What were the negative aspects of…

History Questions

What were the negative aspects of Joseph Stalin’s first Five-Year Plan? Check all that apply: decline of infrastructure, shortage of consumer goods, waste and inefficiency, setbacks to modernization, use of enslaved laborers.

Answer

The negative aspects of Joseph Stalin’s first Five-Year Plan include shortage of consumer goods, waste and inefficiency, and the use of enslaved laborers. The plan, implemented between 1928 and 1932, prioritized the enhancement of heavy industry and the collectivization of agriculture, leading to the neglect of consumer goods which resulted in significant shortages. The ambitious industrial targets set were often unrealistic, resulting in considerable waste, inefficiency, and numerous industrial accidents where safety measures were overlooked. Additionally, the Plan heavily relied on forced labor, utilizing prisoners as a workforce. Edvard Radzinsky highlights that Stalin tasked Vladimir Menzhinski, head of the Soviet secret police, with organizing prisoner labor for the Plan, which included individuals from banned political groups, nationalists, and religious figures.

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