Stalin and Idustrialization
Stalin and Industrialization in the 1930's For many countries in Europe during the early nineteen hundreds, industrialization had already left its mark and was considered widespread. Other countries were several steps behind such industrial powers as Great Britain. Their economies still depended on rural markets and there had been no influx of people to urban areas. One country, Russia, had such an economy. Joseph Stalin would soon change this, however. So, in hindsight, the Industrial Revolution was necessary and eminent for the Soviet Union but Stalin forced it on his state in a horrific manner, which only worsened living conditions and created negative tensions among his people. In order to better comprehend the negative aspects of Stalin's industrialization, first it is necessary to put the circumstances into perspective with a brief summary of Stalin's rise to power, then an overview of the two Five Year Plans will be provided, and finally the effects of Stalin's industrialization will be outlined.Stalin first came out of the woodwork during the October Revolution in the early 1900's, with the rise of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Stalin became general secretary of the Bolshevik party's Central Committee. He was also the
Once the industrial Five-Year Plans had been organized, Stalin decided to make some agricultural changes to support the industrialization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. "Stalin seemed more concerned with the prestige projects, such as the lavishly decorated Moscow underground railway, than with ordinary housebuilding or the maintenance and repair of existing houses. Collectivization was the forcible consolidation of individual peasant farms into large, state-controlled enterprises. Anyone showing initiative is an enemy, initiative in work, in thought; how many were arrested for speaking. Either we do it, or we shall be crushed" (Kuromiya 1). High salaries and many special privileges were offered to the technical and managerial elite. "Russia was growing, the Western capitalist system was apparently collapsing, with massive unemployment and social disruption, culminating in America with the paralysis of 1932-3 (Nove, An Economic History of the USSR 225). Works Cited and ConsultedKuromiya, Hiroaki. Then, when Stalin had the most of the kulaks either killed or deported to the northern or eastern regions of the country no one had any complaints. So, that is what Stalin set out to do. The other was the liquidation of the kulaks as a class (McCauley 25).
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