Premium Essay

Assess the Success of Stalin's Economic Policies.

In: Historical Events

Submitted By qwerty5b
Words 845
Pages 4
Assess the success of Stalin in implementing his economic policies in the Soviet Union. Stalin had decided by 1928 that the Soviet Union could not survive unless it rapidly modernized its economy, so he completely reshaped Soviet agriculture and industry through two main economic policies: Collectivization and the Five Year Plans. These policies had economic, political, and social successes and failures. Stalin’s main economic success was industrialization, achieved by his Five-Year-Plans. The aim of this policy was to establish a war economy by increasing industrial production. Stalin and Gosplan set ambitious targets for each year, and people were rewarded if targets were met, punished if not. By enforcing harsh punishments upon the peasants, Stalin was sure people would work harder than they thought was physically possible just to achieve set targets. In the first Five Year Plan (1928-1932), there was a huge increase in the production of heavy industry: oil production rose from 11.7 to 21.4 tonnes, coal production 35.4 to 64.3 m tonnes, steel production increased by one-third. New towns and new tractor factories were built to meet the needs of mechanized agriculture. In the second Five Year Plan (1933-1937), oil production rose to 28.5m tonnes, coal production to 128m tonnes. By 1937, the USSR was essentially self-sufficient in machine-making and metal-working. Transport and communications grew rapidly. In the third Five Year Plan (1938-1941), production continued to grow: coal production reached 150m tonnes by 1940. The plan focused on war production and by 1941 the Soviet air force was the largest in the world. The Soviet Union’s share of world manufacturing rose to 17.6% from 5%, giving them the second largest share in the world. As shown, Stalin’s Five Year Plans were an economic success because they led to a growth in industrial production and

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Stalin's Economic Policies

...Jake Cowley L6 IB History Assess the successes and failures of Stalin’s Economic Policy After Stalin had become the sole leader of the Soviet Union in 1929, he saw the need to introduce two new major economic policies, collectivization, and a series of five year plans. Both of these new economic plans were designed to boost Russia’s agriculture and industrialization within a short period of time, to catch up with the world leading powers, which were essentially Britain and the United States at the time. Stalin strongly believed that it was necessary to go to any lengths, which would soon include killing off thousands of peasants, to reverse the backwards economy of the time, to eventually overtake that of other countries. As the economy of Russia at the time, was in quite a terrible state. He believed he could do this by heavily focusing on agriculture and industry, to prepare Russia for a new age. Stalin’s new economic policies would soon prove to be a mix of successes and failures for both the economy and the people of Russia, each to different extents. Stalin’s first economic policy of the 1930’s was collectivization.  This was the joining of private plots which had been previously divided amongst the peasants by the Tsar, in order to increase the amount of output production altogether. Although this might have seemed like a good idea to Stalin at the time, this economic policy proved to have more failures than successes. The collectivization of grain meant that...

Words: 1271 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Evaluating The Impact Of Collectivism On Soviet Economics And Society

...1) Evaluate the success of the first Five Year Plan. The Five Year Plans were a sequence of national plans directed towards the Soviet Union’s economic advancements. The first Plan was created to initiate collectivization and rapid industrialization. The successes of Stalin’s first Five Year Plan included the high rate in factory distribution and the creation of the Soviet Union as a prominent industrial power. However, due to these successes the agricultural production was damaged as a result of Stalin’s collectivization, which lead to the starvation of many Kulaks, rebellion and widespread famine. 2) Assess the impact of collectivism on Soviet economics and society. Collectivism is a system in which private farms were eliminated, instead, the government owned all the land while the peasants worked on it. Stalin’s Five Year Plans were used to strengthen the Soviet Union domestically through financial independence and focused on industrialization as well as agricultural collectivization. Collectivization impacted the Soviet economics and society negatively because of the unpopularity within the peasant class and the Kulaks especially, mass slaughters of livestock and famine,...

Words: 614 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Russia

...A2 Russia and its Rulers 1855–1964 Past Questions workbook How to use this booklet Your Russia and Cold War teachers will discuss what they want you to do in each Cold War lesson (now that your coursework is finished). This booklet has a page for each examination question that has been asked about our course since the change of course in 2010. For each question there is a section from the guidance given to examiners for marking it, and a section from the examiner’s report on each question. Each page also contains a section where you can record what you have learned about answering each question. Tackling past questions is an excellent way of revising. You could be doing several things in any order: * Reading the examiner’s remarks; * Planning an answer to the question; * Using your notes to find the evidence you’ll need to answer each question; * Sending a plan to a friend for constructive criticism. Before you get going – please note the advice that the Chief Examiner has given to his exam markers for the last year: ------------------------------------------------- “Candidates are expected to demonstrate understanding of the issues in each of their selected questions over a period of at least a hundred years (unless an individual question specifies a slightly shorter period.) Candidates are reminded of the synoptic nature of the Unit. Answers are required to demonstrate understanding of the processes of historical continuity, development...

Words: 10577 - Pages: 43

Premium Essay

To What Extent Was Josef Stalin’s Employment of Collectivisation a Successful Endeavour for the Soviet Economy?

...Plan of the investigation: This investigation analyses the successes and failures of collectivisation in the Soviet Union, specifically looking at the impact it had on the peasants of Russia and whether it aided in satisfying the Soviet Union’s economic needs. In order to assess the extent to which collectivisation was a success, this investigation examines and evaluates the first few years of collectivisation, assessing collectivisation’s impact on the economy of the Soviet Union and the people, as a stronger economy would greatly improve the livelihood of the masses. Ultimately this investigation assesses the wisdom of Stalin’s decision to partake in collectivisation. This analysis does not assess Stalin’s abilities as a leader, the Ukrainian ‘holodomor’, or the industrialisation process in the Soviet Union. A number of sources were used in this analysis, and two of them are evaluated for their value and limitations. Summary of evidence: • Implemented in 1928 • By collectivising Stalin hoped to increase agricultural output, create grain reserves and make available more peasants for work in the cities. • Two types of farms; collective farms and state farms. The process of collectivisation was intended to be voluntary and took place in the countryside as peasants were expected to group their holdings into one unit (kolkhoz). • 90% of the kolkhoz produce was to be sold to the state whilst the remaining 10% of the produce was the peasants’ share. In addition to this...

Words: 2115 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

History

...The Edexcel International GCSE in History Schemes of work We are happy to provide these new enhanced schemes of work for you to amend and adapt to suit your teaching purposes. We hope you find them useful. Practical support to help you deliver this specification Schemes of work These schemes of work have been produced to help you implement this Edexcel specification. They are offered as examples of possible models that you should feel free to adapt to meet your needs and are not intended to be in any way prescriptive. It is in editable word format to make adaptation as easy as possible. These schemes of work give guidance for: * Content to be covered * Approximate time to spend on different key themes * Ideas for incorporating and developing the assessment skills related to each unit. Suggested teaching time This is based on a two year teaching course of five and a half terms with one and a half hours of history teaching each week. This would be a seventy week course with total teaching time of approximately 100 hours. The schemes suggest the following timescale for the different sections: * Paper 1: 20 hours for each of the two topics: Total 40 hours. * Paper 2 Section A: 20 hours for the topic: Total 20 hours. * Paper 2 Section B: 25 hours for the topic since it covers a longer period in time. Total 25 hours. * Revision: 15 hours. Possible options for those with less teaching time * 20 hours for Section Paper 2 Section B ...

Words: 19278 - Pages: 78

Free Essay

How Can We Explain the Great Terror?

...filtered down from above, with Joseph Stalin at the apex signing the executive command. Given the cult of personality, as well as the particular style of administrative bureaucracy, that had been fostered through the decades since the revolution it would not be unreasonable to conclude superficially that Stalin had orchestrated some grand, Machiavellian operation for the inculcation of his position at the head of the Communist hierarchy. However, to do so seems incongruous with the portrait of incompetence painted by his contemporaries (the Ryutin Platform and the general indictment by Lenin[1] springing immediately to mind) and the seemingly ad hoc nature of his policy decisions[2] (specifically, his situational swings between conservatism and radicalism in the 1920's that seemed to consider the ramifications of those policies as a secondary consideration to the quelling of political dissent[3]). While it seems probable that he was apt to consolidate his influence within the Party at any opportunity, the picture of Stalin-as-Cartoon-Villain interpretation tends to dehumanise the figure of Stalin to an extent that then obfuscates the culpability of all else involved (from the uncaring to the “over zealous[4]”). Stalin demonstrated gross personality flaws in his administration[5] and personally perpetrated various crimes against humanity[6], but it is hard to conclude that any of the other contenders for Party...

Words: 3512 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Khrushchevs Economic Reforms

...Khrushchev’s economic reforms failed because they were poorly thought through”. Assess the validity of this view (45 marks) “Khrushchev had grasped the nettle. He also exhibited a characteristic recklessness. The road ahead would be rockier than he expected, for he over estimated ordinary people’s gullibility. In a sense the whole of later Soviet history may be seen as a reaction to his revelations.” J. Keep. After emerging victorious in the power struggle following Stalin’s death, Khrushchev was in a very strong position, but not yet an unchallengeable leader. Khrushchev wanted to move away from the Stalinist era and was aware that there was a desire for change in the USSR. He had accepted some of the fundamentals of Stalinism, such as the dominance of the party, however he wanted to shift to blame for past errors onto Stalin. Khrushchev believed that economic reform was necessary and wanted to encourage initiative. He also wanted to avoid opposition and not give his rivals the opportunity to strike against him. He was an ambitious politician, and aimed convince the Soviet people that they no longer had to fear arbitrary terror, while preserving the basic structure and ideology of a socialist state. This was the background to his speech at the 20th The Party Congress in February 1956. Khrushchev's main reforms were to increase agriculture and make it more efficient and in industry he wanted to turn focus from heavy industry to consumer good, making the workers life better...

Words: 1019 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Hello

...GCE History |Contents |Page | | | | |Unit A2 1: Option 1, Anglo–Spanish Relations 1509–1609 |5 | |Unit A2 1: Option 2, Crown and Parliament in England 1600–1702 The Changing Role and |17 | |Status of Parliament | | | |37 | |Unit A2 1: Option 3, Liberalism and Nationalism 1815–1914 | | |Unit A2 1: Option 4, Nationalism and Unionism in Ireland 1800–1900 |51 | |Unit A2 1: Option 5, The Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900–2000 |67 | Introduction CCEA has developed new GCE specifications for first teaching from September 2008. This scheme of work has been designed to support...

Words: 15150 - Pages: 61

Premium Essay

Communism Potentially Emancipatory

...feature of policy is. To start with the latter, emancipatory theory drawn from its name is the notion that people are means within themselves and not ends to the needs of others. They have agency and should be free to propose the world in which they wish to live in. According to Ramsey 2011:183, the emergence of emancipatory theory was in the 1960’s and 1970’s and it emerged as theory that was opposed to the oppression to the extent that they are marginalised. “Dominance is progressively dehumanizing for both the oppressed and the oppressor, though only the resistance of the oppressed will allow for the possible re-humanization of the oppressors” (Ramsey, 2011:183.) Emancipatory theory is meant to target oppression that consolidated within dominant systems of policy in reality that takes away people’s agency and consciousness. This essay deals with communism as an idea, this requires effort in departing from the use of communism as an adjective that describes a form of politics, “An entire century of experiences both epic in scope and appalling was required to understand that certain phrases produced by this short-circuiting between the real and the Idea were misconceived.”(Badiou, 2010:13). At this point Badiou requires us to not look at communism in its historical context and use misconceived phrases such as “communist party and communist state”(Badiou, 2010:5), he insists that we must not immediately associate communism with any historical failures for example Stalin’s regime...

Words: 2351 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Alevel History Spec

...AS LEVEL Specification HISTORY A H105 For first assessment in 2016 ocr.org.uk/alevelhistorya We will inform centres about any changes to the specification. We will also publish changes on our website. The latest version of our specification will always be the one on our website (ocr.org.uk) and this may differ from printed versions. Copyright © 2014 OCR. All rights reserved. Copyright OCR retains the copyright on all its publications, including the specifications. However, registered centres for OCR are permitted to copy material from this specification booklet for their own internal use. Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England. Registered company number 3484466. Registered office:  Hills Road 1 Cambridge CB1 2EU. OCR is an exempt charity. Contents Introducing… AS Level History A (from September 2015) Teaching and learning resources iv Why choose an OCR AS Level in History A? 1 1a. Why choose an OCR qualification? 1 1b. Why choose an OCR AS Level in History A? 2 1c. What are the key features of this specification? 3 1d. 2 iii Professional Development 1 ii How do I find out more information? 3 4 2a. Overview of AS Level in History A (H105) 4 2b. Content of AS Level in History A (H105) 5 2c. Content of unit group 1: British period study and enquiry (Units Y131 to Y143) 8 2c. ...

Words: 21136 - Pages: 85

Free Essay

Mhqvwuydfqyugfow

...Five Course Themes | 6 | Four Historical Thinking Skills | 7 | Essays Overview | 8 - 15 | Document-based Question (DBQ) | 8 – 12 | Change and Continuity over Time (CCOT) | 13 – 15 | Comparative Essay | 16 – 18 | Released Free Response Questions | 19 – 20 | AP Curriculum Framework | 21 – 38 | Period 1 (Up to 600 B.C.E.)—5% | 21 – 22 | Period 2 (600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.)—15% | 23 – 25 | Period 3 (600 to 1450)—20% | 26 – 28 | Period 4 (1450 to 1750)—20% | 29 – 31 | Period 5 (1750 to 1900)—20% | 32 – 35 | Period 6 (1900 to the present)—20% | 36 – 38 | Help with Some Confusing Subjects | 39 – 43 | Chinese Dynasties | 39 | Political, Economic, and Social Systems | 40 | Religions | 41 | Primary Sources | 42 | “Must Know” Years | 43 | * Many of the guidelines in this study packet are adapted from the AP World History Course Description, developed by College Board. The AP Exam Purchasing and taking the AP World History exam are requirements of the course. This year, the AP World History exam will be administered on: ___________________________________________ Format I. Multiple Choice a. You will have 55 minutes to answer 70 Questions. b. Each question has options A, B, C, and D. c. Questions are divided evenly between the five course themes (20% each) and six periods. d. Each questions addresses one of the four...

Words: 16161 - Pages: 65

Free Essay

Help

...Five Course Themes | 6 | Four Historical Thinking Skills | 7 | Essays Overview | 8 - 15 | Document-based Question (DBQ) | 8 – 12 | Change and Continuity over Time (CCOT) | 13 – 15 | Comparative Essay | 16 – 18 | Released Free Response Questions | 19 – 20 | AP Curriculum Framework | 21 – 38 | Period 1 (Up to 600 B.C.E.)—5% | 21 – 22 | Period 2 (600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.)—15% | 23 – 25 | Period 3 (600 to 1450)—20% | 26 – 28 | Period 4 (1450 to 1750)—20% | 29 – 31 | Period 5 (1750 to 1900)—20% | 32 – 35 | Period 6 (1900 to the present)—20% | 36 – 38 | Help with Some Confusing Subjects | 39 – 43 | Chinese Dynasties | 39 | Political, Economic, and Social Systems | 40 | Religions | 41 | Primary Sources | 42 | “Must Know” Years | 43 | * Many of the guidelines in this study packet are adapted from the AP World History Course Description, developed by College Board. The AP Exam Purchasing and taking the AP World History exam are requirements of the course. This year, the AP World History exam will be administered on: ___________________________________________ Format I. Multiple Choice a. You will have 55 minutes to answer 70 Questions. b. Each question has options A, B, C, and D. c. Questions are divided evenly between the five course themes (20% each) and six periods. d. Each questions addresses one of the four...

Words: 16161 - Pages: 65

Premium Essay

23 Things

...23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism HA-JOON CHANG Department of Economics, Cambridge University 23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism HA-JOON CHANG ALLEN LANE an imprint of PENGUIN BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Canada Inc.) Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Dehli – 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England www.penguin.com First published 2010 Copyright © Ha-Joon Chang, 2010 The moral right of the author has been asserted All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording...

Words: 86029 - Pages: 345

Premium Essay

Case

...The end of the Cold War is usually seen as the beginning of the contemporary era in world politics which is the subject matter of this book. It is, therefore, appropriate that we begin the story with a discussion of the Cold War. The chapter shows how the dominance of two superpowers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union, was central to the Cold War. It tracks the various arenas of the Cold War in different parts of the world. The chapter views the NonAligned Movement (NAM) as a challenge to the dominance of the two superpowers and describes the attempts by the non-aligned countries to establish a New International Economic Order (NIEO) as a means of attaining economic development and political independence. It concludes with an assessment of India’s role in NAM and asks how successful the policy of nonalignment has been in protecting India’s interests. The end of the Second World War led to the rise of two major centres of power. The two pictures above symbolise the victory of the US and the USSR in the Second World War. 1. American soldiers raising the US flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japan, on 23 February 1945 Credit: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, Photograph by Joe Rosenthal/The Associated Press 2. Soviet soldiers raising the USSR flag on the...

Words: 52386 - Pages: 210

Premium Essay

Maritime Power of Chaina

...strategic orientation and naval force structure from its coast toward the far seas in an era of interdependent international system. Generally, China is an ancient continental land power with an incomplete oceanic awareness. With the transformation after the Cold War of China’s grand strategy from landward security to seaward security, maritime security interests have gradually become the most essential part of China’s strategic rationale. Undoubtedly, the quest for sea power and sea rights has become Beijing’s main maritime strategic issue. Given China’s escalating maritime politico-economic-military leverage in the Asia-Pacific region, its desire to become a leading sea power embodying global strategic thinking means that it must expand its maritime strategy by developing its navy and preparing for armed confrontation in terms of international relations realism. Conversely, Beijing’s maritime policy leads at the same time towards globalization, which involves multilateralism and strategic coexistence of a more pragmatic kind. This research analyses Chinese maritime strategy in the Asia-Pacific by asking: ‘Whither the Chinese maritime strategy in the ever changing Asia-Pacific security environment since the PRC was established in 1949?’ In general, contemporary China’s national security strategy is closely connected with its maritime strategy and with its comprehensive security plan for its economy, its energy supplies and its...

Words: 115996 - Pages: 464