Stalin had fully consolidated his dictorship by 1935."With referene to the years 1929 to 1939,Explain why you agree or disagree with the statement.

system, in comparison to the capitalist system, would be more successful in modernizing a nation.         The results of industrialization are the First Five Year Plan ran from 1928 to 1932 with heavy emphasis on the development of heavy industries (coal-mining industries, the building of power-stations and tractors, and machine construction). The aims of the First Five Year Plan were declared achieved in 4 years. In 1932, the output of Russian industry more than doubled the pre-war level. New factories were built—the large automobile factories at Moscow, the tractor plans at Stalingrad, the steel plants at Magnitogorsk and Kuznetsk Basin, and the hydro-electric stations at Dnieper were all built in this period. The Ural area was developed as an important industrial region. The Trans-Siberian railway, formerly single-track, was now double-tracked. The Second (1933-1937) and the Third (1939-1943) Five Year Plans attempted to pay more attention to the development of the light industries with the production of more consumer goods. As the Plans were carried out, war threat was increasing. Thus much attention was shifted to heavy industries again. Light industry was neglected. Armaments were produced in great quantities. In 1936, electricity output was 16 times than that of 1913. The output of coal, steel and iron also increased by at least three times than in 1913. As a result of the Five Year Plans, by the end of 1930's, Russia had become a major industrial power. She was second in production only to the U.S.A. and Germany. In contrast with the defeat of Czarist Russia in the First World War, communist Russia could defeat even Germany in the Second World War. But it should be remembered that the Russians paid dearly for their success in rapid industrialization. Throughout this period, they received low wages and suffered from the lack of consumer goods and many daily necessities. Perhaps only the tight control of the Communist leaders could make possible such a remarkable success within so short a period of time! In the Second Five Year Plan, the Communist leaders found that some workers lost initiative to work harder. They compromised the Communist principles with the capitalist principles. 'Capitalistic' incentives were introduced. Good workers were rewarded with higher pay. Competition (with reward) between factories was also introduced. Foreign technicians were employed to give advice.        Collectivization of agriculture meant that private farms were abolished. In its place large farms were set up. They were ron by a number of families under the control of government officials. The kind of crops and the amount of production were decided by the needs of the district and the state. Machines were usually introduced so as to raise productivity of the land.        Reasons for collectivization: Stalin wanted to raise the agricultural production of the country. Up to 1928, Russian agricultural system remained backward. Wooden ploughs, sickles harvesting on small holding were the common characteristics of the Russian agriculture. Only when the small farms were grouped together could big farms be formed and machines be used. It was expected that within a short period of time, Russian agricultural production would rise rapidly. This was the basic reason for Stalin's insistence on launching collectivization. As a result of the New Economic Policy, rich peasants (kulaks) grew up in large number in the countryside. The kulaks refused to transport their grains for sale in the cities when the prices were low. Thus the workers had to pay dearly for their food. If the kulaks were forced to become members of collectives, they had to grow and deliver their crops at prices fixed by the government. If the price of the food was low, it would help to reduce the wages of the workers and the cost of industrial production—an important advantage for the industrialization of Russia.         The process of collectivization beginning in 1928, the government first persuaded and then forced the peasants to merge their holdings into collective farms. In the process, all their belongings (including land) would be confiscated. The kulaks resisted strongly. The government responded by brutal methods. Teams of party members and industrial workers went to the countryside. Very frequently the party members needed to use force. They drove the peasants from their homes, killed them if they resisted and even starved them to death in order to break their resistance. Because of this brutal treatment, the kulaks (about 2 million in number) had to give up their farms. They expressed their anger by smashing their farm implements, slaughtering their livestock, burning their crops and farm buildings before they left their farms. (Some even attempted to kill the Communist agents.) In this way, in the winter of 1929 to 1930, Russia lost about 1/2 of her livestock. Because of the blind resistance of the kulaks, agriculture was disorganized. Grain production went down to the 1913 level. In 1932 a crop failure came. This resulted in a famine that cost the country five million lives. After 1933 more and more peasants joined the collective farms. By 1939, 95% of Russia farms had been collectivized. The chief reason for the rapid success in collectivization after 1930 was that a few concessions had been made to the kulaks. Firstly, the peasants who joined the collective farms were allowed to keep small plots within the collective farm for their own use. Secondly, they were allowed to keep their own cattle and fowls. Thirdly, a quota had been set for the collective farm. After that quota was reached, the peasants of the collectives could sell the rest of the crops in the open markets for their own profit.          Results, the first immediate effect of collectivization was that because all the collective farms were under the control of the government and they were obliged to deliver to the government a fixed quantity of their produce (the quota system) at low price, the workers in the towns were guaranteed with supply of cheap food from the countryside. Another effect was that the peasants were kept at a low income level, so the produce of the collectives (which were handed to the government) could be sold by the government in the overseas markets for big profit. This gave a source of income to the government to invest in industries. In the long run, collectivization helped to raise agricultural production. Big farms economize labour, facilitate the use of system machinery, and permit more efficient marketing of the crops. By 1935 Russia could produce enough food for her home consumption. By 1939, the sown area of Russia was 1/3 larger than that in 1913. The output of grain more than doubled that of 1914. Socially, collective farms grouped the peasants together and made it easier for the government to control its people. Many excessive farm hands in the collectives were ordered by the government to go to the towns. This provided cheap labour for industrialization. In short, agriculture was being organized on industrial lines and more geared to the needs and development of the whole country.         In 1936, Stalin judged the time ripe for drafting a new constitution which would preserve his autocratic power in the country. It was adopted by popular vote the following year and went into effect on January 1, 1938. Reasons for Making the Constitution, In 1936, Stalin might think that both industrial and agricultural reorganisation had been quite successful and Communism was definitely sure to stay in Russia, so a new constitution was needed to preserve his autocratic power in this new state. In 1936, Hitler had been in power in Germany for three years. Hitler denounced the 'Jewish' Communism in 'My Struggle', and pointed out that he would attack Russia. To prepare for that eventuality, Stalin wanted to secure the support of the democratic nations of the west. Granting a constitution to the Russian people served to give at least an appearance of democracy to Russia.         According to the Constitution, Communist Russia called itself the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. There were 11 republics, representing the different racial groups and possessing limited powers over their own affairs. Of these the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic was the largest and the dominant one. On paper, the 1936 Constitition had all the democratic features of the Western European parliamentary governments. It provided for universal suffrage for every man and woman aged eighteen or over. They voted by secret ballot. They had the right to vote for the various soviets, high and low, including the Soviet of the Union.        For the whole country, the highest organ of state power was the Supreme Soviet:  It was composed of two houses: the Soviet of Union, representing the people of Russia and elected by them in the proportion of one deputy for 300,000 electors; the Union of Nationalities, representing the Union republics and elected by the Union republics (each republic elected 25 members). Both chambers had equal legislative powers. No bill could become law without the approval of a majority of both chambers. The Supreme Soviet met twice a year, usually for more than a week at each time. Finally, the 1936 Constitution also had a bill of rights. The citizens were guaranteed the freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly and of religion. They were guaranteed the right to employment and holidays with pay. There was, however, one feature of the Constitution which marked the Russian Constitution off from the constitutions of the western nations. The Constitution left unimpaired the dominant position of the Communist Party. The Constitution mentioned that the Communist Party was the only legal party in Russia. The Party controlled the machinery of government, the economic system and the apparatus of culture, alone capable of leading the workers towards communism.        Stalin wanted to secure his personal dictatorship. At the time when he was promulgating the Constitution, he carried out a series of purges against his real or alleged enemies! The reasons why Stalin had to carry out purges remain unknown. The following ones were suggested reasons: Khruschev said that Stalin was a sick man, suffering from the insane disease of persecution. In Germany, Hitler had seized power for a number of years, poising to attack Russia. Stalin wanted to purge the party of disloyal members before the German attack. Many old Bolsheviks were still surviving. Some of them raised objection to Stalin's policies in the Five Years' Plans. Stalin wanted to get rid of the old Bolsheviks. He wanted to be surrounded by 'yes-men' in order to strengthen his personal authority. Stalin built up his present dictatorship by intrigue and guile. To preserve his power, he needed to intrigue against his potential enemies before it was too late. Stalin began with a mass purge of the party from 1932 onwards. In December 1934, with the assassination of Sergei Kirov, the popular party chief in Leningrad and a close rival to Stalin, Stalin broadened the purge (from the party) to encompass the entire population. From 1936 to 1938, there were a series of Show Trials for those accused, followed by mass executions.         By 1938, the purges began to slacken its pace. In the process of the mass purge, one third of the leading members of the party was eliminated. They included Lenin's close associates, the old Bolsheviks including Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin, the leading army officers of the Red Army , the members of the secret police. The Russian intelligentsia was also victimized. It has been estimated that those subject to persecution, imprisonment, exile and death sentence during the purge from 1934 to 1938 amounted to seven millions. When the old Communist Party members were eliminated, the new party members were Stalin’s yes-men. Stalin’s position in the country was raised to the status of a semi-God. The pattern of the trials was usually the same. The accused were usually charged for being in league with Trotsky and with having plotted to kill Stalin. Other charges such as plotting against the state by sabotage and espionage were also made. Then the accused confessed and were sentenced to death. Over 30,000 officers were dismissed or executed. This was about half of the officer corps. The Red Army had been seriously weakened during the Great Purges, but by 1941 it had been reorganized. The five million Red Army fought loyally to defend Soviet Union during the Second World War. Stalin's position was firmly entrenched in Russia because the Red Army was loyal to him.        The Communist regime had certain accomplishments to its credited firstly, the Communist government spent much effort in providing education for its people. In 1931, compulsory primary education was provided for all children from eight to eleven. After 1934, besides the building of primary and secondary schools, higher education was also provided to growing number of youngsters. By 1938, about 200,000 youngsters graduated from universities and polytechnics. They worked as engineers, doctors, scientists, agriculturists and managers in factories. Accompanying the growth of education was the printing of a large number of cheap books, the building of libraries and the reduction of illiteracy from 60% in 1917 to 20% in 1939. Secondly, the official policy of sex equality was being preached. Women became engineers, doctors and teachers. This raised the status of women. Thirty, the social welfare services also expanded. The government provided financial aid for working mothers and their infants. It also provided free medical care and hospitalization for most of the citizens.        In conclusion, Within a short period of 22 years (1917-1939) Russia was almost completely transformed into a 'modern' nation. Politically, the state was in the firm control of the Communist Party, which in turn was dominated by Stalin. Economically, a semi-feudal agricultural country had been modernized and industrialized. The Soviet Union ranked third in the industrial production of the world. Socially, the old social classes—the nobles and the landlords—were gone. There was far more equality of opportunity than in the Czarist days. Every Russian had a chance to receive education. But a classless society did not occur. Instead a totalitarian society with the Communist Party controlling every aspect of life of its citizens did spring into being. Under the party, everyone is supposed to be equal. Militarily, Russian military force could withhold the German attack during the Second World War, though with heavy losses. All in all, the Communist rule has given a new sense of purpose to almost all Russians. However, some historians criticized that Russia had not become a communist society— "From each according to his ability, to each according to his toil." Some said that Soviet Nationalism was stronger than Communist Internationalism under the rule of Stalin.