Five Year Plans Stalin example essay topic

Stalin stated.".. those who fall behind get beaten. But we do not want to be beaten. No, we refuse to be beaten! One feature of the history of old Russia was the continual beatings she suffered because of her backwardness. She was beaten by the Mongol khans. She was beaten by the Turkish beys.

She was beaten by the Swedish feudal lords. She was beaten by the Polish and Lithuanian gentry. She was beaten by the British and French capitalists. She was beaten by the Japanese barons. All beat her because of her backwardness, military backwardness, cultural backwardness, political backwardness, industrial backwardness... ".

(Internet Site 3). If Joseph Stalin had not introduced measures to rapidly industrialise Russia before Nazi Germany invaded in June 1941, Russia would have completely defeated and its army swiftly destroyed as it would not have had the military weaponry or hardware to fight back against the superior Wehrmacht. Historians argue that if Stalin, the brutal leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, had not of implemented serve industrial reforms to dramatically bring Russia from a mainly agrarian market to an industrial power, Nazi Germany would have inflicted a severe defeat on her in World War 2. Therefore, Stalin implementing his policy of 'socialism in one country' led to the introduction of the Five Year Plans thereby creating a colossal Russian industry, saved the nation after a bitter war.

When Lenin died there was period of competition between Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin as both had conflicting views on communist ideology. "Trotsky favoured 'world revolution'... The USSR should push on with the task of encouraging other proletariat masses to overthrow their capitalist masters. (Cowie, 1994, p 158). Trotsky believed, continuing with the teaching of Karl Marx, a world wide revolution of Communism should take place with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics leading the way.

Stalin thought that Russia was industrially too weak to carry out a proletariat revolution in other countries and if attempted the capitalist nations would destroy Russia and communism. "The policy that Stalin advocated and pursued came to be called 'socialism in one country' " (Cowie, 1994, p 159). Stalin argued that the socialist system of government should be first consolidated in Russia by making the country militarily and economically strong enough to resist a war with the capitalist nations. For that reason, when Stalin gained complete control of Russia he implemented his policy, scrapped the New Economic Policy established by Lenin, brought all areas of the economy under state control and went about industrialising the USSR to make it powerful.

"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" (Internet Site 3). When Stalin came to power, Russia was almost completely an agrarian economy or an economy totally driven by agriculture. Stalin realised this and became infatuated with transforming Russia into an industrial super power as he was certain the western nations in the next decade would attempt to destroy the Soviet Union. "Joseph Stalin, in 1928, launched the first Five-Year Plan; it was designed to industrialize the USSR in the shortest possible time...

The plan, put into action ruthlessly, aimed at making the USSR self-sufficient" (Internet Site 5). Stalin modernised industry through a system called the Five Year Plans. Millions of Russians set to work to build new cities, dams, transport and communication facilities, railway lines including the Moscow underground, farm machinery and power stations to increase electricity. The first Five Year Plan ran from 1928-33, but was officially declared over in 1932.

The second Five Year Plan ran from 1933-37 and the third Five Year Plan continued from 1938 but was interrupted by the invasion of Nazi Germany. "By 1939, Russia had passed Britain as an industrial nation and was bettered only by the USA and Germany" (Mills, 1986, p 108). Industrial output was massive during the Five Year Plans such as coal, increasing from 35 million to 145 million tonnes, Oil, increasing from 12 million to 40 million tonnes and Pig Iron, Increasing from 6 million tonnes to 32 million tonnes (Mills, 1986. p 109) (see Appendix A). Thus the Five Year Plans Stalin introduced to modernise Russia, created the industry possible to create mass amounts of armaments to engage in a war and fight against the invasion of the German forces.

"In 1941, Hitler unleashed the might of the German army in a massive invasion of the U.S.S.R. The world held is breath at the scale of this invasion, expecting the Soviet regime to collapse" (Cowie, 1994, p 162). On June 22nd 1941 'Operation Babarossa' was launched with 3 million soldiers, 3 550 tanks, 7 184 guns and 2 815 aircraft crossing into Russia (Internet Site 1) (see Appendix B). Initially the Germany army had huge successes, advancing rapidly and destroying the Red army phenomenal rate. For a long time it looked as though the Soviet Union would be conquered as the Wehrmacht had advanced 250 miles singing Leniningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad. "A million Soviet soldiers were drafted into the Stalingrad area. They were supported from an increasing flow of tanks, aircraft and rocket batteries from the factories built east of the Urals, during the Five Year Plans.

Stalin's claim that rapid industrialization would save the Soviet Union from defeat by western invaders was beginning to come true" (Internet Site 4). As the Russians had basically unlimited manpower and could constantly bring new military material to the front, they fought on very stubbornly until they wore the German war machine down. "The Red Army drove the Nazi armies back, out of Russia, and then penetrated into Germany itself... ". (Internet Site 2). At he cost 20 million Russian Soldiers, unknown civilian lives and most of the country being decimated, Stalin's Red army finally defeated Germany by the end of 1945 (Mills, 1986, p 115).

If Industrialisation had not of taken place Russia would still have had an ill equipped World War 1 army and would have been obliterated by the well equipped and extremely well trained German forces. Thus Stalin industrialising Russia years before 'The Great Patriotic War', the Russians were better equipped with tanks, fighter planes and so forth to sustain a war against the Wehrmacht and in the end defeat them. In conclusion, at the end of World War 2 in 1945 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics captured Berlin and was victorious over Nazi Germany. "Yet the military victory over Germany could not have been won without the industrial base achieved through Stalin's Five Year Plans. In twenty years this hitherto relatively backward nation had produced the tanks, guns, aeroplanes and support structures that made it possible for their leaders to outfight and outgeneral the professional army of German" (Cowie, 1994, p 162). The west of Russia lay in complete ruin from the horrendous war and monumental battles that took place on the Eastern Front, but never the less it was victory due to its industrial reforms and the fact that the Soviet Union was able to fight a modern war and in the end inflicted the same carnage on Germany.

Therefore if Joseph Stalin had not introduced measures to rapidly industrialise Russia before Nazi Germany invaded in June 1941, Russia would have completely defeated and its army swiftly destroyed as it would not have had the military weaponry or hardware to fight back against the superior Wehrmacht. Internet Site 1 web Internet Site 2 web Internet Site 3 web Internet Site 4 web Internet Site 5 web Mills, H (1986) Twentieth Century World History in Focus London: Macmillan Education Ltd Cowie, H. R (1994) The Modern State, Nationalism and Internationalism Melbourne: Thomas Nelson Australia Mor combe, M & Fielding, M (1998) The Spirit of Change Russia in Revolution Roseville: McGraw-Hill Book Company Australia Pty Limited.