control and all industrial development was planned by the state. The state would decide what would be produced, where and how much. The first 5-year plan was from 1928-1932.it focused heavily on the industries such as iron, steelworks, coal production, chemicals. The target was to increase production by 300%. Also, the necessary infrastructure needed to be set up, roads, railways, and canals. Stalin was convinced the military threat would come from the west. Therefore, these new industrial complexes were located deep inside Russia, to the east of the Ural Mountains, so they couldn’t be attacked. Workers faced terrible conditions, and many were displaced by collectivization. Despite poor planning, the first 5-year plan achieved great progress. Industrial cities such as Magnitogorsk were built, and Moscow underground started. In 1932 Stalin announced the first 5-year plan was completed in 4 years. The second 5-year plan was from 1933-1937. It aimed to build on and rectify the faults of the first plan. More realistic targets were set, but they were still demanding. New oil and coal fields were opened. One of the aims was to improve productivity. Fearing the growing threat of the Nazi party in Germany, the main focus of the plan became increasing military. Working and living conditions were still poor but there was some improvement. This plan was also the appearance of Stakhanovism. The third 5-year plan was from 1938-1941 when the war interrupted it. The original plan focused on consumer goods, the production of textiles, and armaments. But with the threat of war with Germany, the emphasis changed to armaments. In June 1941 Germany invaded the USSR ending the plan. Each plan set a target that industries had to meet. The targets were unrealistic but vast improvements were made. The emphasis was on heavy industries such as coal, iron, oil, steel, and electricity. Russia became one of the greatest industrial nations. Without these 5-year plans, Russia would not have been able to withstand Nazi Germany's attacks from 1941 onwards.

STALIN’S FIVE-YEAR PLAN Discuss the impact of Stalin’s Five-Year Plan on the people of the Soviet Union. KEY ASPECTS Introduction Stalin’s economic policy of industrialisation – make a statement linked to the question. Purges and show trials of the 1930s and the effects of Stalin’s policies on the Soviets.

The main focus of Stalin's economic policies was industrialization. Stalin wanted to turn the Soviet Union into a world power. Heavy industries expanded drastically. New towns and infrastructure developed. Remarkable achievements were made, but many problems occurred. High production levels were important “ forced labor. Laborers worked under very dangerous conditions and casualty rates were high. The Five-Year Plan was highly successful, although achieved through great suffering and sacrifice by ordinary people. Millions of people who opposed or were thought of being critical of Stalin's policies were executed, sent to forced labor camps, or simply disappeared. This was referred to as The Great Terror. Purges were carried out by Stalin's secret police. Show trials where people were forced to confess publicly to a variety of crimes (mostly Lenin's supporters and old Bolsheviks). All original leadership from Lenin's time was executed. Most supporters of the previous regime were imprisoned or executed. There was an extended network of slave labor camps called gulags. Millions of people died in these camps. No one was allowed to criticize Stalin. Life for the Soviet people was strictly controlled. People could be sent to the gulags for minor crimes like being late for work. Force and propaganda were used to increase productivity. Food was rationed “ many people starved to death. Working hours were increased and production targets were enforced. Children were taught to be loyal communists from a very young age. Everyone had to praise Stalin. Children were encouraged to join youth organizations that developed communist beliefs. Non-communist teachers were replaced by communist teachers. Shortage of consumer goods and housing due to the focus on industrial development. Despite all the problems, daily life for many Soviets improved. Almost everyone was employed by the government and unemployment numbers were very low. Big families were encouraged, although women were encouraged to work and receive an education. Day-care centers opened to support working mothers. Stalin was able to turn the USSR into a world power by the outbreak of World War II, but at a huge cost of human life....