Stalin's Views on Communism
Nicole Jares
What was Stalin's Five Year Plan?
As party general secretary, Stalin was able to appoint many government positions and leaders. He planned to appoint leaders who supported him to ultimately help phase Trotsky out of power. Stalin developed what is known as the 'Five Year Plan'. This was a set economic goals. It emphasized the maximum production of capital goods. He began to eliminate (collectivization) private farms to turn Russia into an industrial nation, rather than an agricultural one.
Josef Stalin
Leon Trotsky
Propoganda Poster for the Five Year Plan
What was so good about Stalin's Five Year?
Pros of the Five Year Plan were that it turned Russia into an industrial nation, just like Stalin had originally planned. The number of jobs increased by the millions from 1932-1940. It allowed Russia to be recognized as a major world power. It improved the middle class, promoted family values, and made Russia a military powerhouse. Trotsky's NEP was only meant to be a temporary measure to kickstart the economy after the disasters of WWI and the Civil War; it never had any intentions to stay for the long run.