Five Year Plans and industralisation
State planning that would determine high almost impossible targets for food and industrial production and would also determine prices and wages. this was carried out by Gosplan, state planning agency
Dates
1928-32
1933-37
1938-41 (WW2)
specialists where brought by Stalin to develop industry (lots of british and american engineers)
positive side
production increased tremendously
USSR went from being an undeveloped country to one of the most prosperous in the world
huge succes in production terms
For example, in 1921 9 million tons of coil were produced, and by 1933, it had reached to 76 million
more electricity was produced. this improved living conditions, specially in winter
Stalin was able to prove the world that Communism worked
stalin managed to set a strong image upon Western countries
Negative side
workers were untrained
machines got broken because of unskilled ex paesants, this was not accepted, so these were named saboteurs and were left unemployed. this caused anger and violence and led to some riots
when targets weren't reached on time workers were blamed and fired (more anger and violence)
workers were intimidated to work harder
working conditions were terrible
workers who made mistakes were taken to labour camps
if a worker had a bad record it would remain in a labour book and their food ration would be decreased
when distribution of food got delayed, tons of people starved to death in the cities, while the food was rotting in containers
workers lived in fear of physical punishment
Colectivisation (1929)
paesants in areas were forced to put their plotts of land together to form a collective land. they would have to hand in all of their machines and animals too 9many disagreed). some of the production would be sold to the state at a low price for machinery.
some peasants burned their crops in protest. this led to satrvation or some of them were sent to labour camps (terror)
if they refused to join the collective, they would be labelled as bulaks; shot deported or sent to labour camps
they blamed the bulaks for everything
children were educated to inform, even if it were their own parents
to settle scores some informed on others
as a result there were riots and armed resistance
there was famine as a result. The state was to proud to ask for international aid and so it kept exporting food, while its own population was starving to death
13 million people died as a result of collectivisation