Secrets of the success of Stalin's industrialization
Periodically, articles come across that level the role of the leadership and people of Soviet Russia in pre-war industrialization, they say, almost all enterprises were built by Americans. This topic is interesting and very instructive, it makes sense to dwell on it in more detail.
Tsarist Russia was industrialized, but in the flames of the Civil War, the Bolshevik-Trotskyists successfully solved the problem of turning the country's industrial potential into ruins. After defeating Trotsky in 1929, Stalin set about building a military-industrial potential. During the two and a half pre-war five-year plans, about 10 dual-purpose plants were built in the USSR.
Indeed, a significant part of them were designed and built by the Americans, a large number by the Germans (over 70 contracts for the construction, supply of equipment and training of personnel), Austrians and even the Czechs.
In this regard, special mention should be made of the contracting company Albert Kahn. This German-American, the father of Detroit industry, stood at the origins of Soviet industrialization. Of course, he was not a philanthropist, Soviet Russia sold grain to finance industrialization until the moment when it did not threaten mass starvation, and then was stopped by Stalin's order.
In Moscow, Kahn opens a branch of Albert Kahn Associates Inc, which was named Gosproektstroy. Albert's brother, Moritz, traveled to Moscow with a staff of 25 American specialists who helped the Soviet government set up a design bureau staffed by several thousand Soviet architectural and engineering designers.
In total, Gosproektstroy was able to train about 4 specialists and designed and organized the construction of over 000 facilities. Of course, there were also Ford, Austin, Cooper Engineering and others. The Great Depression raged in America until 500, there were no orders.
It is believed that the Americans designed and built about 1 plants.
How much - it doesn’t even matter, let’s be honest: the more foreigners worked to establish the industrial potential of the USSR, the more one can respect the genius of Stalin.
"Special" work of Soviet designers
However, the most interesting experience that deserves careful study and application is the "special" work of Soviet designers.
Foreign specialists designed and built enterprises together with Soviet engineers who were engaged in solving the most important task of the party and government - reprofiling:
- agricultural engineering plants were designed according to the profile aviation;
- plants of medium machine building - according to the profile of artillery and mortar;
– car factories – armored vehicles and light tanks;
- tractor - heavy tanks;
- bread - gunpowder;
- pasta - for the production of shells, bullets and slow powders;
- sentries - for the production of fuses.
Lev Isakov writes about this in detail.
The Americans laughed at the Russians when, for example, at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, Soviet engineers demanded that 50-ton span loads be taken into account instead of 5-ton ones. The Americans counted money, while the Russians thought about heavy tanks.
All 10 thousand enterprises were aimed at defense production, and even though they were not always profitable as automobile, tractor or combine, they were effective as tanks, artillery or aircraft. Such a systematic, comprehensive militarization of industry and agriculture, the world economic story didn't know and still don't know. Indeed, even the deployment of a network of MTS (machine and tractor stations) in the countryside meant the pre-mobilization readiness of the country's auto-tractor fleet. The first MTS appeared in 1927-1928, and by 1937 their number was about six thousand.
We all remember this and even feel grateful to foreigners for their help, but what should we do now, pay and repent or kiss the shoes of Americans or Germans for factories? Imagine that a neighbor helped you 50 years ago. You remember this, but now he is trying to rob you, how should you behave?
An important point was that the sites for the evacuation of factories from the west of the USSR to the east were prepared years before the war.
As a result of all this work, the Soviet economy acquired extraordinary controllability and the ability to expand military production almost instantly.
For comparison with our "respectable partners": the mobilization of the industry of Great Britain required 22 months, of which nine months without direct influence of the enemy, and the US economy, not at all affected by the war, was mobilized in 36 months.
The economy of the USSR, under the devastating impact of the war, was mobilized in 3-4 months for the main industries and in seven months in full.
How do you like it, Elon Musk, historically more precisely - Albert Kahn? Recognize that the students have surpassed the teachers. No assault or even sincere enthusiasm could provide such a result without the systematic and thoughtful work of the pre-war years.
In addition to the actual industrialization, Stalin also carried out a purge of the state administrative apparatus and the command staff of the Red Army. Both before the war and during. There were excesses, but there was also a significant increase in the combat capability of the Red Army.
By the mid 30s. again a situation arose in which the Trotskyists accumulated forces in the upper strata of the state and society that threatened a real coup. Supporters of Trotsky's ideas promoted their people to all levels of power: to the Politburo, the leadership of the army and fleet, Adviсe. This especially affected the sphere of ideology: the political department of the army and navy, cultural enlightenment, universities and academies. They worked as professional talkers: editors of central and local newspapers and magazines, lecturers and journalists.
There is nothing new under the sun. It must be understood that the Trotskyists-internationalists today are pro-Western liberals, for whom the elimination of the sovereign Russian state is the same task as for the Trotskyists of the 30s.
Today, however, corruption and failures in the defense industry and foreign policy remain practically without consequences.
What to do now?
Are there opportunities for repurposing now?
In some cases, no doubt. This is faster than starting production from scratch, but it is even more important to plan systematically.
True, to do this, the owners and officials need to do what they have forgotten how to do - put the interests of the Motherland above their own and step on the most sensitive - their own profits. And we need an act of state will aimed at mobilizing the rear and industry, nationalizing the financial system and a number of defense enterprises. However, it seems that they also forgot how to “start in earnest”.
Learn from Comrade Stalin.
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