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• 20th Century

What Were Stalin’s Five Year Plans?

Celeste Neill

20 jun 2023.

On 1 October 1928 Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Russia launched the first Five Year Plan, a series of revolutionary economic reforms which transformed Russia from a peasant society into a power capable of resisting the might of Hitler’s Germany.

Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin had died in 1924, and in the ensuing power struggle the Georgian Joseph Stalin came to the fore as the General Secretary and the de facto leader of Soviet Russia. 

What was Stalin’s Five Year Plan?

Between 1928 and 1932, Stalin’s Five Year Plan was targeted at collectivizing agriculture and developing heavy industry. This was the first of four so-called plans, which took place in 1928-32, 1933-37, 1938-42 and 1946-53.

After a period of relative economic liberalism Stalin decided that a wholesale restructuring of the economy was needed, claiming that unless the Soviets caught up with the capitalist western powers they would be destroyed.

Stalin famously stated: ”We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make up this gap in ten years. Either we do it or they will crush us.”

The requisition of grains from wealthy peasants (kulaks) during the forced collectivization in Timashyovsky District, Kuban Soviet Union. 1933. Image credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Credit: Credited to U. Druzhelubov. The date of death is impossible to determine therefore PMA is not known., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Mechanisation and collectivisation

Stalin’s first Five Year Plan involved the mechanisation and collectivisation of agriculture in a bid to make it more efficient. It also involved the opening of huge new industrial centres in previously uninhabited areas rich in natural resources, such as Magnitogorsk, built near huge iron and steel reserves east of the Ural Mountains.

Economic activity was pushed in the direction of heavy industries, which lead to a 350 percent increase in output, in a bid to prepare Russia for an industrialised war . The first Five Year Plan also had a revolutionary effect on society, as millions left the farms to pursue new lives in the cities.

The human cost

Despite these successes, Stalin’s Five Year Plan was not an unqualified success. In addition to mechanisation and collectivisation, key features of the first Five Year Plan included the disastrous impact it had on human lives. Aside from the terrible conditions in the new factories, where unskilled workers had little idea of how to operate machines, the collectivisation of agriculture was ruinous.

Political prisoners eating lunch in the Minlag ‘special camp’ coal mine. In ‘special camps’ prisoners had to wear prison garb with personal numbers. Image credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Credit: Kauno IX forto muziejus / Kaunas 9th Fort Museum, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Millions died in the subsequent famine and peasant disturbances. An entire social class of wealthier peasants – the Kulaks, who had accumulated more land, livestock, or wealth than their fellow peasants — were accused of sabotaging the progress of the Plan. Consequently they were either massacred or imprisoned in Gulags , which were forced labour camps, so that the state could exploit their land for collectivisation.

As many of the deaths were in non-Russian areas such as Ukraine, the Five Year Plan created lasting divisions between Russians and non-Russians.

The policies also played a role in causing the Holodomor, a mass famine in the Ukraine, and Soviet inactivity in response to the catastrophe has lead to a recent re-categorisation of events as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.

World War Two

In World War Two , the tensions caused by the first Five Year Plan proved consequential. Ukrainians, for example, who were subject to its disastrous effects were more willing to collaborate with the Nazis against the USSR.

The first Five Year Plan actually lasted 4 years, as it supposedly met all of its objectives earlier than expected. On the other hand, this can be ascribed to Russian propaganda efforts. Nevertheless, the first plan and those that followed, which continued the general objectives of the first while also emphasising the production of military hardware , were critical in preparing Russia for an industrialised war.

It seems unlikely that Russia could have resisted Nazi invasion without the immense industrialisation program that had been undertaken in the years prior. However, the vast cost in human life of the Five Year Plans and the invasion of Russia itself remain a dark stain on the history of the 20th century.

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How to write an essay about Stalin’s Five Year Plans

How to write an essay on stalin’s five year plans: a comprehensive guide.

Stalin’s Five Year Plans were a series of centralized economic plans implemented in the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1932. These plans aimed to transform the Soviet Union from an agricultural society into an industrialized nation through rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture. The plans were characterized by ambitious production targets, strict state control, and the use of forced labor.

Writing an essay on Stalin’s Five Year Plans can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can be a rewarding experience. To begin with, it is important to understand the historical context in which the plans were implemented and the impact they had on the Soviet Union and its people. This requires a thorough analysis of primary and secondary sources, including government documents, speeches, and scholarly articles.

Moreover, a successful essay on Stalin’s Five Year Plans should also address the controversies and debates surrounding the plans. While some historians argue that the plans were necessary for the Soviet Union’s survival and modernization, others criticize the plans for their human cost and inefficiencies. By examining multiple perspectives and sources, a well-crafted essay can provide a nuanced understanding of this complex historical topic.

Section 2: Historical Background

Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He was known for his strong leadership and his desire to modernize the Soviet Union. Stalin believed that the Soviet Union needed to catch up with the industrialized Western countries in order to protect itself from foreign threats.

In order to achieve this goal, Stalin introduced a series of Five Year Plans. These plans were designed to rapidly industrialize the Soviet Union and transform it from an agricultural society into an industrial powerhouse. The first Five Year Plan was launched in 1928 and focused on heavy industry, such as steel production and coal mining.

The Soviet Union had a long way to go to catch up with the industrialized nations of the West. The country had been devastated by World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the subsequent civil war. The economy was in shambles, and the country was facing widespread famine and poverty. Stalin’s Five Year Plans were seen as a way to modernize the country and improve the lives of its citizens.

However, the Five Year Plans were not without their drawbacks. The rapid industrialization came at a great cost to the people of the Soviet Union. Workers were forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions for low pay. Many were sent to labor camps or executed for failing to meet production quotas. The agricultural sector suffered as resources were diverted to heavy industry, leading to widespread famine and starvation.

Despite these drawbacks, the Five Year Plans were largely successful in achieving their goal of modernizing the Soviet Union. By the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union had become a major industrial power, with a strong military and a growing economy. The legacy of Stalin’s Five Year Plans can still be seen in modern-day Russia, where heavy industry continues to play a major role in the country’s economy.

Overview of Stalin’s Five Year Plans

Stalin’s Five Year Plans were a series of centralized economic plans in the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1932. The main objective of these plans was to rapidly industrialize the country and modernize the economy. The first Five Year Plan focused on heavy industry, such as steel, coal, and machinery production, while subsequent plans emphasized the development of consumer goods and agriculture.

The Five Year Plans were implemented through a series of strict quotas and targets that were set by the government. These targets were often unrealistic and led to a number of negative consequences, including widespread famine, labor shortages, and poor working conditions. However, the plans also led to significant advancements in Soviet industry, particularly in the production of heavy machinery and steel.

The Five Year Plans were accompanied by a number of political changes, including the elimination of private enterprise and the collectivization of agriculture. These policies were often enforced through violent means, such as the forced relocation of peasants and the execution of political dissidents.

Despite the significant human cost of the Five Year Plans, they are often credited with transforming the Soviet Union from an agricultural society into an industrial powerhouse. The plans laid the groundwork for the country’s rapid industrialization during World War II and its subsequent emergence as a superpower during the Cold War.

Key Features of Stalin’s Five Year Plans

The Five Year Plans were a series of centralized economic plans in the Soviet Union, created under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. The first plan was launched in 1928 and the last one ended in 1952. These plans were designed to transform the Soviet Union from an agricultural country into an industrial powerhouse.

The key features of Stalin’s Five Year Plans are:

• Centralized Planning:  The Soviet government controlled all economic decisions, and the plans were created by a central planning agency. The government set targets for production, and factories were required to meet these targets.
• Industrialization:  The main goal of the Five Year Plans was to rapidly industrialize the Soviet Union. This was achieved through the construction of new factories, power plants, and transportation infrastructure.
• Collectivization:  The government forced farmers to give up their private land and join collective farms. This was done to increase agricultural productivity and provide a source of food for the growing urban population.
• Heavy Industry:  The Five Year Plans focused on the development of heavy industry, such as steel production and machine building. This was seen as essential for the modernization of the Soviet economy.
• Rapid Growth:  The Soviet Union experienced rapid economic growth during the Five Year Plans, with industrial production increasing by over 250% between 1928 and 1937.

Despite the successes of the Five Year Plans, there were also significant costs. The forced collectivization of agriculture led to widespread famine and the deaths of millions of people. The focus on heavy industry also meant that consumer goods were in short supply, and living standards for ordinary people were often low.

Writing the Essay: Tips and Strategies

When writing an essay about Stalin’s Five Year Plans, it is important to keep in mind the purpose of the essay. The purpose is to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the Five Year Plans in achieving their goals, and to provide evidence to support your arguments.

One tip for writing a successful essay is to start with a clear thesis statement. The thesis statement should clearly state your argument and provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay. It should be specific and concise, and should be supported by evidence from primary and secondary sources.

Another strategy for writing a successful essay is to organize your ideas into a logical structure. This can be done by creating an outline or a mind map, which will help you to identify the main points of your argument and how they relate to each other. You can then use this structure to guide the writing process, ensuring that each paragraph and section of the essay contributes to the overall argument.

When writing the essay, it is important to use evidence to support your arguments. This can include statistics, quotes from primary sources, and analysis of secondary sources. It is also important to acknowledge and address counterarguments, as this will demonstrate that you have considered multiple perspectives and have a nuanced understanding of the topic.

Finally, it is important to proofread and edit your essay carefully. This will ensure that the essay is free from errors and is presented in a clear and concise manner. You can also ask a friend or family member to read over your essay and provide feedback, as this can help you to identify areas for improvement and refine your argument.

Sample Outline for an Essay on Stalin’s Five Year Plans

When writing an essay on Stalin’s Five Year Plans, it’s important to have a clear and well-organized outline. This will help you stay focused and ensure that your essay is coherent and easy to follow. Here is a sample outline to get you started:

I. Introduction

• Brief overview of Stalin’s Five Year Plans
• Thesis statement

II. Background Information

• Historical context and political climate in Soviet Union during the time of the Five Year Plans
• Overview of the economic conditions in the Soviet Union before the implementation of the Five Year Plans

III. Implementation of the Five Year Plans

• Overview of the first, second, and third Five Year Plans
• Details on the specific goals and targets of each plan
• Discussion on the methods used to achieve these goals, including collectivization and industrialization

IV. Impact of the Five Year Plans

• Economic outcomes of the Five Year Plans, including improvements in industrial production and agricultural output
• Social impacts of the Five Year Plans, including changes in living standards and working conditions
• Political implications of the Five Year Plans, including the consolidation of Stalin’s power and the impact on Soviet foreign policy

V. Criticisms of the Five Year Plans

• Overview of the criticisms leveled against the Five Year Plans, including their impact on the environment and human rights abuses
• Discussion on the validity of these criticisms and their impact on the legacy of the Five Year Plans

VI. Conclusion

• Restatement of thesis
• Summary of key points
• Final thoughts on the significance of the Five Year Plans in Soviet history

By following this outline, you can ensure that your essay on Stalin’s Five Year Plans is well-structured and informative. Remember to use credible sources and avoid making exaggerated or false claims. Good luck!

Stalin’s Five Year Plans were a significant milestone in the history of the Soviet Union. They were aimed at transforming the country from an agrarian society into an industrialized one. The plans were successful in achieving the desired results, but at a great cost. The human toll was immense, with millions of people dying due to famine and forced labor. The plans were also criticized for their lack of focus on consumer goods and their overemphasis on heavy industry.

Despite the criticisms, the Five Year Plans had a lasting impact on the Soviet Union. They laid the foundation for the country’s industrialization and helped it become a superpower. The plans also set the stage for the country’s involvement in World War II and its eventual victory over Nazi Germany.

Writing an essay on Stalin’s Five Year Plans requires a deep understanding of the historical context and the impact of the plans on the Soviet Union. It is important to present a balanced view of the plans, highlighting both their achievements and their shortcomings. By doing so, the essay can provide a nuanced understanding of one of the most significant events in Soviet history.

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Reasoning for the First Five-Year Plan

Prior to launching the first Soviet five-year plan, the Soviet Union had been facing threats from external sources as well as experiencing an economic and industrial downturn since the introduction of Bolshevik rule. The first war threat emerged from the East in 1924. A war scare arose in 1927 when multiple Western states, like Great Britain, began cutting off diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. This created fear among the Soviets that the West was preparing to attack the Soviet Union again; during the Russian Civil War, foreign powers had occupied portions of Russian territory.

The fear of invasion from the West left the Soviets feeling a need for rapid industrialization to increase Soviet war-making potential, and to compete with the Western powers. At the same time as the War Scare of 1927, dissatisfaction grew among the peasantry of the Soviet Union. This dissatisfaction arose from the famine of the early 1920s, as well as from increasing mistreatment of the peasants. Also during this time the secret police (the OGPU) had begun rounding up political dissenters in the Soviet Union. All these tensions had the potential to destroy the young Soviet Union and forced Joseph Stalin to introduce rapid industrialization of heavy industry so that the Soviet Union could address external and internal threats if needed.

Rapid Growth of Heavy Industry

The central aspect of the first Soviet five-year plan was the rapid industrialization of the Soviet Union from October 1928 to December 1932, which was thought to be the most crucial time for Russian industrialization. Lenin himself before the time of his death, knew the importance of building a transitional state to communism and was quoted saying "Modern industry is the key to this transformation, the time has come to construct our fatherland anew with the hands of machines". Rapid growth was facilitated starting in 1928 and continued to accelerate because of the building of heavy industry, which in turn raised living standards for peasants escaping the countryside.

The Bolsheviks' need for rapid industrialization was once again out of the fear of impending war from the West. If war were to break out between the Soviet Union and the West, the Soviets would be fighting against some of the most industrialized nations in the world. The rapid industrialization would inhibit fears of being left unprotected if War between the Soviets and the West were to occur. To meet the needs of a possible war, the Soviet leaders set unrealistic quotas for production. To meet those unrealistic needs, the facilities had to be constructed quickly to facilitate material production before goods could be produced. During this period 1928–1932, massive industrial centers emerged in areas that were highly isolated before.

These factories were not only for war production, but to produce tractors to meet the needs of mechanized agriculture. The Stalingrad Tractor Plant was built with the help of western allies and was meant to play a major factor in the rapid industrialization of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. These isolated areas included Magnitogorsk, Dnieper, and Nizhny Novgorod. Magnitogorsk, the largest of the rapid industrialized areas of Russia, was founded in 1743, but became more prevalent in the early 1930s by Stalin. His plan was to make it a one-industry town. The city would become the largest steel producer in Russia and was meant to rival production that was being seen in the U.S. at the same time. During this era of Soviet history, heavy industry was supposed to experience a 350% increase in output.

The Soviet Union's achievements were tremendous during the first five-year plan, which yielded a fifty-percent increase in industrial output. To achieve this massive economic growth, the Soviet Union had to reroute essential resources to meet the needs of heavy industry. 80% of the total investment of the first five-year plan, was focused heavily on the industrial sector. Programs not necessary to heavy industry were cut from the Soviet budget; and because of the redistribution of industrial funding, basic goods, such as food, became scarce. The Soviet Union then decided that the workers necessary for further industrialization should be given most of the available food.

From this rapid industrialization a new working class emerged in the Soviet Union. This new society was to be an industrial working class, which could be considered much of the population with the purpose of becoming a technologically advanced industry. During this time the industrial workforce rose from 3.12 million in 1928 to 6.01 million at the end of the plan in 1932. Behind the Urals, a book by John Scott posed the question of the paranoia felt by the workers in these factories during the first five-year plan.

The requisition of grains from wealthy peasants (kulaks) during the forced collectivization in Timashyovsky District, Kuban Soviet Union. 1933

By 1928, with the rapid industrialization, and mass urbanization that followed, consumption was to increase rapidly as well. Need for urban dwellers to be fed, the FYP increased collectivization, leading to its recognition be largely associated with Stalin. Beginning in 1929 under the FYP, mass collectivization was communal farms being assigned an amount of agricultural output with government coercion. Villages had to agree to collectivization: some collectivization planners would hold endless meetings that would not end until villages joined; another tactic was through intimidation and coercion. Mass agricultural collectivization was largely supported by the middle and poor peasantry.

As the peasant class itself was divided into three groups: kulaks, wealthy; serednyak, middle; bednyak, poor. The middle and lower class supported collectivization, because it took private land from individual kulaks, and distributed it among the serednyak and bednyak's villages. With the serednyak and bednyak joining collectivization they were also joining a kolkhoz. The kulaks did not support mass collectivization, as their land was being taken from them as well as their animals.

At the end of 1929 the Soviets asserted themselves to forming collectivized peasant agriculture, but the "kulaks" had to be "liquidated as a class," because of their resistance to fixed agricultural prices. Resulting from this, the party behavior became uncontrolled and manic when the party began to requisition food from the countryside. Kulaks were executed, exiled or deported, based on their level of resistance to collectivization. The kulaks who were considered "counter-revolutionary" were executed or exiled, those who opposed collectivization were deported to remote regions and the rest were resettled to non-arable land in the same region. In the years following the agricultural collectivization, the reforms would disrupt the Soviet food supply. In turn, this disruption would eventually lead to famines for the many years following the first five-year plan, with 6–7 million dying from starvation in 1933. Although Stalin reported in 1930 that collectivization was aiding the country, this was the era of exaggeration. Collectivization was under-planned; a lack of instructions, and unrealistic quotas were the reality. Lacking a foundation, collectivization led to the Kazakh famine of 1931–1933, in a region that had been a major grain producer. Farmers of Kazakhstan rejected collectivization, and protested, while Stalin raised quotas, meaning peasants would not be able to eat and would psychologically break them. Those who did not give up their grain were considered breaking Soviet law, which caused the famine. Death rates are estimated between 6–7 million. Stalin's second wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva, committed suicide due to the atrocities of collectivization, particularly the famine. By the end of the FYP, agricultural collectivization showed minimal growth in production as well as profits, agricultural collectivization was a failure for the Soviets.

Prisoner Labor

Yakov Guminer's [ru] 1931 propaganda poster reading: "The arithmetic of an industrial-financial counter-plan: 2 + 2 + Enthusiasm of workers = 5"

Although many of the goals set by the plan were not fully met, there were several economic sectors that still saw large increases in their output. Areas like capital goods increased 158%, consumer goods increased by 87%, and total industrial output increased by 118%. In addition, despite the difficulties that agriculture underwent throughout the plan, the Soviets recruited more than 70,000 volunteers from the cities to help collectivize and work on farms in the rural areas. The largest success of the first five-year plan, however, was the Soviet Union beginning its journey to become an economic and industrial superpower. Stalin declared the plan a success at the beginning of 1933, noting the creation of several heavy industries where none had existed, and that the plan was fulfilled in four years and three months instead of five years. The plan was also lauded by some members of the Western media, and although much of his reporting was later disputed, New York Times reporter Walter Duranty received the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence for his coverage of the first five-year plan. Duranty's coverage of the five-year plan's many successes led directly to Franklin Roosevelt officially recognizing the Soviet Union in 1933. The first five-year plan also began to prepare the Soviet Union to win in the Second World War. Without the initial five-year plan, and the ones that followed, the Soviet Union would not have been prepared for the German invasion in 1941. Due to the rapid industrialization of the plan, as well as the strategic construction of arms manufacturers in areas less vulnerable to future warfare, the Soviet Union was partially able to build the weapons it needed to defeat the Germans in 1945.

The first plan saw unrealistic quotas set for industrialization that, in reality, would not be met for decades to come. The great push for industrialization caused quotas to consistently be looked at and adjusted. Quotas expecting to reach 235.9 percent output and labor to increase by 110 percent were unrealistic in the time frame they allotted for. The goals for the plans were not set and those that were, were constantly changed. Each time one quota was met, it was revised and made larger. Unions were being shut down which meant workers were no longer allowed to strike and not be protected from being fired or dismissed from work for reasons such as being late or just missing a day.

Stamp commemorating the First Five Year plan depicts a man and woman working together in an industrial setting.

A number of streets and squares in major Russian cities are named after the plan, including the First Five-Year Plan Street in Chelyabinsk and Volgograd, and First Five-Year Plan Square in Yekaterinburg. The First Five-Year Plan saw Soviet cities sharply rise in population. At least 23 million Soviet peasants moved into cities, with Moscow's population rising by nearly 60 percent. A large portion of the Soviet Union's urbanization was due to the deportation of peasants from villages. From 1929 through 1931, 1.4 million peasants were deported into cities.

The Five Year Plan saw the expedited transformation of Soviet social relations, nature, and economy. The plan's greatest supporters viewed it as the means to change the Soviet Union economically and socially. This change was visibly seen in the role of women in the industrial workplace where rudimentary figures show they comprised 30 percent of the workforce. The prevalence of women within the industrial workplace saw International Women's Day rise in significance in Soviet Culture. The Five Year Plans also saw a cultural change in the decline of the Kulak population within the Soviet Union. Members of Agitprop brigands attempted to use the push towards industrialization to isolate peasants from religion and away from the formerly influential Kulak population with performances in which they would deem that issues faced by peasant populations were the faults of the Kulaks. From 1929 through 1931, 3.5 million Kulaks were dispossessed by the Soviet Union and left with no choice but relocation to cities.

State Investment

As a result of the First Five Year Plan, state investment volume increased from 15% in 1928 to 44% in 1932 due to the rise in industry. The First Five Year Plan resulted in the easy access of staple foods bread, potatoes and cabbage across the Soviet Union. Severe drops in agriculture did however result in famine and inflation as agricultural output and livestock numbers in general dropped.

Soviet reports from before the Five Year Plan found that much of the military production capacities in the Soviet Union lay in the country's war threatened Western provinces and notably the city of Leningrad. In 1931 evacuation plans for military production facilities into deeper Soviet territories were drafted beginning a policy that would accelerate and relocate deeper within the Soviet Union during World War II.

Film Industry

Between 1929 and 1936 the Soviet Union shifted from producing solely silent films to solely sound films. During this period, the Soviet government signed agreements with American, French and German companies to develop sound technology for Soviet cinema.

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Five The First Five-Year Plan, 1928–1932

• Published: June 2014
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This chapter turns to the history of Soviet theater from 1928 to 1932. The Five-Year Plan was executed to make the USSR an industrial nation. While collectivization had little effect on the arts, industrialization required their full participation as impetus and propaganda. In 1928, Sovnarkom created an Arts Sector of the Commissariat of Enlightenment ( Glavnoe Upravlenie delam khudozhestvennogo literatury i iskusstva ), or Glaviskusstvo for short. Glavrepertkom was incorporated as an office within it and was charged with monitoring and approving all plays prior to production. Its name was changed to the Council for Belles-Lettres and Art ( Sovet po khudozhestvennom literatury i iskusstv ) in September 1929, and it was moved from Narkompros to Sovnarkom. A massive censorship machine was another new project under construction.

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History Grade 11 - Topic 1 Essay Questions

Explain to what extent Stalin succeeded in transforming Russia into a superpower by 1939.

Stalin came to power on the back of Lenin’s death in 1925, after which he instituted a range of far-reaching policy changes that would alter the course of Russian society and politics for the rest of the 20th century. The communist Soviet Union we now remember was the product of Stalin, although it can be argued that Lenin was responsible for laying the foundations of its highly authoritarian political culture. The new Russia under Stalin was supposed to radically break from the economic and social backwardness that characterised the Tsarist regime, and which Lenin had little time to achieve. In many ways, Stalin did create a completely different Russia, one almost unrecognisable from before the October revolution which overthrew the provisional government. However, whether that translated into it being a superpower is quite another thing. This paper will argue that although momentous and radical, the reforms Stalin instituted did not transform Russia into a superpower by 1939, although it did lay the framework for such a status to be attained during the post-WWII era.

Stalin rose to power as the leader of the Soviet Union by crushing his opposition in the Central Committee led by Leon Trotsky. Although we shall not detail this complicated political battle, it is important to note that the vying for power between the powerful figures was also a contestation over the ideological and policy framework which the Soviet Union should take. By the late 1920s, Stalin had emerged victorious, and went on to institute his own brand of communism in the Soviet Union. This centred on the notion of ‘Socialism in one Country’, which was ideally to build up the “industrial base and military might of the Soviet Union before exporting revolution abroad.” [1] This was in contrast to earlier pronouncements made by Lenin and Trotsky, which indicated the need to establish a worldwide ‘uninterrupted revolution’ of workers. [2] The logic here was that socialism could never survive independently outside of a socialist world order; Stalin, on the other hand, saw a national socialism – which, ironically, would be compared to Nazism – as the only way for socialism to survive. [3]

The practical effects of Stalin’s socialism in one country was the rescindment of the New Economic Policy (NEP) – which had allowed for small-scale capitalist enterprise to operate – the collectivisation of agriculture, and rapid forced industrialisation. [4] Socialism in one country forced the Soviet Union to look inwards, to create a socialist nation whose lessons and ideas could then be exported overseas. This means that, for all practical purposes, Russia was not interested in attaining any overtly ‘superpower’ status in global politics. It meant, in terms of foreign policy, of “putting the interests of the Soviet Union ahead of the interests of the international communist movement.” [5] Ideally, when Russia became powerful enough, it would then ferment for workers’ revolutions the world over.

The costs and benefits of these sweeping policy changes – which essentially closed off the Soviet Union from the outside world – are difficult to determine. On the one hand, they certainly led to large-scale industrialisation which outstripped the pace of Russia’s Western counterparts. Through the policy instrument of Five-Year Plans, which set production targets for industries and farms, Stalin was able to bring Russia up to date with modern heavy-industry production techniques and increase output exponentially. For example, cast iron production increased 439% in ten years, and coal extraction 361%. [6] Russia also went on an extensive electrification programme, called GOELRO, which increased electricity production from 1.9 billion kWh in 1913 to 48 billion kWh in 1940. [7]

However, despite the resounding success with which certain - especially heavy - industries benefitted from forced industrialisation, many other industries and rural farmers often suffered. Because of the focus on heavy industrialisation, lighter industries that catered for consumer goods were often poorly made and faced shortages. The agricultural collectivisation programme which was conducted with increased inflexibility and violence across the Russian hinterland cost the lives of millions of peasants, who died of hunger resulting from famine caused by the upheaval of forced collectivisation. Figures range from 5.6 million to 13.4 million. [8] Millions of other prosperous peasants – known as Kulaks – were sent to gulag camps in Siberia for work; Molotov suggested that between 1.3 and 1.5 kulak households (accounting for between 6 and 7 million persons) were expropriated. [9] Thus, whilst Stalin broke the back of these peasants – by 1941, 97% of agriculture was conducted in collectives, and finally there was enough food to feed the cities – the human cost remains an ever-contested aspect of this period.

What is clear about this period, is that these policies centralised the economy and political power in Russia in Stalin’s hands. The increased industrial output, and the ability for (eventual) increased agricultural production to feed the cities, allowed Russia a certain amount of confidence in its ability to conduct itself as an industrial nation. As Stalin was once quoted as saying, “We are fifty to one hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or they crush us.” [10] Thus, one of the primary reasons for industrialisation was for the ability for Russia to protect itself. This fits in well with the overall ideological implication of Stalin’s ‘socialism in one country’, which advocated for an insular reading of socialism that would allow for ‘proper’ socialist conditions to be reached within the massive country before a worldwide socialist revolution took place.

And in many ways, the industrial capacity generated during Stalin’s leadership up to 1939 was crucial for Russia to defend itself against Germany in 1941. Not only did allow for the production of millions of armaments and supplies crucial to the success of any armed conflict, but it also laid the groundwork for a post-war reconstruction. Because the Soviet Union boasted such impressive industrial capacity, it could rebuild after WWII much easier – and more importantly, without the help of aid from the West, especially the USA. The Marshall Plan, in which the USA loaned $15 billion to European countries to help rebuild industry and cities after their decimation during the second world war, was largely a strategic move to counter the spread of communism in Europe. [11] The spread of Russian influence into eastern Europe, on the other hand, was premised on its industrial power, which resulted in its alternative to the Marshall Plan - namely the Molotov Plan - which extended aid to socialist regimes in central and eastern Europe. [12]

The success of Russian industrialisation and agricultural collectivisation during the pre-war years allowed for the repel of German forces and the extension of Russian influence into the eastern European region. It was then that Russia became a superpower. In fact, it is only during the post-WWII war era when the notion of an international ‘superpower’ becomes widespread, when the cold war divides the world into two ideologically opposed sides – America on the one side and the Soviet Union on the other. [13] One could thus argue that the relative military strength of Russia after WWII, a result of its impressive industrial capacity – and its focus on heavy industry and agricultural production – meant that it could become a superpower. Thus, although no one would suggest that Russia was a superpower before WWII in 1939, its ability to retain its industrial strength after the war meant that it would become one. In conclusion, although Stalin did not transform Russia into a superpower by 1939, he laid the necessary groundwork for that to occur in the post-war era.

This content was originally produced for the SAHO classroom by Sebastian Moronell, Ayabulela Ntwakumba, Simone van der Colff & Thandile Xesi.

[1] "Communism - Stalinism". 2021. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/communism/Stalinism#ref539199

[2] Erik Van Ree. "Socialism in One Country: A Reassessment." Studies in East European Thought 50, no. 2 (1998): 77.

[3] Kate Frey. 2020. "An Introduction to Trotsky’s Theory of Permanent Revolution". Left Voice. https://www.leftvoice.org/an-introduction-to-trotskys-theory-of-permane… .

[4] "Communism - Stalinism". 2021. Encyclopedia Britannica.

[6] John P. Hardt and Carl Modig. The Industrialization of Soviet Russia in the First Half Century. Research Analysis Corp. McLean, 1968, pg. 6.

[8] Massimo Livi-Bacci. "On the Human Costs of Collectivization in the Soviet Union." Population and Development Review (1993): 751

[9] Ibid, pg. 744.

[10] Flewers, Paul. 2021. "The Economic Policy of The Soviet By Isaac Deutscher 1948". Marxists.Org. https://www.marxists.org/archive/deutscher/1948/economic-policy.htm .

[11] "Marshall Plan". 2021. History. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/marshall-plan-1 .

[12] Morroe Berger. "How the Molotov Plan Works." The Antioch Review 8, no. 1 (1948): 18.

[13] Joseph M. Siracusa. "Reflections on the Cold War." Australasian Journal of American Studies (2009): 3.

• Berger, Morroe. "How the Molotov Plan Works." The Antioch Review 8, no. 1 (1948): 17-25.
• "Communism - Stalinism". 2021. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/communism/Stalinism#ref539199 .
• Flewers, Paul. 2021. "The Economic Policy of the Soviet by Isaac Deutscher 1948". Marxists.Org. https://www.marxists.org/archive/deutscher/1948/economic-policy.htm .
• Frey, Kate. 2020. "An Introduction to Trotsky’S Theory of Permanent Revolution". Left Voice. https://www.leftvoice.org/an-introduction-to-trotskys-theory-of-permanent-revolution .
• Livi-Bacci, Massimo. "On the Human Costs of Collectivization in the Soviet Union." Population and Development Review (1993): 743-766.
• "Marshall Plan". 2021. History. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/marshall-plan-1.
• Siracusa, Joseph M. "Reflections on the Cold War." Australasian Journal of American Studies (2009): 1-16.
• Van Ree, Erik. "Socialism in One Country: A Reassessment." Studies in East European Thought 50, no. 2 (1998): 77-117.
• Hardt, John P. and Carl Modig. The Industrialization of Soviet Russia in the First Half Century. Research Analysis Corp. McLean, 1968.

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Stalin Five Year Plan Essay Grade 11 History Memorandum (Questions and Answers)

An answer guide for Stalin Five Year Plan Essay History Grade 11 with memorandum on pdf:

The Five Year Plan was a set of economic goals that were developed in the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. The plan was launched in 1928, and it aimed to transform the Soviet Union from an agricultural economy into an industrial powerhouse.

One of the main goals of the Five Year Plan was to increase the production of heavy industry, such as steel and machinery, in order to support the growth of other industries. The Soviet Union was still primarily an agricultural country at the time, so this was a significant shift in economic policy.

Another key goal of the Five Year Plan was to improve the infrastructure of the Soviet Union, including transportation and communication systems. This was important in order to support the growth of industry and to facilitate the movement of goods and people throughout the country.

The Five Year Plan was implemented through a series of measures, including the collectivization of agriculture, the nationalization of industry, and the use of central planning to direct economic activity. The government also encouraged the development of new technologies and the training of skilled workers to support the growth of industry.

The results of the Five Year Plan were mixed. On the one hand, the Soviet Union did experience significant industrial growth during this time, and the country’s infrastructure was greatly improved. However, the focus on heavy industry came at the expense of consumer goods and agriculture, and many people suffered as a result. The collectivization of agriculture led to a famine in which millions of people died, and the forced labor camps that were established to support the growth of industry were infamous for their harsh conditions and human rights abuses.

In conclusion, the Five Year Plan was a bold and ambitious economic program that aimed to transform the Soviet Union into an industrial powerhouse. While it did lead to significant industrial growth, it came at a great cost to many people, and its legacy continues to be debated to this day.

Do you need Help with your History Grade 11 Essay for 2023?

Please submit the pdf with the questions below:

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Common Essay Questions

Here are ten potential essay questions on the Stalin Five Year Plan for Grade 11:

• What were the goals of the Stalin Five Year Plan, and how were they intended to transform the Soviet economy and society?
• How did Stalin’s Five Year Plan differ from the New Economic Policy (NEP) that had been in place in the Soviet Union during the 1920s?
• What were some of the successes of the Stalin Five Year Plan, and how did they contribute to the growth of the Soviet economy?
• What were some of the challenges and failures of the Stalin Five Year Plan, and how did they impact the Soviet Union?
• What role did forced labor and purges play in the implementation of the Stalin Five Year Plan, and what were their consequences?
• What were the economic and social consequences of collectivization, which was a major aspect of the Stalin Five Year Plan?
• How did the Stalin Five Year Plan affect the lives of ordinary Soviet citizens, particularly workers and peasants?
• What was the role of propaganda in promoting the Stalin Five Year Plan, and how did it shape public perceptions of the plan?
• How did the Stalin Five Year Plan impact the global balance of power, and what were its implications for the emerging Cold War?
• What lessons can be learned from the Stalin Five Year Plan, and how do they relate to current debates about economic planning and socialism?

COMMUNISM IN RUSSIA 1900 T0 1940: STALIN’S INTERPRETATION OF MARXISM

Answer Guide for Stalin Five Year Plan Essay Grade 11

SYNOPSIS In writing this essay, candidates should be able to take a line of argument and critically discuss how Stalin, through the series of Five Year plans changed the economy of the Soviet Union and made it a superpower.

MAIN ASPECTS Candidates should include the following aspects in their response: Introduction: Candidates should contextualize the question and establish a clear line of argument

ELABORATION

• Lenin’s death
• Abandonment of NEP
• Aims of the 5Year plans
• Collectivisation of agriculture
• Elimination of the Kulaks
• Modernization of farming
• Grain requisition
• Rapid industralisation
• Development of heavy industries
• Improvement of transport and communication net works
• Exploitation of newly discovered mineral wealth
• Rapid urbanisation
• Electrification
• Force labour
• Police state and party purges
• Any other relevant response

Conclusion: Candidates should round up their argument with a relevant and contextualized conclusion

Download the complete memorandum:

View all History Grade 11 Study resources Here

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What was the main purpose of Stalin’s 5 year plan

Joseph Stalin’s five years plan is an important way of planning economic growth over a limited period of time. The five-year plans are created with the objective of making a proper plan so that economic growth can be achieved as expected. It was fully utilised in the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin, and later it has been adopted by many socialist states. The first five year plan in the Soviet Union started in 1928 and continued till 1932 under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. The main purpose of this first five year plan was on developing heavy industry and collectivising agriculture and at the same time it was aimed at achieving a drastic fall in consumer goods. The main purpose of Joseph Stalin under the five year plan was to convert the Soviet Union into a world power. This is to achieve by way of a massive agricultural and industrial advancement within a short period of time of five years.

Collectivisation of agriculture remained the focus area in first five year plan

Agriculture was collectivised during this period of five years with the objective of achieving bigger farms under state control. Collectivisation of agriculture means the land would no longer belong to individual peasants and it is acquired by the state. However it does not prove to be effective because it has resulted into a grain crisis and there was lack of effective participation in this collectivisation among many of the peasants. The strategies used by Stalin to ensure active participation were highly abusive and those who disobeyed were shot or sent to labour camps. Collectivisation was forced among the peasants with the objective of industrialisation of agriculture, but there was resistance identified among many of the peasants to collectivise. They were highly interested in working on their own land rather than supporting the attempt to collectivise.

Industrialisation is used as a factor to promote collectivisation

Industrialisation was an essential requirement for the collectivisation to succeed. There were requirements for tractors and agricultural machines by bigger farms, and emphasizes were made on heavy industry and rapid industrial progress. The overall infrastructure was developed at a rapid pace with new factories and towns were set up in record time. New roads and railways were built up with the objective of supporting industrialisation and ultimately collectivisation. The target set up by the government was highly ambitious and industrialization was aimed to accomplish through forced labour, terror, competition and incentives, low wages, technical training and literary programs.

Success/failure of the Stalin’s first five year plan

The overall Emphasis of the first five year plan was therefore on achieving industrialisation and collectivization through forceful measures, and Stalin has declared the success of the first five year plan by all these strategies. Such claims of success of the first five year plan were made on the basis of exceeding the production goals for heavy industry. However, in reality, the plan was considered a failure despite many actions because it failed to meet all the quotas and had a negative implication on human life. All the initiatives to achieve industrialisation were made at the cost of human life and it is the major factor that indicates the failure of the first five year plan. Joseph Stalin carried out many such five year plans after recognising the first one as a successful one.

Subsequent five year plans for Stalin to promote economic growth

The second five year plan started in the year 1933 and continued till 1937 and the focus of this five year plan was on continuing the objective of the first plan i.e. to collectivisation and industrialisation. In addition to this, the second five year plan also emphasised on stanlinist policies and they have created terrible famines that caused the death of millions of people. The third five year plan was carried out from 1938 to 1942 and it focused on the production of armaments. The fourth five year plan started from 1946 and lasted till 1953 and the main emphasis during this period was on heavy industry and military build-up. As a result of this development, the western powers got angry with the Soviet Union.

Important questions on Stalin’s five years plan we can help         

Our professional writing experts are good at providing answers to any of the questions relating to spellings five year plan. Some of the important questions related to Stalin five years plan include:

• ‘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.
• 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.
• 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

We at Student Life Saviour offers best essay writing service in South Africa at affordable prices and can cover topics like Stalin’s five year plans in a perfect way by including introduction, body and conclusion on the five years plan.

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