8.1 Stalin's Rise to Power and the Five-Year Plans

Stalin's rise to power in the Soviet Union was marked by strategic maneuvering and brutal tactics. He used his position as General Secretary to build a network of loyal supporters, manipulated Lenin's Testament, and formed alliances to defeat rivals like Trotsky.

The Five-Year Plans were Stalin's ambitious economic strategy to rapidly industrialize the USSR. These plans focused on heavy industry, collectivized agriculture, and centralized economic control, transforming the country from an agrarian to an industrial power in just a decade.

Stalin's Rise to Power

Early Political Career and Party Influence

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• Stalin's involvement in the Bolshevik Party during the Russian Revolution and Civil War established his revolutionary credentials
  • Participated in bank robberies to fund party activities
  • Served as Commissar of Nationalities in Lenin's first government
• General Secretary position in 1922 provided Stalin control over party appointments
  • Used this power to build a network of loyal supporters throughout the party hierarchy
  • Placed allies in key positions at regional and local levels
• Manipulated Lenin's Testament to maintain his position within party leadership
  • Formed alliances with other leaders to suppress the document's criticisms
  • Portrayed himself as a humble party servant, contrasting with Trotsky's perceived arrogance

Power Struggles and Strategic Maneuvering

• Engaged in power struggle following Lenin's death in 1924 against key rivals (Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev)
  • Formed temporary alliances to isolate and defeat opponents one by one
  • Used ideological debates to discredit rivals, particularly Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution
• Promoted "Socialism in One Country" concept, appealing to party members' nationalist sentiments
  • Presented as a practical alternative to Trotsky's internationalist approach
  • Gained support from party members wary of continued revolutionary upheaval
• Great Break of 1928-1929 marked Stalin's final consolidation of power
  • Eliminated the New Economic Policy, shifting towards rapid industrialization
  • Initiated collectivization of agriculture, cementing control over rural areas
  • Purged remaining opposition within the party, establishing absolute authority

Soviet Five-Year Plans

First Five-Year Plan (1928-1932)

• Focused on rapid industrialization with emphasis on heavy industry development
  • Set ambitious production targets for key sectors (steel, coal, electricity)
  • Often unrealistic goals designed to motivate workers and managers
• Implemented centrally planned economy to direct resources and labor
  • Gosplan (State Planning Committee) created detailed economic plans
  • Introduced quota system for industrial and agricultural production
• Collectivization of agriculture became central component
  • Aimed to increase agricultural productivity and fund industrialization
  • Led to formation of kolkhozes (collective farms) and sovkhozes (state farms)
• Developed new industrial centers in resource-rich regions
  • Focused on Urals and Siberia to exploit natural resources
  • Strategically located to enhance Soviet military capabilities

Subsequent Five-Year Plans and Economic Strategies

• Second Five-Year Plan (1933-1937) continued industrialization efforts
  • Aimed to improve consumer goods production and living standards
  • Introduced Stakhanovism to increase industrial output
    • Named after miner Alexei Stakhanov, who allegedly mined 14 times his quota
    • Promoted exceptional productivity through competition and rewards
• Third Five-Year Plan (1938-1941) shifted focus towards military production
  • Responded to growing international tensions and threat of war
  • Interrupted by the outbreak of World War II in 1941
• Plans set ambitious targets for various industries
  • Steel production goals increased from 4 million to 10 million tons annually
  • Electricity generation targets rose from 5 billion to 22 billion kilowatt-hours

Impact of Five-Year Plans

Economic and Industrial Transformation

• Rapid industrialization resulted in significant economic growth
  • Transformed Soviet Union from agrarian to industrial power within a decade
  • Annual industrial growth rates averaged 10-20% during the first two plans
• Created new urban working class, altering social structure
  • Massive rural-to-urban migration to staff new factories
  • Urbanization rate increased from 18% in 1926 to 33% in 1939
• Established centrally planned economy with lasting consequences
  • Created inefficiencies and corruption persisting throughout Soviet era
  • Led to chronic shortages of consumer goods and services

Social and Demographic Changes

• Collectivization led to widespread famine, particularly Holodomor in Ukraine
  • Resulted in millions of deaths (estimates range from 3 to 7 million)
  • Caused long-lasting social and economic consequences in rural areas
• Women's roles in society changed significantly
  • Increased participation in workforce (from 24% in 1928 to 39% in 1940)
  • Greater access to education and professional opportunities
• Education and literacy rates improved dramatically
  • Literacy rate increased from 51% in 1926 to 87% in 1939
  • Contributed to development of skilled workforce and scientific advancements

Stalin's Totalitarian Regime

Political Repression and Control

• Great Purge (1936-1938) eliminated perceived opponents
  • Targeted Communist Party members, military officers, and intellectuals
  • Estimated 600,000 to 1.2 million people executed during this period
• Show trials publicly discredited and eliminated potential rivals
  • Moscow Trials (1936-1938) targeted prominent Old Bolsheviks (Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin)
  • Used to instill fear and obedience in the population
• NKVD (secret police) carried out arrests, interrogations, and executions
  • Often used torture to extract false confessions
  • Expanded network of informants to monitor population

Propaganda and Ideological Control

• Stalin's cult of personality carefully cultivated
  • Propaganda portrayed Stalin as infallible leader and father figure
  • Arts and literature required to adhere to Socialist Realism, glorifying Stalin and Soviet life
• Censorship and control of information rigorously enforced
  • State monopolized media, education, and cultural production
  • Glavlit (censorship agency) reviewed all publications and broadcasts
• Concept of "enemy of the people" used to justify persecution
  • Targeted various groups (intellectuals, ethnic minorities, religious leaders)
  • Encouraged denunciations, fostering climate of suspicion and fear