The Soviet Economy: The Late 1930s in Historical Perspective

Abstract

his p ap er is a draft ofthe conclu ding chap ter ofThe ind ustria lisa tion ofSovie tRussia, v ol.7 :The Sovie te c onom ya nd the a pproa c h ofw a r,1937–1939, in p rep aration for p u b lication b y Palgrav e M acm illan.W e cons iderthe dev elop m ent ofthe Sov iet econom y ov er the p eriod ofthe s eries , thatis , from the lau nching ofthe firs t fiv e-y ear p lan and the collectiv is ation ofagricu ltu re to the ou tb reak ofthe Second W orld W ar.W e rev iew , in tu rn,the p attern offorced indu s trialis ation, the m eas u rem ent andm is m eas u rem ent ofeconom ic p rogres s , the ex traordinary m ilitaris ationofa m ob ilis ed s ociety and econom y , the em ergence ofthe Sov iet Union asa glob alm ilitary p ow er, and the s cop e for reform s w ithin the econom ics y s tem that Stalin created and ru led ov er.Conclu ding, w e as k w hat kindofeconom ic dev elop m ent this w as .