The importance of adopting the GOELRO (state electrification of Russia) plan lies in the fact that it became an important stage not only in the economic, but also in the political life of the Soviet Union. It was one of the largest projects to restore a destroyed economy and economy. Its development began at a time when the Civil War was continuing, in view of the need to urgently establish economic life in the state.
Background
The idea of adopting the GOELRO plan cannot be regarded as an exceptional invention of the Soviet leadership. The fact is that even in pre-revolutionary Russia, the level of energy development was quite high. Power plants were put into operation, not inferior in quality to the American and West European ones. The problem was that their number was very small, there was no single state program and no single center for their organization and management.
Pre-Soviet school
However, the level of the pre-revolutionary technical school was very high, domestic experts were considered one of the best in the world. In the empire, congresses of power engineers were constantly held, which considered various options for building stations. The GOELRO plan was largely the result of their achievements and plans. For example, in the first decade of the 20th century, Russian scientists came to the conclusion that the stations should be built close to the place of mining. This idea was subsequently adopted by Lenin when he dealt with the issue of electrification of the country.
Training
The year of adoption of the GOELRO plan was an important event in the history of our country. The fact is that this was not only a scheme for providing electricity to the whole country, but also a project to restore the economy as a whole, since it was planned to build enterprises that would provide the station with all the necessary equipment.
Reorganization and modernization was also subject to the country's transport system. At the initiative of Lenin, a special commission was created to develop the project. All work was directed by G. Krzhizhanovsky. He wrote a special brochure on the implementation of this project, which became a kind of manual and guide for the main working group. The creators largely focused on the achievements of their predecessors and decided to build stations near mineral deposits. This problem was all the more urgent because in connection with the events of the Civil War, Baku oil and Donetsk coal turned out to be inaccessible, so it was necessary to use other resources.
Development
The importance of adopting the GOELRO plan is that this was the first project of the all-Russian level. The whole country was centrally divided into several economic districts, which were distinguished by the principle of their development level, as well as depending on local characteristics. The work was supposed to be carried out for ten to fifteen years. The main goal of the project was the desire of the Soviet leadership to restore the country's economic potential destroyed during the wars.
During the construction of the stations, new industrial enterprises (for example, a tractor factory) were launched in parallel, and new communication lines were built (Volga-Don Canal). It was assumed that the adoption of the GOELRO plan would play an important role in the restoration of the destroyed economy. The year in which this event occurred was very difficult, as the civil war was still not over. Nevertheless, in two stages the project was adopted, approved.
Electrification
As already mentioned, a commission of nineteen people worked on this scheme. The immediate initiator was Lenin, who considered this measure the first step in enhancing economic life. The adoption of the GOELRO plan, the date of which is December 1921, laid the foundation for the introduction of not only thermal, but also hydroelectric power plants. In total, it was supposed to create such about thirty. The work to implement the plan was of a dual nature: on the one hand, it was a whole state program, which was carried out by centralized methods. However, at the same time, the state actively supported the private entrepreneurial initiative, issuing benefits and loans to those who participated in the creation of power plants. As a result, the plan was not only fulfilled, but also exceeded. Separately, it should be noted that the greatest successes were achieved in the Sverdlovsk region, where after the war almost all collective and state farms were provided with electricity.
Value
The adoption of the GOELRO plan became the prerequisite for the next five-year plans for industrialization and collectivization. He laid the foundation for the centralized planned policy of the Soviet government to modernize the country's economy. The project was successfully implemented, but this was achieved at a high price, largely due to the pumping of funds from the village, the difficult living conditions of the people, who showed considerable enthusiasm during the construction work. At the same time, the country was provided with electricity, new enterprises were commissioned, and the transport system was updated.
Interesting facts include the history of the visit of G. Wells to Russia. The famous science fiction writer met Lenin, who told him about the electrification plan. However, the writer did not believe and subsequently noted that the low population density of the country, the lack of a technical base are serious obstacles to the implementation of this project. However, Lenin invited him to come in ten years and see how the plan was implemented. The writer visited the USSR in 1934 and was amazed that the project was fully completed, and even exceeded according to some indicators.