The Five Year Plans
These plans were established to deal with industrial expansion. The first plan lasted from 1928 to 1932 and its aim was to triple the output of heavy industry (coil, iron, steel, oil and machinery). The two later plans concentrated on providing increases in consumer goods and heavy industry. In spite of a few mistakes, the plans were a great success. In fact, by 1940, the USSR had overtaken Britain in iron and steel production and we were in reach of the Germans. To fulfill the plans, hundreds of factories were built in new towns to the east of the Ural Mountains where they would be safe from invasion. There were iron and steel works at Magnitogorsk, tractor works at Kharkov and Gorki and oil refineries in the Caucasus.
Various factors enabled the Five Year Plans' achievement:
- only russian money was used, there was no foreign investment
- the money also came from grain exports and from charging peasants extra for the use of government equipment
- hundreds of foreign workers were brought in
- education expanded in colleges, universities and factory schools to provide a whole new generation of skilled workers
- medals were given to workers who achieved record output to boost their morale. They were called "Stakhanovites" after Alexei Stakhanov, a champion miner who, in August 1935, managed to cut 102 tons of coal in one shift, whereas miners normally succeeded in doing 10 tons per shift.
- ordinary workers were ruthlessly disciplined: they received severe punishments for bad workmanship and when targets were not met, they were accused of being saboteurs or put in forced labour camps. As a result of this regimentation and concentration on heavy machinery, there was a shortage of consumer goods and the housing conditions were primitive. Indeed, life was tough for the workers but by the mid 1930s, their situations began to improve as benefits such as medical care, education and holidays were introduced.
Various factors enabled the Five Year Plans' achievement:
- only russian money was used, there was no foreign investment
- the money also came from grain exports and from charging peasants extra for the use of government equipment
- hundreds of foreign workers were brought in
- education expanded in colleges, universities and factory schools to provide a whole new generation of skilled workers
- medals were given to workers who achieved record output to boost their morale. They were called "Stakhanovites" after Alexei Stakhanov, a champion miner who, in August 1935, managed to cut 102 tons of coal in one shift, whereas miners normally succeeded in doing 10 tons per shift.
- ordinary workers were ruthlessly disciplined: they received severe punishments for bad workmanship and when targets were not met, they were accused of being saboteurs or put in forced labour camps. As a result of this regimentation and concentration on heavy machinery, there was a shortage of consumer goods and the housing conditions were primitive. Indeed, life was tough for the workers but by the mid 1930s, their situations began to improve as benefits such as medical care, education and holidays were introduced.