Stalin
STALIN’S PLANS FOR RUSSIA
His economic plans involved reform of agriculture and industry. Famous ‘50-100 years’
speech, had to ‘make good the difference in 10 years’ or be crushed by the Western
powers. Unlike Lenin and Trotsky, he believed in ‘Socialism in one country’ and was
inward looking and xenophobic. He wanted to make Russia strong and socialists. His
economic reforms would also be slightly ideological, more anti-NEP. By 1926, Trotsky is
out of the power struggle, so Stalin is able to take the leftist line on the economy and
hence shaft Bukharin (good bloke) and Rykov. He wanted to take the country back to true
communism, things had to be changing, with none of this capitalist economy bollocks.
NEP is also not a very effective policy, by 1926 only 17% of what is grown is marketed.
Peasants hoard grain, afraid of famine, also no point having money because there are no
goods in Russia. The government grain prices were also very low. Crisis developingnow is the time to implement Stalin’s plans for Russia. As with Lenin, he is an
ideological pragmatist, if you know what I mean.
COLLECTIVISATION
Collectivisation was Stalin’s plan for agricultural reform and aimed in part to increase
Stalin’s control over the peasantry, though its primary purpose was to increase efficiency
and productivity through modernisation and improvement of methods. Was piloted at
first in Siberia in early 1927 and made official policy by the party by the end of the year.
Involved large farms, owned by the state with a work force of 1000s. Resources and
labour were shared on the land, the government took a set percentage of what was
produced and set quotas centrally. By 1929 it was being introduced across Russia,
initially as a voluntary program, which no-one wanted to join- until the government
began to use coercion. Between Dec 1929 and March 1930, 60% of the peasants are
collectivised, brings chaos to countryside, crops burnt, livestock killed. The process is
stopped in March, Stalin ‘dizzy with success’ recognises that the process needs to be
slowed down. By June, 25% of the peasants are collectivised (so 35% have chosen to
leave collective farms). The process began again after the Sept 1930 harvest, with the
goal of collectivisation for every peasant by 1932. This time, much more organised,
exciting ‘incentives’ like tractors, but the peasants still mess around (mostly because they
don’t trust the communists who have this knack of taking all of their food). In 1936 it is
finally complete. Kulak class (around 10 million people) disappear, either sent to Gulags
like Kolyma or collectivised.
FAMINE 1931-1934
Inevitably this chaos in the countryside led to a famine. 10-15 million people die, but the
whole thing is kept secret. Mostly as a result of the peasants burning their crops, and the
fact that collectivised farms take a while to ‘get going’. In typical Russian style, grain
continued to be exported, no access to worst affected regions, peasants so hungry they eat
next year’s seeds. Stalin’s fault for pushing collectivisation, but he wanted to get rid of
the mir and the kulaks. He had the right idea, just went about it in the crap way, not
recognising that it would take time and require a situation where there would be little
opposition. It consolidates his power but definitely alienates the peasants.
THE FIVE YEAR PLANS
The five year plans were implemented to help Russia to rapidly industrialize, hopefully
with more success than they had last time that was tried.
AIMS: An abandonment of the NEP, not like Bukharin’s ideas of unforced economy, was
a break from the right. Had to be rapid and forced industrialization controlled centrally.
Wanted an economy that could compare to that of Western nations in 10 years. Tool for it
was Gosplan, central planning agency set up in 1921- national quotas which filter down
to the local level.
THE FIRST FIVE YEAR PLAN:
Ran from 1928 to December 1932. Main emphasis was on infrastructure and the
production of energy and construction materials, at an envisaged rate of increase of 20%.
Not all quotas were reached, but there were significant increases in production in all
areas. Machinery output increased X4, oil production X2, electrical output by 250%, 17
new blast furnaces. Some showpieces, Dnieprostoi Dam, and iron and steel production
centres at Magniotogorsk and Kuznetsk. Laid foundations for second five year plan.
Some quota shortfalls, (Steel, iron, heavy metallurgy and consumer goods suffering the
worst setbacks). Also kinda like a ‘peasant buying a gramophone not a cow’- although
the showpieces were very nice, they weren’t exactly all that practical. Possibly a little too
hard and fast.
THE SECOND FIVE YEAR PLAN:
Ran from 1933 to 1937. Had a lower annual target of 14% and was designed to build on
the successes of the first five year plan with a more skilled workforce. Focused again on
heavy industry, metallurgical resources (Pb, Zn, Ni, Sn) and communications. Much
better quality and less waste than first five year plan, more showpieces, Moscow-Volga
canal and Moscow metro. Some quota shortfalls again, some administrative inefficiency
and deterioration of diplomatic situation leading to spiraling military expenditure all
slowed the developments. Military expenditure was 3.4% of gov’s total expenditure in
33, 16.1% by 1936 and 32.6% by 1940.