- Stalin aimed to overtake capitalism in 10 years because he feared otherwise they would be destroyed
- The First 5 year plan set production targets for iron, steel, coal and oil - these targets were ludicrous and unrealistic
Magnitogorsk
- Iron rich fields
- Became a iron mine and industrial town
- City was disorganised not much food or coal to keep warm and nowhere proper to stay
- Dangerous - many accidents
- People came with enthusiasm
- No technical education - some had never seen a lightbulb
- Optimism that tomorrow would be better
- By 1936 4,000 tons of pig iron was produced every day
- Repairs left undone
- Machinery pushed to unsafety
- If made a mistake were classed as a saboteur
- 35,000 kulaks in Magnitogorsk 1936-7 were accused for simple errors and killed
- People would say "if only Stalin knew"
How successful were the plans?
- Brutal but did industrialise and make them ready for war
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