The Effect of the Five Year Plans on the Soviet Industry

The Effect of the Five Year Plans on the Soviet Industry

In 1928 the first five-year plan was formed. There were many

advantages as well as disadvantages to the plan. The five year plan

was to set targets for the Soviet Union (Russia) as in order for

Russia's 'socialism in one country' to work, Russia had to change from

a backward agricultural country into an advanced industrial power.

Stalin stated this in one of his speeches in 1931 where he said: "we

are fifty to one hundred years behind the advance countries to the

west, either we make up this gap in five to ten years or they will

crush us."

The first five-year plan was set for the period of time between 1928

to1933, however all targets were met within four years and so ended in

1932. All the stress was on the 'staple' industries such as steel,

coal, iron, and oil, since they were crucial to the development of the

armed forces. This was also due to Stalin's beliefs on capturing the

basic industries first in order to gain total power. Stalin believed

that once you had all the basics you had everything, as without these

you could do nothing.

In 1932, a year before the plan was due to end it was completed and

industrial output had doubled also some 1500 new industrial plants had

been built. Machine building was concentrated on the most whilst

consumer goods were the least.

There had been many advantages of the rapid industrialization, the

industrial output had been doubled, heavy machinery had been

quadrupled, electricity had been developed with the building of giant

hydroelectric plants on many of the major rivers and so the Soviet

Union (Russia) was now ahead of all industrial countries bar one, the

U.S.A.

The disadvantages though really weren't pleasant. Working hours were

increased and so the people lost their freedom as they no longer

worked to live, but lived to work and got paid little, however if they

did not do their job to Stalin's standards they were sent to the