FREE ESSAY ON SOLVIET UNION

SOLVIET UNION

Essay 
#1 Samuel 
P.S.204
3-14-9
The Soviet Union sparked its first paths of development towards a communist economy
through a five-year plan in 1938. The plan called for government controls and government
regulation for their workers. This planned also controlled prices and wages for the
workers to control the standard of living and to keep the needs of the common man
minimal. The government wanted control of all private industries so that they can push
for a rapid industrial society. Benefits such as health care and public housing were
terminated to help the Soviet government with their plan. The Soviets wanted to combine
their work force with their investments in coal, steel and iron to boost their capital
and help them create a super nation. 
After Joseph Stalin's death in 1953 a change began to occur in the Soviet Union. A new
set of reforms was set up which were to reestablish welfare programs and public housing.
This plan that was coined the destalinization effort, was used to introduce the new
market strategies, expanding production and raising the profit margin. However
politically this plan was looked upon negatively and was merely disregarded. Over time
several attempts towards this model were made as late as 1988. Gorbachev was still trying
for economic reforms. Small business enterprises began to branch out and with new laws in
place more businesses were in control of themselves without that much government
regulations. These businesses folded and inflation became a horrid realization for the
soviets. The soviet economic plan was failing and was not showing any signs of revival.
It was not until the breaking up of the Soviet Union in the early 90's where the Soviet
economy would show signs of hope.
Compared to the theories of Marx, the Soviet Union did not begin their economic
development in the way, which Marx theorized. He believed that the economy needed to be
collectively ran and owned rather than in private hands. He also believed that education
should be free for all children in public schools and that benefits for workers should be
in place. His overall ideas were that…"The revolutionary overthrow of capitalism
and the Bourgeoisie state by a mass up rising of the urban working class, the
Proletariat". (Nagle, J.pg.156) At times, the Soviet society had beliefs of Marxism and
economic reforms were beginning to align in a conceptual sense. During the
destalinization period the beliefs were beginning to give back to the working man and
uses of new strategies to help overall production arose and thus helped the economy.
During the period of the five-year plan the Soviet Unions economic and political
structure was almost totally different in that the goal of the society was to have total
government control. Control of the worker, control of the resources and control of the
profits.
The failures of the economic and political development of the Soviet Unions were that
during the times of the five-year model rise of Communism. The government believed that
their system would help create a super power nation when in fact it made the nation
weaker because it failed within two years because of distress among the common man.
Efforts to correct the damage done to the society tremendous and since the break up the
Soviet Union they are still trying to rebuild the nation to what it once was before the
fall or the revolution.
It would be difficult to speculate about the future of the Soviet Union or current day
Russia. In keeping with current events I believe that Russia will continue trying to
rebuild it's economy and the future of its economy and the future of its people. With
Yeltsin as their as their leader Russia will hopefully be able to create a system that
will raise the rate of production of goods which will lead to raising the standards of
the economy and living.