The Impact of Lenin and Stalin on Russia

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The impact of Lenin and Stalin's policies on the rights of the Russian people Stalin: The First Five- Year Plans (1928-1933) Stalin believed that a strong economy needed a strong country. He felt that industrialization was the key to achieving this strength and was convinced that the peasant class needed to accept socialism. Stalin preferred the economic policies of War Communism. He felt Lenin's New Economic Policy (NEP) had diluted socialism, but he was nervous about losing the support of the peasants who benefited from the NEP and wanted to unite them with the working class. The launch of the first Five-Year Plan and a collectivization drive dramatically reversed the NEP model. The Congress of the Communist Party accepted Stalin's national economic plan in 1927. The plan was to run from 1928 to 1933, and the objectives of this plan were: • The rapid industrialization of Russia. • The introduction of socialized farming. • Elimination of private enterprise. • Development of education and transport. A state planning commission, the Gosplan, was empowered to direct the economic activities of the country. The main aim of the Gosplan was to control the means of production and make recommendations to the government on issues regarding to the import and export of raw materials for manufacturing. Industrialization Stalin's decision to begin a policy of rapid industrialization flowed from his particular belief in socialism. Stalin believed Russia had to be delivered from its backwardness and introduced to modern wonders of metal tractors and motorcars. The target of the first Five-Year Plan was to double production. Propaganda was used to inspire workers and to stress the significance of working together for a better future. Emphasis was also placed on the development of heavy industries, steel and electrical plants. Transportation systems, scientists and
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