00:00Soviet propaganda did not tell the whole truth about how industrialization began.
00:05In the mid-1920s, Soviet industry was in ruins. Although the Bolsheviks inherited a decent
00:11industrial legacy from the Russian Empire, these factories were either abandoned during the Civil
00:15War or were extremely poorly managed after the owners and specialists were forced to flee the
00:20country during the years of the revolution. In Soviet times, it was customary to downplay the
00:25industrial development of pre-revolutionary Russia, although by various estimates it was
00:28the third or fourth largest economy in the world and was growing very rapidly, having every chance
00:32to reach second and then first place. After the revolution and the Civil War, production volume
00:37fell about tenfold, which was a real economic catastrophe. And considering the fact that the
00:42Soviet Union was actively preparing for a future war, the need for a powerful economy became a
00:46matter of survival. In 1927, at the 15th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party, Bolsheviks,
00:52a decision was made to create a five-year plan for the development of the national economy,
00:55which marked the beginning of the policy of industrialization. In April 1929, the five-year
01:00plan received approval from the country's top leadership and became a direct blueprint for
01:03action for all sectors of the economy.
01:05Christy
