How far did the aims and key features of the Five-Year Plans change in the years 1928–41?
The five year plans were introduced in 1928 by the Stalin and the USSR in order to industrialise Russia. Stalin wanted Russia to be self-sufficient which it wasn’t at the time to do this. The five year plans consisted of 3 plans were run from 1928-1941. The key features and aims of the five year plans can be viewed as being different for each one, however I will be arguing to a greater extent that the key aims and features of the five year plans didn’t change that much.
The first plan was introduced in 1928 and ended at 1932 and its main emphasis was on heavy industrialisation. The main aim of the first five year plan was to transform Russia into a …show more content…

Although it is clear that the main objectives of each of the aims and key features were different, even though heavy industry was a key aim in all three, the key aims and features of the five year plans were similar and it did not change much. Terror was a common method used in all three of the five year plans, figures were exaggerated and people were tormented. In order to gain success the communists People who were late were severely punished and it was treated like a criminal offence. People were driven by fear and terror in order to maximise production. Another common feature which didn’t change in all of the five year plans was the feeling of people. People were unhappy as they lived on poor wages and worked in poor conditions, they also had no say in anything. However this played a key role in maximising production. People also didn’t have the necessities such shoes and cheap government ones were provided. Consumer industries didn’t really develop over the five year plans and this meant that people didn’t have access to things that would have been essential. For instance people did have access to soaps, and foods were rationed until 1934. So overall looking at the lives of people during the five year plans it didn’t change much and it remained the same.
Another common feature was that all of the five year plans were set in Moscow by the Gosplan and they all therefore had the same issue. They didn’t have any economic or industrial