Communist Dictator Jospeh Stalin - 852 Words

As one of the most ruthless Communist dictators of all time, Joseph Stalin only strived to lead the Soviet Union in becoming a powerhouse and a key player in the global market. Stalin concluded that in order for the Soviet Union to compete against the economic successes of the Western world, rapid industrialization needed to occur. In 1928, Stalin switched the economic plans from Lenin’s NEP (New Economic Policy) to the Five Year Plan. The plan’s goal was to convert the Soviet Union from an agricultural state to an industrial country through urbanization. Before Stalin came to power, the Soviet Union was almost a medieval country where the roads were not paved and the people lived in villages deprived of electricity. However, the Five Year Plan was Stalin’s attempt to transform the Soviet Union’s economy. To bring the Soviet Union up to speed with the rest of the world, Stalin emphasized the importance of heavy industry production in areas such as; coal, i ron, steel, electricity, cement, metals, timber etc. Factories were established where all of the peasants were required to work. Of course, this entailed working in harsh conditions, for every factory was given set targets (that were seemingly impossible) to fulfill. Workers would be publicly humiliated or sent to prison camps if mistakes were made or if they did not show up to work since this was considered an act of treason. Stalin demanded a 110% increase in coal production, a 200% increase in iron production and a