Five Year Plans Essay

830 Words4 Pages
Do you agree that the Five-Year Plans made the Soviet Union economically powerful in the 1930s? Explain your answer. I agree that the Five-Year Plans made the Soviet Union economically powerful in the 1930s. Three factors which were part of the FYP that contributed to the development of Soviet Union’s economy are the decrease in unemployment, avoiding the Great Depression and the industrialization of the Soviet Union. However, I disagree to a smaller extent as the quality of the goods produced were very poor. Firstly, the Five-Year Plans allowed USSR to avoid the Great Depression. The FYP made USSR an autarky. Hence, being self-sufficient, it did not rely on trade with other countries. Therefore, when almost the whole world was badly affected by the Great Depression in the 1930s, USSR was able to avoid the economic downturn caused by it. Hence, it remained economically powerful through the 1930s, having removed itself from the world trading systems. Therefore, through the proposition of an autarky in the USSR, it avoided the negative effects of the Great Depression in the 1930s, hence, allowing it to be economically powerful in the 1930s. Secondly, the Five Year-Plans brought about rapid industrialization in the USSR hence, making it economically powerful in the 1930s. The first FYP from 1928 to 1932 concentrated on expanding heavy industries especially steel and iron, and electricity, chemicals and engineering. Output was to be doubled un five years. Though the high targets were not met, there was a great increase in the amount of coal, iron, steel and oil produced. More than 1500 factories and more than 100 new cities were built. The second plan from 1933 to 1938 focused on more manufactured goods, in addition to the first plan. The second plan increased the production of industrial goods plus making regularly needed products such as clothes, and
Open Document