To What Extent Did Joseph Stalin's First Five Year Plan Affect the Soviet Union's Economy - Research Paper Example

To what extent did Joseph Stalins First five year plan affect the Soviet Unions economy? The history of the USSR cannot be complete in theabsence of one name. Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili better known as Joseph Stalin. The man who ruled the USSR from 1928 to 1953 has his place firmly etched in the history of the former communist state. Stalin took the reigns of leadership after the death Lenin and steered the USSR at one of the most important times in its history. It is during Stalin’s leadership that USSR emerged from a traditional economy dependent on subsistence farming to a global super power. (Lawton 20). This was achieved courtesy of Stalin’s five year plans launched under a command economy with the sole aim of achieving industrialization in the Soviet Union within 10 years. According to Otfinoski the five year plans were implemented in two phases, one from 1928 to 1933 and the second one from 1932 to 1937. (105). In both plans, all the industries, regions, factories and even factories were given targets to meet as their contribution towards the industrialization of the Soviet Union. Needless to say that these plans were implemented in a ruthless manner by officials of the Stalin administration. Failure to meet the set target was met with dire consequences. Ulam notes that opposing these plans was out of the question and those who dared oppose them were either killed or taken as slaves. (22-23). At the end of the first five year plan remarkable success had already been witnessed. New industries had come up and the USSR had grown from a peripheral player in world politics to a global super power. At the same time a lot more had happened. So to what extent did Stalin’s first five year plan affect the Soviet Union’s economy? This is the question the essay tries to answer. Introduction. Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He was born in the town of Gori in the year 1879 in the present day republic of Georgia. At birth he was known as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili but he later acquired the name Stalin which means a man of might, the iron man or simply the man of steel (Haugen 17). Historians point out that Stalin was given this name as a result of his hard tackling approach to politics and governance. Depending on how you look at it, the man laid the ground work to the emergence of the USSR as a super power courtesy of his five year plan. According to Haugen, Stalin was born in a poor family. “His father was a shoe maker who later died while the young Stalin was only 10 years” (27). The difficult task of bringing up this future leader of the Soviet Union was therefore left in the hands of his mother. From a tender age, Stalin had shown huge signs of aggressiveness and non tolerance to the normal way of carrying business. For instance he was expelled from school when he was only twenty years old. It is while studying at the seminary school that Stalin embraced Marxism an idea which was articulated by veteran economist Karl Marx. Political ambitions. Hingley notes that Joseph Stalin’s political ambitions were nurtured while he was still at the seminary “but they gained momentum when he was expelled from school” (101). In fact the major reason why he was expelled was that he had tried to teach fellow students the rules of Marxism. It had also emerged that the young Stalin was opposed to most of the rules set by the school administration. All he was interested in was to teach students his way of thinking and this obviously led to a clash with the administration. “After he was expelled from school, Stalin became a young political think tank and even tried to sell the idea of Marxism” in newspaper articles (Hingley 105) . Hingley argues that Stalin “played a key role in the October revolution” in Russia and it is during this time that his abrasive side was noticed (71-72). It is while serving as the general secretary in 1921 that Stalin established himself as a powerful and calculating politician. He played it safe by pretending to be loyal to Lenin but his idea was to edge out his political enemies namely Zinoviev and Kameneve. Fist he formed an alliance with the two so as to neutralize Leon Trotsky another strong contender to the throne. Lenin’s ill health proved critical for Stalin to consolidate his power base. Two circumstances aided to Stalin’s rise to power. First he was seen a Lenin’s mouth piece and secondly, he was the General Secretary of the communist party (Haugen 75). Consequently Stalin was the defacto leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin in 1924. After taking on the reigns of power, Stalin pursued his economic goals in a rather uncompromising manner and that is why it why he is today mentioned in the same breadth as the late German strongman Adolf Hitler as well as the likes of Mao Tse Tung. The first five year plan. Joseph Stalin effectively took proper control of the Soviet Union in 1928. It soon dawned on the war veteran that things were literally not moving as first as he wished. First he realized that Russia was way behind its counterparts in the west in terms of economic development. (Ulam 101-102). According to Ulam, Stalin a “war veteran and strategist” knew all to well that a country’s “economic power was directly proportional to its military strength” (110). That is why he introduced the five year plans which were intended to stimulate the economy of the Soviet Union. Stalin’s idea of developing the economy was to have all industrial sectors of the economy controlled by the state. The development plan according to Stalin was to be accomplished in two phases all of which had an interval of five years. The first five year plan was to start in 1928 to 1932. In this plan, Stalin took a number of bold decisions. The no-nonsense leader first set targets which all the industries were supposed to meet. Lawton points out that in typical Stalin style, the bar was set too high and meeting the target was an uphill climb for most of the industries (80). For example the coal industry was supposed to meet a production target of 75 million metric tones, steel was supposed to hit a target of 10 million metric tones while the all important oil sector was not supposed to produce anything below 25 million metric tones. Elsewhere workers in the Iron ore industry were to hit a target of 20 million metric tones. The table below shows the production levels of various industries in 1927 and the target set for them to achieve by the end of the first five year plan in 1932. Industry Production in 1927 Target set for 1932 Results Oil 12 million tons 22 million metric tons 21 Metric tons Steel 4 million tons 10 million metric tons 6 million metric tons Coal 35 million tons 75 million metric tons 64 million metric tons Iron ore 5 million tons 19 metric tons 12 million metric tons Pig Iron 4 million tons 10 million m tons 6 million metric tons Source. (Lawton 85) Reasons for the first five year plan. There are many reasons fronted by historians as to why Stalin aggressively pursued the five year plans. First and foremost, he had come to terms that the USSR was way behind more industrialized countries in the west. In his words, Stalin noted that “if you are weak and backward, then you are no doubt defeated and not only enslaved physically but also in the mind” (Otfinoski 128). “However if you are strong and powerful then more states will respect and be aware of you and your intentions” (131). The second reason why Stalin introduced the five year plans was his desire to see the “USSR become the sole super power” (Otfinoski 136). Stalin was a firm believer in socialism so he had the desire of overtaking capitalist states such as the United States and Germany. He was therefore of the opinion that the only way to beat the capitalists at their own game was only through rapid growth no matter the human cost. According to Otfinoski, the third reason why Stalin introduced the five year plans was the “fear of being attacked by Germany” (140). Germany was then a major player in global politics and Stalin lived with fear that should a war break out, then the USSR would lose out badly given its weak nature both militarily and economically. He noted “we either make good the difference in less than 10 years or they will crush us” This was in reference to Germany which had a strong military as well as a strong economy. Finally Stalin viewed the five year plans as a very effective propaganda material both for himself and the communist party. He wanted a means of pulling people together so that they can support a common beneficial course (Otfinoski 142). Stalin had all along wanted to rally people behind a common goal which he believed in. He even used brutal force to sell the idea to them if he believed that the idea was good for them. This explains why many lives were lost in the process of implementing the five year plans. How the first five year plan was implemented. The first five year plan was implemented using a number of strategies which were drawn by an organ of the state formed by Stalin called the GOSPLAN. (Fitzpatrick 101). The state planning organization had a brief to come up with a plan that would rejuvenate the economy of the USSR and make it the strongest in the world. To this effect, targets were set for every industry and worker in the Soviet Union. Fitzpatrick says that it was also made clear that “failure to meet these targets would lead to strict penalties” (106). Those who failed to meet their targets or seen as derailing the five year plan were either jailed or even killed at the hands of the police. Nothing was left to chance by Stalin and his committee in an effort of getting the five year plans running. “Foreign workers and experts were hired” in an effort of bringing the much needed professionalism in Russia. (Tucker 78-79). Most of these expatriates were hired from western countries such as Germany, the United States as well as the UK. To meet the need for cheap labor especially during building of large and complex projects such as dams, roads and housing projects, “slave labor was used” (81). The slave labor was mostly comprised of dissidents who were opposed to the five year plan and were consequently arrested by the police. A number of Jews, peasant laborers as well as members of the kulaks clan were also used as a source of cheap labor. To ensure that the industrial plan was successful, Stalin paid more attention to producing industrial and capital goods. (Ulam 23). Consequently, less emphasis was paid to production of goods for consumption and improving living conditions of workers. This is among other reasons that academics and historians argue that the plan was implemented at a significant human cost. The number of working hours was not significant as long as the goals were met. Working conditions for workers especially slave laborers was also not taken into consideration. Consequently there were many cases of abuse of basic human rights. To ensure there was public support for the plans, there was widespread use of propaganda by the state in an effort if winning confidence of the masses. Nothing was left to chance in an effort of influencing the public to support this worthy cause. The mass media was used widely to circulate messages explaining the advantages of the plan. Anything which was opposed to this plan was not spared the wrath of Stalin. There was a massive crackdown on the adherents of the Muslim faith since they were viewed by the state as opposed to the plan and to a large extent opposed to the concept of industrialization Contents of the first five year plan: Modernizing Agriculture Stalin badly needed the Soviet Union to become an industrialized state as quickly as possible. He had figured out that this was the only way to become superior militarily which was his pet subject. (Robbins 21). That is why Stalin embarked on a program to modernize the country’s agriculture system. According to Robbins, success at any cost was what was in Stalin’s mind. He pursued this goal ruthlessly and while he was at it, anybody who dared oppose his policies was executed (51). He used brutal force to ensure that his plans were executed to the letter. The first goal of his first five year plan was to modernize Russia’s agricultural sector. By the end of 1928, it was clear that the over 20 million farms in Russia could only be used for subsistence farming. This is what he wanted to change. Collectivization policy To change the status quo, Stalin introduced the policy of collectivization in the agricultural sector so as to spur industrialization in this crucial sector. The policy of collectivization involved creating large tracts of farm whereby peasants would work in the same land albeit with modern tools of agriculture (Robbins 101-103). The policy of collectivization was aimed at eliminating the Kulaks who were the main owners of land and they employed peasant workers to work in their farms for their own benefits. The Kulaks were interested in increasing their income at the expense of modern agriculture. That is why the state figured that it would be more advantageous if they were eliminated and instead used the peasant workers to work in large state owned farms using modern technology. The peasants and the Kulaks class did not buy the idea of collectivization. They were opposed to the whole idea and that is why the peasants neglected the state farms. According to Lawton they even went to the extent of burning farm yields or letting it rot in the farms. (101). Crop production declined during this period and so did the supply of cattle and horses. The results of the collectivization policy is a famine which affected the Soviet Union in 1932. During this time thousands of people died in the USSR either as a result of the famine or in the hands of the secret police who were sent by Stalin suppress opponents of the collectivization policy. Robbins notes that the initial target of increasing agricultural production by 50 percent in the first five year plan was consequently not met. Instead thousands of people died as a result of famine and in the hands of the police (115). During this period of famine, Stalin refused to hand over grain reserves to peasant farmers arguing that they were hiding harvests from their farms. Thousands of people particularly in Ukraine died during this time when there was massive crop failure in the Soviet Union. Success of the first five year plan and its effect on the Soviet Union economy. According to Armstrong, the first five year plan introduced by Joseph Stalin was largely successful in a number of areas. “First the plan immensely contributed to the growth of the USSR economy at a rate of 13.5 percent” (qtd. in Armstrong 110). This growth eventually made it possible for the transformation of the Soviet Union from a weak and tradition economy that was dependent on agriculture to a world super power. The plan was also responsible for setting the pace of industrialization in the Soviet Union. The rapid growth of the USSR economy was evident in the massive rise in the number of new industries and new levels of production of iron, electricity, and coal. During the first five year plan at least 1800 new industrial plants were built in the USSR. New roads and dams were also built during this time. Energy production reached an all time high after the completion of the first five year plan which was actually completed in four years (Volkogonov 225). Specifically, the production of coal grew by four times while that of iron also grew at the same rate. Oil production stood at 21 million metric tons while production of steel which is essential in industrial growth stood at an all time high of six million metric tons. Economic, industrial growth and infrastructure growth was the major beneficiary of the first five year plan. It is during this period that the Moscow underground transport system was built. After its completion, it was one of the most modern and complicated underground transport system and it was even a source of envy to other industrialized states. At the end of the first five year plan, there was no recorded unemployment numbers and new cities were also built (Volkogonov 201). There was also significant improvement in farming methods. Traditional farming methods were shelved and modern agriculture methods were put in place. Even the Kulaks and peasant farmers who were initially opposed to the state intervention in the agricultural sector eventually supported the plan and agriculture production increased significantly. New farming machinery was introduced and the Soviet Union moved from subsistence farming to industrial agriculture geared toward the export market. Perhaps the most significant development during the first five year plan was the rate at which the USSR military power grew. Tucker points out that Stalin was such a fan of military growth as deterrence against external attacks (35). He therefore figured out that the only way to grow militarily can only be through industrial growth. The growth of the USSR military enable it to resist an invasion by Germany then led by strongman Adolf Hitler during the Second World War. According to Tucker the structures laid by Stalin’s first five year plan greatly contributed toward the emergence of the USSR as a super power (55). Finally the enthusiasts of communism had a field day as their policies were now more accepted in the Soviet Union. This was seen as a sure victory of Communism over capitalism which was advanced by western states. Criticism of the first five year plan. Amidst the success of the first five year plan, a number of drawbacks were also pointed. The most outstanding criticism was the sheer human cost during the implementation of the first five year plan. The entire plan was implemented in an atmosphere of threats and intimidation and in the process millions of lives were lost. (Pohl 75-80). Taking into consideration the mere fact that the whole plan was implemented for the good of mankind, the huge loss of life defeats the original purpose of the plan. Those who were opposed to Stalin’s ideas were massacred in their thousands to set an example to other individuals who might consider opposing the five year plan. The purges as they were famously known were executions and public punishment directed towards opponents of Stalin’s plans. For instance in 1934 sixteen individuals who were accused of sabotaging the five year plan were executed in public. Hundreds more were sent to labor camps and used as slaves. (Pohl 85). Most of these executions were carried out in public and filmed so that they can be shown around the country. The ghastly execution pictures were supposed to show the consequences of opposing the communist party plans. The living conditions of workers was also criticized and pointed out as one of the main failures of the five year plan. During the implementation of the plan, there was less emphasis on consumer goods as well as housing. (Volkogonov 195). This means that workers were poorly fed and lived in poor living conditions hence making their life miserable. There was hardly any regard to human rights as workers were severely punished when they failed to meet the set target. Many workers also died during the construction of dams and other buildings and there was hardly any compensation. The use of forced labor was also criticized as an abuse of human rights. Although the levels of unemployment were low or non existent in most industries, low wages were also prevalent. At the same time there was no job security since workers were sacked for flimsy reasons. The presence of the secret police which was used to threaten workers also put a significant dent to the success of the five year plan. Conclusion. Joseph Stalin was the brains behind the five year plans which were implemented in the Soviet Union. The plans were aimed at turning around the economy of the USSR within a period of 10 years. When Stalin effectively took control of the USSR, he came to terms with the harsh reality of the backward nature of its economy particularly when compared to countries in the West. The battle hardened military man knew too well that a weak economy was a recipe for a possible invasion by enemies. He historically stated that “we make good the difference in ten years or they crush us”. Perhaps this was the biggest motivation in launching the five year plans. Otherwise put the quest for military superiority was one of the major reasons why the five year plans were drafted and implanted with a rare show of persistence and ruthlessness. The five year plans were top be implemented in two phases. The first one was to begin in 1928 and end in 1933 while the second one was to end in 1937. At the heart of the two plans was the desire by Stalin to revolutionalize the economy of the USSR. To implement the plans, all the industries and regions were given targets to meet to meet. The targets were of course sky high if only to underscore the importance of the plan to the administration of Joseph Stalin. Failure to meet these targets by individuals did not go unpunished. Those who opposed the plans were met with equal force and by the end of Stalin’s rule; thousands had lost their lives for daring to oppose the five year plans. The first five year plan was particularly importance since it laid the groundwork for implementing the economic results that were desired. The basic premise is that the state took over the running of all industries and put them under its command. The agricultural sector was the first to implement the principle of collectivization. In this principle, all the farms were to be run by the state. This idea was opposed by the Kulacs and peasant farmers who protested and this eventually led to a famine in 1932 resulting in the death of millions. Eventually the government had its way and it finally modernized the agricultural sector although the target of a 150% growth was not realized. At the end of the day, the first five year plan achieved success by transforming the Soviet Union from a nation dependent on agriculture to a super power and an industrialized state. Consequently the objectives of the first five year plan were actually met and the economy of the Soviet Union was transformed. However the success was at a huge human cost, during this time millions of people lost their lives either because they opposed the plan or died as they toiled to implement the contents of the plan. Reference: Armstrong, Alexander John. Ideology, Politics, and government in the Soviet Union: an introduction. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1986. Fitzpatrick, Sheila. The Russian Revolution 2nd Edition. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2001. Haugen, Brenda. Joseph Stalin: Dictator of the Soviet Union. Mankato, MN: Compass Point Books, 2006. Hingley, Ronald. Joseph Stalin: Man and Legend. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1974 Pohl, Otto J. Ethnic cleansing in the USSR, 1937-1949. Santa Barbara, CA. Greenwood Publishing Group. Lawton, Lancelot. An Economic History of Soviet Russia, London, UK: Macmillan and Co., ltd., 1932 Robbins, Richard G. Famine in Russia, 1891-1892: The imperial government responds to a crisis. New York: Columbia University Press Tucker, Robert C. Stalin in Power: The Revolution from Above, 1928 - 41. New York: Norton, 1990 Otfinoski, Steven, Joseph Stalin: Russias Last Czar. Southampton: Millbrook Press, 1993. Ulam, Bruno. Stalin; The Man and his Era. New York: Viking Press 1973. Volkogonov, Dmitri. Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy. New York: Grove, 1991. Read More