Industrialisation under Stalin

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Industrialisation under Stalin

Advantages

  • Coal output went up 5 times, Steel output went up 6 times, Oil output doubled and electricity went up 4 times, all in 12 years
  • Workers literacy went up as they now had to be able to read the rota's, staff notices and assembly instructions for products they were manufacturing
  • Stalin was able to keep a keen eye on the workforce as they were no longer spread out across the country in various farms. This improved the morale of the workers as they knew Stalin would be watching to support them. The costs of manufacturing also went down as the workers who had come to the factories had mostly left the dismal conditions on farms, and as such Stalin was able to pay them an economically beneficial rate.
  • The output of the factories is often attributed to what saved them during world war 2, especially during Operation Barbarossa

Disadvantages

  • Stalin created a class of industrial Kulaks called "wreckers". These were often people who were under quota or were more talented and educated than the rest of workers, who Stalin felt threatened by. These people were the fuel for Gigantomania whilst in Gulag's, and this left the country in a lurch due to a sub-par workforce
  • Gigantomania was the construction of vast, often pointless structures. Stalin was a fan of this, and neglected workers needs by instead building things like Magnitogorsk, the White Sea Canal and the Dnieper Dam
  • The workers often lived in squalor. Working conditions were bad, but living conditions were worse, as occupants had little room and would often share with other families. Furthermore, they had a low quality of life, and the factories would operate 24/7, preventing workers from getting a decent rest
  • Stalin crushed workers liberties. The worker could be sacked for the tiniest thing, like being a minute late, and breaks were controlled by the government, as well as pay. Furthermore, Stalin prevented trade union activity in the factories

Evaluation

It is fair to say that Stalin's work in industrialisation did the country miracles in getting the country to advance in regards to industry. However at the same time, Stalin crushed workers liberties and restricted freedom, so the good and the bad should be weighed up in balance, with the understanding that without this attitude of Stalin's, the USSR wouldn't have survived

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