How successful were Stalin's economic policies?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view 6 essays on Modern European History, 1789-1945 that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

How successful were Stalin's economic policies?

Stalin's economic policies were successful to an extent, especially when looking at the increases in production of heavy industry. However they also failed in several important areas such as agriculture, meaning the overall success was limited. Also, when evaluated in terms of the effects on the people of the Soviet Union, the policies had, in many cases, a disastrous effect.

Stalin's aim with his pre-war economic policies was to achieve rapid industrialisation of the Soviet Union, in order to protect it against the threat of war, which he believed to be always present. This belief had been heightened in 1928, after a war scare, making the need to industrialise seem even more urgent. Stalin believed that: "We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years. Either we do it, or we shall be crushed." This shows that to Stalin, industrialising quickly was just as important as industrialisation itself. Because of this, he set high targets for the Five-Year Plans, encouraging workers to significantly increase their productivity, in order to achieve his ambitious plans.

Stalin's aims were partially achieved. During