FYP's

1928 to 1932

• Increase production by 300% by setting targets for growth.
• Develop heavy industry, such as coal, iron, steel and oil.
• Boost electricity output by 600%.
• Double the output from light industry, such as chemicals production.

• The publicity surrounding the launch of the plan provoked an enthusiastic response.
• Stalin claimed the targets were met in 4 rather than 5 years.
• Electricity output trebeled.
• Iron output doubled.
• Steel production increased by a third.
• New railways, engineering plants, HEP schemes and industrial complexes, such as Magnitogorsk, sprung up - helped in the propaganda drive.
• It achieved better economic success than Tsarist and Leninist Russia.
• There was some input from foreign professionals, allowing managers to be given tips on how to improve.
• It created a new kind of man - the 'Soviet man'.

• Stalin's success was probably due to 'overenthusiasm' by local officials, keen to show their loyalty and effort. In reality, none of the major targets were met, such as for chemicals production.
• House-building, food-processing and other consumer industries were woefully neglected - never intended however as plans were collective and not individual.
• There were too few skilled workers and too little effective central coordination for efficient development.
• Smaller industrial works and workshops lost out in the competition from the bigger factories - encouraged the black market.
• In the disruption accompanied by collectivisation, village handicraft markets largely declined.

There had certianly been impressive growth here, espeically in heavy industry, even if the targets were not met. It laid down the foundations for the future Plans and kick-started economic growth, such as through Magnitogorsk.

1933 to 1937

• Continue the development of heavy industry.
• Put new empahsis on the light industries, such as chemicals, electricals and consumer goods.
• Develop communications to provide links between cities and areas of industry.
• Boost engineering and tool-making.

• The Moscow Metro opened in 1935, the Volga Canal in 1937 and the Dneiprostroi Dam, producing HEP that had recently been completed in 1932, was extended with 4 more generators to make it the largest dam in Europe.
• Electricity production and chemicals production grew rapidly.
• New metals, such as cooper, zinc and tin were mined for the first time.
• Steel output trebled.
• Coal production doubled.
• By 1937, the SU was virtually self-sufficient in metal goods and machine tools.
• In 1936, the focus of the plan changed slightly as a greater emphasis was placed on rearmament, which rose from 4% of GDP to 17% between 1933 and 1937 - securing people's lives.

• Though wages improved, the continuance of high prices and growing urban popualtions meant living standrds had not increased.
• Oil production failed to meet its targets.
• Despite some expansion in footwear and food-processing, there was still no appreciable increase in consumer goods.
• An emphasis on quantity, rather than quality, which had also marred the First Five Year Plan, continued.
• Few material rewards to incentivise workers.
• The reluctance to expose weaknesses out of fear for being purged caused production to remain low.
• The differences within the SU caused some areas to hoard raw materials, along with the need to meet targets, causing production to be very low in areas where no raw materials could be obtained.

The Plan had some success, espeically during the 'Three Good Years' (1934 to 1936).

1938 to 1942

• Focus on the development of heavy industry (given a renewed impetus because of fear of war).
• Promote rapid rearmament.
• Complete the transition to communsim.

• Again, heavy industry was the main beneficiary, with some strong grwoth in machinery and engineering, although the picture varied across the country and resources were increasingly diverted to rearmament, on which spending doubled between 1938 and 1940.

• Resources being diverted to rearmament had an adverse effect on other areas, as steel production stagnated, oil failed to meet its targets, causing a fuel crisis, and many industries found themselves short of raw materials.
• Concumser goods were relegated, once again, to the lowest priority.
• There was the dearth of good managers, specialists and technicians following Stalin's pruges, an exceptionally heard winter in 1938 and the diversion of funds into rearmament and defence - caused Gosplan to be thrown into chaos.
• The Plan was disrupted and finished early due to the German invasion of 1941.
• Urban popualtions had doubled but rural populations had declined by 10 million.
• Defence expenditure reached 33% of GDP.
• In 1940, a official degree abolished what was left of a free market.

Stalin did achieve his primary aim of making the SU into an industrial power that was, eventually, able to defeat Nazi Germany in WW2.

Stalin chose to advance his economic programme for industry through a series of 'Five Year Plan's', which set targets for the chosen industrial enterprises to attain (they were not necessarily 'Plans').

These targets were usually very ambitious - they were intended to force managers and workers to devote their maximum effort to the programme.

The launching and fulfillment of these Plans were accompanied by much propaganda.

Since failure to achieve a target was deemed a criminal offence, all those involved in adminstering and carrying out the Plans went to often great lenfgths to ensure that the reported statistics showed huge improvements - way above the targets orginally set. Thus, corruption and faulty reporting was built into the system from the outset.