The workers during the industrialisation were self-motivated as they wanted a better Russia more than anyone but they were put through extremely harsh conditions, not only when working but also their living conditions were appalling as well.
After Russia had been industrialised and had become the third most industrialised country beaten only by Germany and France Stalin looked like a hero, especially to other countries, which is what he wanted. But was it necessary for his people to go through all the suffering a pain that they had endured to get there? By all means this was the way forward for Russia and possibly as Stalin saw it, the only way but he may have been able to find other ways in bringing Russia back up to speed with other countries slower but without as much pain and pressure on the workers. However, if he had done this, he would not have looked as good as it would have taken a lot longer to industrialise slowly and therefore not doing his reputation much good.
I think that Stalin wanted the best for Russia but didn’t care what costs his people had to pay to get there. However I think that he did quietly do it for glory otherwise he may have made a slightly slower approach to the task.
Q2) ‘Brought glory to Stalin’ – is this the only way in which the achievements of the Five Year Plans can be described?
I don’t think this statement is true because although the Five Year Plans did bring glory to Stalin, many other achievements were made. An example of this is the between 1921 and 1937 coal, oil and steel production all raised by at least fifteen times.
Coal from 5 million tonnes – 140 million tonnes
Oil from 2 million tonnes – 30 million tonnes
Steel from less than 1 million tonnes – 18 million tonnes
This was a vast improvement for Russia, it brought Russia up from being one of the most economically behind countries to the third in the world, Stalin deserved a lot of credit for doing this but was this the only reason?
Propaganda at the time portrayed Stalin as being a saint showing him with young children made him look very patriotic and noble. This was and still is a tactic that many people in the public eye use. However, there was a huge amount of suffering endured by the Russian workers due to Stalin’s five year plans. Statistics were filtered from the press to keep Stalin’s reputation to how he wanted it. This could be seen as an act to save Stalin but also partly to keep the people of Russia motivated. The nations spirits needed to be kept high in order for industrialisation to succeed.
Q3)‘Brought Misery to his people - in what ways did Russian people suffer?
- is there any way in which life improved?
Stalin brought misery to his people not only when working but also at home as labour was extremely cheap to help the Russian economy. The safety levels for the workers were extremely low especially with icy conditions, the pay was very low, work was miserable with strict employers and rules, there was forced labour and he collectivisation in agriculture was terrible.
The people building the factories during the industrialisation period were mainly peasants with no experience in the line of work, which made it even more dangerous as no training programmes were offered.
Not only were the workers in dangerous conditions with very low pay but there was extreme discipline. They were treated more like slaves than workers. Anything that went wrong was blamed on the workers. The Shakhty trial was an accusation of fifty-three workers who supposedly conspired to wreck the soviet coal-mining industry. In fact, the coal mines in the Donbass region had fallen behind target but the system could not be seen as a failure so workers were blamed. High discipline meant that if you were just twenty minutes late for work, you could be fined, lose your ration card or be sacked. In 1940 you may have to serve a sentence in prison just for being late for work.
This hard way of living was worse for some than others however. Hard workers were rewarded with higher pay, better housing and health care whereas other workers had terrible accommodation with no toilets or running water.
For most Russian lower class people industrialisation brought misery but they were still determined to succeed and follow orders as they believed it would make a better country for themselves and their children.
Industrialisation did help Russia a lot not only in its economy but also it was a respected country y other nations now as Stalin had pulled Russia to its feet as it had been dormant for so long, sitting on a gold mine with its vast amount of resources.
‘The failures and shortcomings cannot disguise the fact that by 1941 the main aim of Stalin’s policy of rapid industrialisation had been achieved. The USSR…was one of the world’s greatest industrial powers.’ Even though enduring the industrialisation of Russia was very hard on its people, there were major changes in Russia afterwards. The government needed to prove this to its people providing jobs and better housing.
Q4) What verdict would you give on the Five Year Plans?
The Five Year plans were successful eventually. The Plans gave Russia a head start into World War Two, if Russia had not been industrialised, it would have been in a mess during the Second World War because it would have had no money to fight let alone feed its people. Russia had climbed from one of the least to one of the most industrialised countries in twenty years. However, this did not last as now Russia is not as powerful as it was after industrialisation in the 1930s.
Industrialisation was definitely a benefit after it had been done as it brought power and money to the USSR however some people thought that it would have happened gradually even if it had not been for the Five Year Plans because Russia is so rich in raw materials. Some take the view that the Five Year Plans were a failure as Russian people suffered due to the lack of care from Stalin and people of higher classes. For example having untrained workers meant work was made extremely dangerous for everyone there, many people were hurt and killed on job sites leaving family behind with nothing to live for.
