Second Five Year Plan, 1933-37

What was the Soviet Union's Second Five Year Plan?

The Second Five Year Plan was the second industrial plan created by Gosplan for the USSR. It built on the work completed under the First Five Year Plan.

When was the Second Five Year Plan in the Soviet Union?

The Second Five Year Plan was from January 1933 to December 1937.

What were the aims of the Second Five Year Plan in the Soviet Union?

The 3 main aims of the Second Five Year Plan were:

• ❖ Still focused on developing heavy industry, but the targets were not so high.
• ❖ To develop communication.
• ❖ Higher targets for consumer goods to address the weaknesses of the First Five Year Plan.

What were the successes of the Second Five Year Plan in the Soviet Union?

The Second Five Year Plan had 5 main successes:

• ❖ By 1937, the USSR was self-sufficient in machine tool production and metal making.
• ❖ Transport and communications grew rapidly with the completion of such projects as the Moscow Metro.
• ❖ Chemical industries grew.
• ❖ Heavy industry benefitted from large scale projects being completed, such as Magnitogorsk Steel Plant and the Dnieper Dam.
• ❖ There were increases in heavy industry. For example, steel production increased four-fold.

What were the weaknesses of the Second Five Year Plan in the Soviet Union?

The Second Five Year Plan had 3 key weaknesses:

• ❖ There still was insufficient consumer goods and they failed to reach their targets.
• ❖ The Second Five Year Plan was disrupted due to the Great Purges.
• ❖ Oil production was poor.