‘ ‘ 100 Years in 10’: The 100 Years in 10’: The Impact of the 1 Impact of the 1 st st & 2 & 2 nd nd Five-Year Plans in the Five-Year Plans in the USSR, 1928-37 USSR, 1928-37
Jun 13, 2015
‘‘100 Years in 10’: The 100 Years in 10’: The Impact of the 1Impact of the 1stst & 2 & 2ndnd Five- Five-
Year Plans in the USSR, Year Plans in the USSR, 1928-371928-37
The First Five-Year Plan: TheoryThe First Five-Year Plan: Theory End of NEP—back to Socialist
Accumulation Theory Little more than broad targets
to increase production in:– Industry by 180%– Consumer Goods by 70%– Agriculture by 55%
The ‘quotas’ were overly optimistic
Stalin called for ‘5yp in 4’
The First Five-Year Plan: RealityThe First Five-Year Plan: Reality Stalin’s call for 1st 5-Year
Plan in Nov 1928 came as a surprise
Little guidance was given to officials on how to do it, & it led to forced collectivization
By 1929 Stalin needed a scapegoat for agricultural failures—blamed the kulaks (“wealthy” peasants)
Undertook 3 campaigns:
1. Grain Procurement1. Grain Procurement
Urban activists were sent into the countryside to collect grain—16 million tons collected
Those who opposed were labeled ‘kulaks’, arrested, and their property was confiscated
2. Dekulakisation 2. Dekulakisation Campaign against ‘Kulak
speculators’—who were they? “Liquidate kulaks as a class” Around 15% of all households
were affected Escalated to destroy peasant
way of life Over 200k persons killed,
jailed or exiled to Siberia
3. Mass Collectivization 3. Mass Collectivization (kolkhoz)(kolkhoz)
By 1934, 75% of peasant households had been collectivized
Targets were given but not much guidance as to how
Collectivization and liquidation worked together
Opposition and protest led to disruption of supplies
Property and livestock were destroyed
Retreat from Collectivization?Retreat from Collectivization? Unrest threatened spring
sowing/planting Stalin pressured by top
officials to retreat from collectivization
He blamed officials for misunderstanding his orders
Many abandoned collectives, those captured were sent to gulags
““Victory” over the PeasantsVictory” over the Peasants Once the 1930 crop was harvested collectivization
continued unabated 25 million households were soon in 250k collective
farms—90% + of peasant population Organized like traditional villages but govt-controlled
How the Plans WorkedHow the Plans Worked Gosplan Economy run as if at war State controlled all aspects of
the economy Huge new party & gov’t
empire created Economic policy zigzagged Industrialization by military-
style mobilization
Political GoalsPolitical Goals Showpiece schemes were
favored over economically sound projects
‘Gigantomania’ favored by politicians with little engineering background
These projects drained resources from needed projects
Political rivals fought over resources
Palace of Soviets, Scale Comparison with Highest Buildings of the World, 1931-1932, USSR
The Palace of the SovietsStarted in 1937Broken down to make bridges in 1941
Tatlin’s Tower-Artist Vladimir Tatlin attempts to erect constructivist
monument in early 1920’s St. Petersburg-Made of iron, glass and steel
‘the first monument without a beard’
Worker EnthusiasmWorker Enthusiasm ‘Shockworkers’ pushed for higher
production Record breaking was encouraged: Extra privileges were given to
those who succeeded Those who did not give the needed
resources were called ‘Wreckers’ Over time skilled workers moved
up in the party and production stagnated
Managing ChaosManaging Chaos
Enterprises had one-person leadership, but watched by the party
This led to resentment Goals kept changing
leading to managers and workers breaking rules
Managers and local Party officials worked together
End of 1End of 1stst Five-Year Plan Five-Year Plan By end of 1st 5-Year Plan
(1928-32), advances in industry were offset by agricultural collapse
Oil, steel and coal production all more than triple
A return to grain requisition Protests & arrests continued Nothing prepared USSR for
horrors to come
Russia’s industrial output had Russia’s industrial output had surpassed France, Japan, Italy and surpassed France, Japan, Italy and
maybe even Britain by the late 1930’smaybe even Britain by the late 1930’s
“Stalinism is one way of attaining industrialization just as cannibalism is one way of attaining a high protein diet.”
-Nikolai Bukharin
Popular Riddle Among Soviet Popular Riddle Among Soviet Workers:Workers:
“Why were Adam and Eve like “Why were Adam and Eve like Soviet citizens? Because Soviet citizens? Because
they lived in paradise and had they lived in paradise and had nothing to wear.”nothing to wear.”
Famine 1932-3Famine 1932-3 The winter of 1932-33 saw a
terrible famine in the rural areas—10 million died
Worst in Ukraine—6-7 million died of starvation
Stalin criticized Party officials for the problem.
Many were arrested for sabotaging his plans
By 1934 the worst was over
A ‘Terror’ Famine?A ‘Terror’ Famine?
Many historians see the famine as intentional
Goal: to break the peasants, especially the kulaks
There were other factors:– Weather– Decline in livestock– Lack of transportation– Misleading data
Start of 2Start of 2ndnd Five-Year Plan, 1934 Five-Year Plan, 1934 After horrific effects of 1st
5YP, Stalin waited 2 years before beginning 2nd 5YP
2nd 5YP focused on– increasing
consumer/industrial goods– raising living standards– raising productivity & quality
At first, success in increasing annual output
22ndnd 5YP Boom (1934-6) 5YP Boom (1934-6) Number of industrial plants
increased from 1,500 to 4,500 1937 production was 5X
1928 levels Increase mostly in heavy
industry; consumer goods remained scarce
Allocation of resources and pay based on effort led to development of class divisions
The Stakhanovite MovementThe Stakhanovite Movement
Alexei Stakhanov “Record-breaking coal miner
—227 tons in 1 shift” Became model for all
workers to follow
End of 2End of 2ndnd Five-Year Plan (1936-7) Five-Year Plan (1936-7) Effects of 2nd 5YP:
– Shortages in skilled labor– Disruption in production– Bottlenecks in inventories– Paralysis in leadership– Shortages in expertise– Rearmament—rise of Hitler– Poor harvest in 1936– Hard winter in 1937– Slump in world trade
Stalin moved to the left Purges of opponents accelerated