Industrial and social developments and the Five year plans

Question 1

To what extent had the FYP’s fulfilled stalin’s aims by 1941

INTRO

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Answer 1

stalins aims differed from plan to plan
- 1st - focus on rapid industrialisation
- 2nd - focus on rapid industrialisation with some emphasis on consumer goods
- 3rd - rapid rearmament

Argument - to an extent but soviet economic and political ambitions were placed above needs of society

Question 2

To what extent had the FYP’s fulfilled stalin’s aims by 1941

1st FYP

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Answer 2

• AIMS - rapid industrialisation: heavy industry production to reach 300%, improve transport systems, increase electricity by 600%
• launched with much enthusiasmn but success did not match
• FAILURES - electricty only rose by 300%, coal and iron only doubled, steel only by 1/3 - only failed his aims because they were too ambitious
• SOME SUCCESSES - completion of huge industrial complexes eg magnitogorsk and the opening of 1500 new enterprises
• while some of these were not apart of stalins origional aims they helped to kcickstart the economy but at the expense of consumer goods

Question 3

To what extent had the FYP’s fulfilled stalin’s aims by 1941

2nd FYP

4

Answer 3

• AIMS - emphasis on industrialisation but with more attention payed to consumer goods eg chemicals, electricity, andother consumer goods
• SUCCESSES - 3 good years 1934-37 (moscow metro 1935, volga canal 1937) and by 1937 USSR was virtually self-sufficent - achieving communism in one country
• FAILURES - targets were much higher and more unrealistic than the 1st FYP eg only able to fulfill 84% of coal quota and 61% of oil quota
• while some advancments were made in footwear and food-processing there was still no real improvemnts socially

Question 4

To what extent had the FYP’s fulfilled stalin’s aims by 1941

3rd FYP

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Answer 4

• AIMS - rapid rearemament
• SUCCESSES - soviet industry was producing 230 tanks, 700 aircraft and over 100,000 rifles per month in the build up to 1941- succeeded in transition to communismn through movements such as stakhanovite movement in order to ensure workers were supportive of the ideology
• FAILURES - some key indurtries suffered as a consequence eg iron, steel and oil
• therefore 3rd plan had the most success

Question 5

To what extent had the FYP’s fulfilled stalin’s aims by 1941

CONCLUSION

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Answer 5

• overambitious targets meant success would always be limited
• any success came at a social cost
• but 3rd FYP had the most succcess
• industry did grow at a rapid rate