How Did Stalin Modernize Russia's Economy

The Communist Russia Under Stalin

Stalin wanted the USSR or Russia to become more powerful than other countries. To do this he had to modernise the USSR's economy by a programme of rapid industrialisation. This means developing industry to such an extent that a country that mainly depends on agriculture or farming is changed into one which mostly depends on industry. Stalin said that the USSR was 50 or 100 years behind the advanced countries. He aimed to catch up with and surpass them within ten years. Russia's industry was recovering from the effects of war, but even then, production from heavy industry was low compared with other countries. Stalin felt it was necessary to catch up with the West because

These issued orders or instructions: commands that were passed down to the local factories, businesses and farms. Gosplan drew up a series of plans known as the Five Year Plans. There were three Five Year Plans. These set targets or goals that industries and agriculture had to achieve. In practice the emphasis was on over-fulfilling - achieving more than the set targets, rather than only meeting them. Such a system discouraged individual initiative. For instance a factory manager received his instructions (commands) and simply carried them out. The state or government controlled the resources it needed to achieve the economic targets. Factories, mines, transports and farms were owned by the state. The government exercised tight control over the labour force. Ordinary workers were harshly disciplined. There were heavy punishments for poor workmanship and absence. The state told workers where to work. Millions of peasants were directed into the towns and cities to work in the factories and mines. Heavy industries were given priority. Consumer industries were almost totally neglected. Agriculture was reorganised for the benefit of

It produced electricity, provided irrigation for the surrounding farmland and made the Dnieper River more easily accessible for shipping. Other major projects led to the improvement of Russia's communications system. Roads, railways and canals were built linking mines with the factories and the factories to the main centres of population. The 500-km Belomar Canal from the White Sea to the Baltic Sea was constructed almost entirely without machinery. The USSR was better able to defend itself in a long war as a result of the plans. Factories produced iron and steel that could be used for manufacturing tanks, planes and weapons. However the Five Year Plans were not entirely successful. They placed enormous demands on the people. The unrealistically high targets meant millions of workers lived in extreme hardship, working on the vast projects in the interior of Russia. The state tightened its control over the work force. For instance in 1937 workers found guilty of absenteeism were dismissed and deprived of their living accommodation which meant, in effect, starvation. The emphasis