The Second Five-Year Plan

key features

• more realistic than the first 5 year plan

• total investment reduced

• resources concentrated on completing projects in progress e.g., magnitogorsk + other metal works

• 3 good years: 1934 - 1936

• agricultural recovery +

stakhanovism origins

• 1935 stakhanov cuts 102 tons of coal in 5h →16x norm of 6.5 tons per shift

• perfect conditions + support team

stakhanovism publicity

• soviet hercules

• front cover pravada

• “stakhanovite movement” → compelling management to adopt new production methods + increase rates of production

• those reluctant → sabotuers

• bolshevik spirit of mass participation + proletarian creativity re-animated

stakhanovism negatives

• bonuses + gifts on favoured few

  • ordinary workers → violence/sabotage/demand to be classed as stakhanovites

• resurrecting grass roots enthusiasm 1st plan → purges

• fails to increase objective productivity

second-half 1936 situation

• terrible harvest

• shortages

• economic slow down

• industrial accidents → kemerovo mine disaster

second-half 1936 situation consequence

• imperatives of meeting production targets → regional party + economic leaders to deception of the centre

• factories turned out substandard/fiddled with figyres

• local party leadership + local NKVD colluded (did not want to be held responsible for unfulfilled targets)