5 Year Plans Flashcards
(35 cards)
Gosplan
A state planning agency to ensure that the economic objectives of the 5 year plans were met
Communist government’s control over Gosplan
They had the final say in how high the targets should be
Issue with Gosplan’s information
Lack of reliable information over the cost of imports and exports
Targets set by Gosplan
Very ambitious
Reason why targets were ambitious
Intended to force managers and workers to devote their maximum efforts to the programme
Why was there misinformation from the managers
Failure to achieve a target was deemed as a criminal offence, so those who administering the statistics ensured that targets showed significant improvement
Aims of the First 5 year plan
Boost production by 300%, develop heavy industry, boost electricity production and double the output from the light industry
Target of coal compared to actual total
75 million tonnes, when in reality 35.4 million was produced
Successes of the First 5 year plan
Despite no major targets being met, it saw impressive growth in heavy industry with coal and iron doubling and electricity doubling
Technological advancements mad because of First Five Year Plan
Engineering plants, HEP scheme and industrial complexes sprung up
Failures of the First 5 Year Plan
Non of the extremely ambitious targets were met
Living conditions got significantly worse, housebuilding and food processing were neglected and smaller works lost out to bigger factories
Second 5 Year Plan aims
Continue the development of the heavy industry, promote growth of the light industries, develop communications, and give more attention to consumer goods
Successes of the Second 5 Year Plan
Steel production trebled to reach its target production, coal production doubled, USSR was self sufficient in metal goods and machine tools by 1937
Technological advancements made from the Second 5 Year Plan
Moscow Metro 1935, Volga Canal 1937 and Dnieprostroi Dam was made the largest dam in Europe
Failures of the Second 5 Year Plan
Oil production failed to meet its target, no appreciable increase in consumer goods, more emphasis on quantity rather than quality
Aims of the Third 5 Year Plan
Promote rapid rearmament and complete the transition to communism
Successes of the Third 5 Year Plan
Heavy industry continued to grow, advances in machinery and engineering, spending doubled on rearmament between 1938 and 1940
Issue with spending so much on rearmament
Led to stagnation of other industries such as steel production
Failures of Third 5 Year Plan
Oil failed to meet targets leading to a fuel crisis, reduction in specialists and technicians following Stalin’s purged, plan was disrupted because of German invasion
Dates of the First 5 Year Plan
1928-32
Dates of the Second 5 Year Plan
1933-37
Dates of the Third 5 Year Plan
1938-42
Dneiprostroi Dam
A hydroelectric power station opened in 1932 which powered steel and aluminium production
Was one of the largest power plants in the world at the time
The Turksib Railway
A railway which connected Central Asia with Siberia which facilitated the transport of cotton and grain
Was built by nearly 50,000 workers