Industrial Development - 1st Five Year Plan 1928-32

Question 1

What were the aims of this plan?

Answer 1

-increase production by 300%
-develop heavy Ind - coal, iron, steel
-boost electricity production 600%
-double output from light Ind - chemicals

Question 2

What was the initial response to the plan?

Answer 2

-publicity surrounding plan provoked enthusiastic response
-Stalin claimed targets met in 4 yrs + not 5 due to its success

Question 3

What was the impact of the over-enthusiastic reporting by local officials?

Answer 3

-officials keen to show loyalty to Stalin
-reality mo major targets met but investment brought impressive growth

Question 4

What growth did major investment bring?

Answer 4

-electricity output trebled
-coal + iron output doubled
-steel production increased by 1/3

Question 5

What new industries were created?

Answer 5

-railways, engineering plants + hydro-electric power schemes
-Ind complexes like Magnitogorsk set up

Question 6

What was Magnitogorsk?

Answer 6

-new Ind centre in the Urals intended to showcase socialism in action
-gigantic steel plant + town of 150,000 created from nothing

Question 7

What was Magnitogorsk designed to be?

Answer 7

-new ind base to be the home of the new ‘socialist man’ dedicated to work + the party

Question 8

How did workers live in Magnitogorsk?

Answer 8

-in communal barracks beneath pictures of Lenin + Stalin
-were subject to lectures + political discussions - propaganda

Question 9

What were the limitations to this plan?

Answer 9

-targets for chemical Ind not met
-consumer inds house-building, food-processing neglected
-smaller Ind works lost out in competition due to bigger factories