In 1927
Stalin's advisers told him that with the modernization of farming
the Soviet Union would require an extra 250,000 tractors. As well
as tractors there was also a need to develop the oil fields to provide
the necessary petrol to drive the machines. Power stations also had
to be built to supply the farms with electricity.
Since the
October Revolution industrial progress
had been slow. It was not until 1927 that production had reached the
levels achieved before the start of the First
World War. Stalin decided that he would use his control over the
country to increase production.
The first
Five Year Plan introduced in 1928, concentrated on the development
of iron and steel, machine-tools, electric power and transport. Joseph
Stalin set the workers high targets. He demanded a 1115 increase
in coal production, 200% increase in iron production and 335% increase
in electric power. He justified these demands by claiming that if
rapid industrialization did not take place, the Soviet Union would
not be able to defend itself against an invasion from capitalist countries
in the west.
Every factory
had large display boards erected that showed the output of workers.
Those that failed to reach the required targets were publicity criticized
and humiliated. Some workers could not cope with this pressure and
absenteeism increased. This led to even more repressive measures being
introduced. Records were kept of workers' lateness, absenteeism and
bad workmanship. If the worker's record was poor, he was accused of
trying to sabotage the Five Year Plan and if found guilty could be
shot or sent to work as forced labour on the Baltic Sea Canal or the
Siberian Railway.
With the
introduction of the Five Year Plan, Stalin argued that it was necessary
to pay higher wages to certain workers in order to encourage increased
output. His left-wing opponents claimed that this inequality was a
betrayal of socialism and would create a new class system in the Soviet
Union. Stalin had his way and during the 1930s, the gap between the
wages of the labourers and the skilled workers increased.
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