The question of what features of socialist industrialization in the Soviet Union consisted of is perhaps one of the most controversial and controversial in Russian history of the 20th century. The problem of the price of achieved success still worries researchers, and the study of how the results are consistent with the government’s plans remains relevant in our time.
Characteristic of the era
The analysis of what the features of socialist industrialization in our country consisted of is directly related to the understanding of the socio-political, economic, as well as the cultural situation at the given time. In the 1920s, a course was taken on the NEP, which included the introduction of elements of a market economy, freedom of trade, private initiative and entrepreneurial activity. It was a government measure to eliminate the consequences of the war and the period of war communism.
Background
However, when considering the question of what were the features of socialist industrialization, it must be understood that the Bolsheviks initially viewed the new course as a temporary measure. What does the fact that in 1925, that is, in the midst of economic recovery on a market basis, at the party congress, it was decided to create a powerful industrial base in the country. The government pursued the goal of closing the gap between the state and the developed capitalist Western European countries and the USA.
Plans
During the period under discussion, there were active discussions about the pace and measures of development of heavy industry. Two projects were put forward, each of which makes it possible to understand what were the features of socialist industrialization in the next decade. Supporters of the first approach proceeded from the idea that changes should occur gradually, based on the current situation in the economic sector, taking into account practice and specific experience (Bukharin, Kondratyev).
Others, on the contrary, argued that it was necessary to proceed from their prospects, to take into account not real circumstances, but possible future structural changes in the national economy (Strumilin, Trotsky). The latter option later turned out to be preferable, which was largely due to the internal party struggle, when the supporters of the first draft were defeated. What were the features of socialist industrialization, we will briefly consider below. Industrialization can be described as a policy of forced modernization, closely related not so much to the economic situation as to politics.
| Goals | Features |
| Overcoming the country's technical backwardness from capitalist states | High, accelerated pace of industrialization |
| Achieving Economic Independence | Limited time |
| Building Industry and Defense | Priority for the development of heavy industry for a set of villages and loans from the population |
| Creating the foundation for collectivization | Carrying out five-year plans at the expense of internal funds |
Five year
In 1929, the first plan for the development of the economy was adopted and approved. It is significant that he assumed industrial construction not at an accelerated pace, but in a balanced manner so as not to lead to disruptions in the established system. Nevertheless, in practice, this project turned out to be much more difficult and stressful, which allowed the government to resort to a number of emergency measures.
Already on the basis of this
first five-year plan, one can judge what the features of the socialist industrialization of the USSR were: accelerated accelerated pace of development, tight deadlines, transfer of funds from the village and population to heavy industry. In addition, the party resorted to such measure as compulsory loans from the population, that is, once or twice a year a person had to give the state his monthly salary. In addition, the state raised prices for manufactured goods and lowered prices for agricultural products.
Population situation
The question of what were the features of socialist industrialization, the answer to which should be sought in the planned regulation of the economy by the party, is extremely important for understanding the situation in our country on the eve of the outbreak of war with Germany. The standard of living of the population was not very high, but the country was embraced by patriotic enthusiasm and enthusiasm, which played a large role in the construction. The "Stakhanov movement" received great scope. Many workers exceeded their plans, and the authorities actively supported in people this desire for accelerated modernization.
Development priorities
The problem of what the features of socialist industrialization were (the table given in the article shows the distinctive features) is connected with the fact that the government posed a rather difficult task: to catch up with developed advanced countries in just a decade. For this, emphasis was placed on the development of industries such as engineering, metallurgy, and construction. A bet was also made on the creation of state and collective farm property, which finally led to the liquidation of the private sector in the national economy. However, the main goals of industrialization were achieved: in a relatively short period of time, the USSR came out on the second place in industrial production and became economically independent.