How Successful were Stalin’s Economic Changes? (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Were Stalin's Economic Policies a Success? - Summary
Stalin's economic policies in the USSR aimed to rapidly industrialise the country and build a socialist society. These policies, including the Five-Year Plans and collectivisation, had both successes and failures.
One success of Stalin's economic policies was the rapid industrialisation of the USSR. This industrialisation laid the foundation for the USSR to become a major world power. It allowed the USSR to survive the challenges of the Second World War.
Another success was the modernisation of agriculture through collectivisation. Collectivisation eventually increased agricultural productivity. This contributed to the USSR's ability to feed its growing urban workforce.
However, Stalin's economic policies also had significant failures and shortcomings. The rapid pace of industrialisation led to poor-quality products and shortages of consumer goods. Workers often faced harsh working conditions and low living standards. Collectivisation resulted in widespread famine and suffering.
Successes of Stalin's Economic Policies
Successes of the Five-Year Plans | Successes of Collectivisation |
|---|---|
The USSR increased its industrial output to levels comparable to the West. It was the second-largest producer of steel in 1940 | By 1940, grain production increased to 95 million tons. In 1928, the USSR produced 73 million tons. New farming techniques and technology aided this |
Stalin abandoned the third Five-Year Plan to focus on rearmament. The industrialisation allowed the USSR to rearm quickly and fight in the Second World War | Stalin succeeded in dekulakisation. He eliminated kulaks as a class by 1934 |
The state invested some money to improve living standards in industrial towns. By the third Five-Year Plan, there were some consumer goods for Soviet citizens | Industrial workers had more food. The USSR managed to export 1.69 million tons of grain in 1933. The profit of this was used to hire foreign experts and machinery |
Weaknesses of Stalin's Economic Policies
Weaknesses of the Five-Year Plans | Weaknesses of Collectivisation |
|---|---|
The Five-Year Plans focused on speed rather than efficiency. Making products quickly resulted in a large amount of waste. Products were often of poor quality when compared to Western products | The peasants had no choice but to collectivise. They protested by burning crops or killing livestock. As a result, nearly ten million kulaks were executed or removed from their land |
Rapid industrialisation was dangerous. Workers died or became injured on state-funded projects. In the first five years of building Magnitogorsk, 10,000 people died | The pressure of collectivisation worsened agricultural conditions. Famines in Stalin's regime killed nearly 13 million people |
Stalin used the Five-Year Plans as a political punishment. Prisoners in the GULAG system completed manual labour and had production targets. About ten million workers were deported from the USSR as political opponents | Peasants became reliant on the state. The state paid peasants poorly for their crops or gave them low wages. Peasants only had one acre of land for personal use. Before collectivisation, peasants had an average of 13.5 acres |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Students often struggle to structure their own opinions about if Stalin's economic policies were a success. There is no ‘correct’ answer. Historians continue to debate the topic today. The Cambridge IGCSE assesses you on your ability to make judgements, using evidence. Look at the two sides of the argument and the evidence that they use. Consider which argument you find the most convincing.
Worked Example
‘For the Soviet people, the gains made by collectivisation were worth the cost.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer
10 marks
Partial answer:
I do not agree with the statement (1). This is because collectivisation came at an extremely high price (1). Nearly 10 million kulaks were executed or removed from their land. Most kulaks slaughtered their animals and burnt their crops rather than hand them over to the state (1). This was not worth the cost. This is because this had an incredibly damaging impact on the USSR's society. It caused social upheaval and The Great Famine, where almost 5 million people died (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A strong response for this Paper One question needs to examine both sides of the argument. The next paragraph would explain why collectivisation was worth the cost. You could use the exporting of grain or how it supported industrialisation to argue this side. Continue to use a clear PEE structure as shown above.
You would then need to write a conclusion explaining if collectivisation was worth the cost. Remember to use phrases like ‘fully’ or ‘partially’ to explain how far the policy of collectivisation could be justified.
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