To what extent were Stalin's policies of collectivisation and industrialisation a success.

To What Extent Were Stalin’s Policies

Of Collectivisation And

Industrialisation a success

Stalin’s problem was that the other advanced countries were fifty or a hundred years in front of them. He wanted to make a good distance in ten years because he believed that they would go under if they don’t.

To solve this problem Stalin introduced collectivization and industrialization. Collectivisation merged all the small privately owned farms under one central power that will control all production and all the finances of the farms. He also planned ambitious targets for industrial growth for every five years. On the plus side many ideological goals where fulfilled by the introduction of collectivisation, the collectivisation of agriculture is a good example of what the ideal of Communism is. In theory this should have worked brilliantly but it did not due to many different factors. The class of Russians known as the Kulaks where virtually destroyed as a class, this was another positive political move if you were Stalin, the Kulaks were a threat to Stalin’s ideas and because of this he had to get rid of this problem.

Collectivisation was an economic failure; by looking at figures for the number of livestock in the USSR you can see it was not a success.

The number of livestock in the USSR (millions)

Famine

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Collectivisation was an economic failure; by looking at figures for the number of livestock in the USSR you can see it was not a success.

The number of livestock in the USSR (millions)

Famine

In 1932 there was a poor harvest and a shortage of food in the countryside, this led to a famine, which lasted until 1934. Stalin on deliberately allowed this disaster to go on. Stalin wanted to go to war with the Japanese do he wanted to build stocks to feed the red army and keep their strength up. Squads from the communist party were sent in to get more food. There was no more food in the countryside Soviet unions sold grain overseas instead of feeding those who were starving. Over seven million people died. People ate earthworms, mice ants and some even ate their own children to survive.

Industrialisation targets for the first five years

Increase agriculture production by 55 per cent.
Increase industrial production by 180 per cent.
Increase investment by 228 per cent.
Increase sales of products by 70 per cent.

It was an outstanding success:

The results of the first five year plan

To get this achievement living conditions went down, it was impossible to build enough houses for all the millions of peasants who poured into towns and construction sites because Stalin believed more workers were needed in industries. Overcrowded rundown buildings with shared kitchens and toilets became home for most families.

The promise that the second five year plan would spend more on producing goods to buy in shops, housing and better wages was not kept. The money in the end was spent on defence.

In 1929 factories started working seven day a week and for religious people it made it hard to attend places of worship. All industrial and transport workers had to obey strict rules or risk going to prison. Anyone caught stealing after August 1932 was sentenced to death. And if you were absent you were sacked.

Some of the tasks set by the five year plans were so big that there not enough workers to do them. Prisoners in prison camps were made to do some work. Prisons then became labour camps.

Were they a success?

They were not an achievement; Collectivisation was a political success but an economic failure and a human disaster. Millions of people died due to famine, which came from lack of food, which in turn came from collectivisation

Industrialisation was an economic success but again was at human costs. People had to live in overcrowded rundown buildings with shared kitchens and toilets with people they did not even know. The people who worked in factories had life even worse as they had to work harder to reach industrial targets and if they were unable to complete those targets or absent for one day they would lose their jobs. Collectivisation and industrialization both were good in some ways but it lowered the standard of life completely and cost millions of people to die and suffer.