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Summary Key facts for Industrial and social developments in towns and cities
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Key facts on the Industrial and social developments in towns and cities
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Industrial and social developments in towns and cities: Gosplan; the organisation, aims and results of thefirst three Five Year Plans; new industrial centres and projects; the involvement of foreign companies; the
working and living conditions of mangers, workers, and women; Stakhanovites; the success of the Five-Year
Plans
-Magnitogorsk was a new industrial city of 150,000 people intended to show socialism in action
-Moscow Metro (1937) built by British specialists from the London Underground but the OGPU arrested several Brits
on suspicion of spying
-Dneiprostroi Dam (1932) project led to Six American engineers being awarded ‘Order of the Red Banner of Labour’
due to ‘outstanding work’ in building dam which was one of the largest power stations in the world and increased
Soviet electric power by 5x
-Moscow-Volga Canal (1937) built by 200,000 prisoners from the Dmitlag prison camp, of whom 22,000 died
-The offer of high wages and the prestige of working on these mega-projects attracted many Westerners to work in the
USSR (particularly during the Great Depression)
-Gosplan targets were highly ambitions with severe punishments if failed to reach. Fear of missing targets created an
environment of bribery and corruption
-First Five Year Plan (1928-32) succeeded in tripling electricity production, doubling coal and iron output and
increasing steel production by 1/3. Although, none of the targets were met and the chemical industry lagged behind
and consumer goods neglected
-Second Five Year Plan (1933-1937) succeeded in trebling steel output, doubling coal output, making the USSR self-
sufficient in metal goods and machine tools and mining new metals (such as copper and tin) for the first time.
Although, consumer goods were in limited supply, oil failed to meet targets and overall quality was limited.
-Third Five Year Plan (1938-1942) succeeded in developing models such as the T-34 tank. Although other industrial
areas stagnated and oil production failed to meet its targets, causing a fuel crisis
-Soviet economy grew at 5 to 6% per year between 1928 and 1940 despite global recession
-By 1940, 43% of the workforce were female but received 40% less than men
-In 1988, it was reported that Stakhanov’s success that had occurred in the 2 nd 5-year plan had been stage-managed
and several others assisted him
-Stakhonvite movement is an example of socialist emulation. It encouraged workers to sometimes breach 200% of
their quotas. Opposition to the movement merited the label ‘wreaker’. Managers and workers were frustrated with the
Stakhanovites because it raised production targets
-The Soviet authorities claimed that the Stakhanovite movement had caused an increase in productivity. It was
reported that during the 1st 5-year plan productivity increased by 41%, in the 2 nd 5-year plan it increased by 82%
-Strikes were illegal and absenteeism pre-1940 could result in eviction from housing and loss of benefits
-Introduction of internal passports, labour books and absenteeism (in 1940) helped reduce the ‘quicksand society’ that
the poor working conditions created
-From 1936, factories had to pay for their own materials which led to further bribery and corruption within the system
-Managers received bonuses for exceeding targets but could be put on trial, imprisoned, or even executed for failing to
meet targets for ‘wreaking’
-Most workers lived in crowded communal apartments with little privacy. As well as this, whilst food rationing ended in
1935, many food items still remained difficult to afford.
-From 1931, wage differentials were introduced to reward long hours. Wages overall increased during the second 5-
year plan.
-Training programmes became widely available to improve skills. In 1936, the Party began making it easier for women
to get training to improve their skills
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