8.2: The Soviet Union: Stalinist Industrialization
Following his rise to power, Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) abandoned the NEP in 1928 when he introduced his first Five Year Plan to dramatically increase Soviet industrial production and force the collectivization of agriculture. While his industrial goals were unrealistic, Stalin managed to substantially increase the industrialization in the new Soviet Union. However, when he forced the collectivization of agriculture, millions of farmers and agricultural workers starved to death when they were left with too little of their crops to live on. Agricultural collectivization was a failure for the Soviet state.
Read this article about the Soviet industrialization debate. It represented a turning point in Soviet history, as people disagreed on how best to modernize the Soviet state.
Read this article about how the productivity demands of the NEP affected labor. "Shock work" was the term for work above and beyond the call of duty. Soon, most workers were "shock workers", making the term more or less meaningless.
To give some context to the foundation of Stalinist Industrialization, read this article about the Soviet Union's first five-year plan, which covered 1928 to 1932. The plan contained several economic goals designed to revolutionize agriculture and industry.
Read this short article about a very significant state newspaper article. It marked a break with the NEP as the five-year plan had begun.