The Five Year Plans

Overview of the Plans In 1927, after several years of reluctantly supporting the NEP, Stalin created an alternative economic system – the Five Year Plan. The goal of each Five Year Plan was to increase industrial output, with this industrialization being financed by collectivized agriculture. Marxist theory would be put into practice from the top down, with the government dictating the terms rather than the proletariat. Targets were set by the GOSPLAN (state planning committee) for every aspect of every industry – this focus on quantity, rather than quality, created a lot of waste and accidents This model of economic planning would be used by almost every communist nation during the 20th century.

The First ‘Five Year Plan’ (1929-1932) Called for a massive increase in industrial output, despite the lack of a skilled workforce (Stalin attempted to remedy this by relocating millions of peasants to the cities, which led to shortages and rationing) Specific goals included the building of: iron and steel manufacturing plants Electric power stations National railway infrastructure Coal and oil refineries

The First ‘Five Year Plan’ (1929-1932) Problems Solutions Access to necessary skills Encouraging skilled technicians and engineers to come from abroad on fixed-term contracts To import the necessary technology Pay for it by accumulating foreign exchange from the sale of grain To persuade peasants to adapt to the discipline necessary for working in a factory (punctuality, reliability, sobriety) Harsh labor laws to punish offenders To prevent workers from leaving jobs they found too demanding Introduce internal passports that prevented workers from changing jobs To explain why the goals set by the Five Year Plan were not achieved Change the statistics or blame “foreign experts”

The First ‘Five Year Plan’ (1929-1932) Overall the first 5-year plan: Set extraordinary targets for workers Heavily regulated workers in all facets of industrial life Used extensive propaganda campaigns to encourage workers to beat targets Brought enormous increases in production Expanded towns and cities (and created towns in resource-rich areas where none had existed before)

The 2nd and 3rd ‘Five Year Plan’ 2nd Plan (1932-1937), 3rd Plan (1937-1941) The focus during these two plans shifted to the production of heavy industrial goods (trains, trucks, tractors), consumer goods and defense. The political climate in Europe caused Stalin to also focus on Soviet re-armament during these two plans (German invasion of Russia interrupted the 3rd Five Year Plan in 1941) Effects of these plans: Labor shortage meant more women were encouraged to work Development of new industries was somewhat undermined by purge of capitalists since 1919 and Stalin’s purges of the 1930s- foreign experts needed to be recruited End of rationing, free education and medicine made available

How did Stalin carry out the Five Year Plans? Labor Discipline Harsh labor laws (certain labor crimes punished by execution, losing a job meant losing the right to accommodation and food rations. Managers were held responsible for meeting goals, could be charged with sabotage and executed if they failed (this ‘sabotage’ was often the excuse used by the Party when national goals weren’t met) Slave Labor Labor camps, or ‘gulags’, were used to house ‘kulaks’ and political prisoners - located in areas that were unhospitable, but rich in resources. Prisoners were used to mine gold, coal and uranium. Political prisoners at a Russian labor camp on the day of their liberation- they had been kept just alive enough to be able to work.

How did Stalin carry out the Five Year Plans? Enthusiasm Even though enthusiasts for the plans were in the minority, there were many workers who felt as though they were working toward something significant and important – the future of Soviet Russia. Rewards Workers were given rewards for their efforts, such as receiving extra food rations, increased wages, or a promotion. Output levels of all employees were published weekly.

How did Stalin carry out the Five Year Plans? Propaganda Workers were told conditions in capitalist countries were dire (Great Depression) and that Russia was going to quickly surpass their levels of industrial production (gulags were not publically mentioned) Stalin published revisionist books on the history of the Communist Party and ideas of Lenin to serve as ideological indoctrination Posters, speeches, marches all emphasized Soviet success and the need to make sacrifices for a better future