The Impact of Stalin on Russia and the Russian People

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The Impact of Stalin on Russia and the Russian People

By 1929, Stalin had become sole leader of Russia.

He said, "We are between 50 and 100 years behind the west. We must

make good this difference in 10 years or go under."

He wanted things to change in Russia quickly and so he brought up the

five year plans, these were to modernise the Russian economy. He also

brought up the idea of collectivisation. This was to modernise Russian

agriculture.

These two things would transform Russia. Stalin had "borrowed"

Trotsky's ideas, which was very ironic.

Stalin introduced the five year plans because he wanted to

industrialise the Soviet Union, he felt it was matter of life or

death. If his plans failed he believed the Soviet Union's enemies

would crush it. He wanted rapid industrialisation; this was what

Trotsky had wanted! Stalin gave the responsibility of devising the

plans to GOSPLAN, the state planning bureau. The idea was that the

state would decide targets for industrial production, and would use

central planning and direction of the nation's resources to achieve

the priorities set out in each plan

The first five year plan was launched in 1928. It was to b focused on

building up heavy industry's like coal and steel. Propaganda was used

to try to make the workers finish in just four years. The targets were

tough but enormous increases in production were achieved. The first

five year plan was a success.

The second five year plan (1933-7) concentrated on improving things

like transport and production of machinery.

The third five year plan (1938-41) ran for only three and a half years

before it was interrupted by war.

More and more resources were transferred into defence related

industry's. When war broke out in 1941, Germany was attacking the

world's second greatest industrial power. Fifteen years before, Russia

had been a backward agriculture nation.

Russia would not have survived against Germany without the changes

which the five year plans had brought.

Collectivisation was an attempt to reorganise Russian farming.

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