Stalin: An Economic Savior “We are fifty to a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make up this gap in ten years. Either we do this or they crush us” (Joseph Stalin). When Stalin first became the leader of Russia in 1929, the economy was in shambles. The economic regime in place was heavily based on agriculture, and the production of goods and military equipment as well as industry was almost non-existent. Stalin realized that this agrarian society would never be able to compete or be feared by other countries, and thus he decided to upheave the Soviet Union’s former rural society, transforming it into a modernized economy. Therefore, Stalin was overall an effective leader because of his contributions to the Russian economy …show more content…
Stalin believed that by creating a heavy emphasis on production as well as launching massive propaganda, that overall industry would be able to increase and circulate money into the economy. And as a result of his first five-year plan, which ended in 1934, Russia experienced a “fifty percent increase in industrial output” as well as an “average annual growth rate of eighteen percent” . Furthermore, what is truly remarkable about these results is that Stalin was able to increase revenue in a time of economic instability. During this period of growth in Russia, other countries, such as the United States, were facing economic stagnation and struggling to support their own citizens. Therefore, the mere fact that Stalin was able to facilitate economic growth and aid to the development of his nation during a global economic downturn, demonstrates his efficacy as a …show more content…
Firstly, in order to move Russia into a fully communist state, as believed by Marx, it needed to have a completely industrialized economy . Therefore, Stalin’s changes to the Russian economy were not only for aiding in the modernization of the country, but as well incorporated communist beliefs. In addition, by eliminating private business and moving ownership to the government, standard prices were created, which made goods more accessible to the public. And lastly, by creating a focus on industrialization, many peasants were able to rise in social class by becoming members of the working caste. In fact, employment in Russia from 1928 to 1932 more than doubled, increasing from 11.5 million to 24 million . Thus, Stalin was an effective leader because he was able to promote communism as well as increase the number of individuals in the working