What is industrialization? This term refers to the process in which most of the state’s resources are spent on the development of industry. First of all, there is an accelerated development of such industries that are called upon to manufacture means of production. In this process, the agricultural economy is transformed into an industrial one.
Story
The prerequisite for industrialization in Europe was scientific and technological progress. A significant leap in the development of industry occurred due to the largest discoveries in the field of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.
In order to understand what industrialization is, it is necessary to highlight the main features that a state possesses that has overcome the economic transition to a more developed level:
- urbanization;
- class antagonism;
- transfer of power to the owners;
- low social mobility;
- representative democracy.
A society in which the above signs are present refers to the state in which the process of industrialization has successfully passed.
Industrial revolution
Pre-industrial technologies did not allow the economy to develop, as a result of which people were forced to be on the verge of physical survival. Most of the European population in the Middle Ages was involved in agriculture. In such circumstances, urban hunger was a frequent occurrence.
What industrialization was, the first to know the inhabitants of the UK. In the 18th century, an industrial revolution took place, as a result of which it was possible to significantly increase the level of agricultural productivity. The first transformations were based on the introduction of innovative methods in the production of steam parts and cast iron, textiles, and the distribution of railways. This leap in development was caused by a number of inventions. The second industrial revolution occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. The prerequisites for it were already serious achievements in the field of science.
the USSR
What is industrialization, in my own experience felt every Soviet person. The main feature of this process was a sharp deterioration in the general standard of living of citizens. In domestic economic science there is such a term as Stalinist industrialization. Under it is understood the extremely rapid buildup of the industrial potential of the state. In order to understand the reasons that caused the need for this process, we should consider the history of economic development in Russia in a broader perspective.
Since the second half of the 19th century, the country needed modernization. In tsarist Russia, it was customary to accumulate resources in order to make the ruble a convertible currency. The main goal in economic policy was foreign investment. When the Bolsheviks came to power, the issue of modernization was still relevant. But the new government decided him differently.
In the thirties, the highest decision was made to raise Soviet society to the level of industrial in a short time. The main condition for achieving this goal was the absolute denial of the market and democracy. Stalinist industrialization envisioned the implementation of the Leninist plan for building socialism, the result of which was to create heavy industry.
Five year plan
During the so-called five-year plans, significant results were achieved in modernizing the state, which, according to many researchers, ensured victory in the Great Patriotic War. Industrialization of industry in the thirties was part of Soviet ideology and the most important achievement of the USSR. However, the scale and historical significance of this process was revised in the eighties and even became the subject of continuous discussion. It should be said a few words about what preceded such an economic phenomenon as industrialization in the young Soviet state.
Lenin
The Soviet revolutionary paid great attention to the development of the economy. During the Civil War, the government began to develop a long-term plan for the electrification of the country. According to the plan, over fifteen years it was necessary to build 30 power plants. At the same time, the transport system was reconstructed.
Industrialization of a country is a process in which the main task is to develop modern industry and agriculture using scientific achievements. Electricity generation in the thirties increased by almost seven times compared with 1913. Consequently, the beginning of the industrialization process was laid during the reign of Lenin.
Positive effects
The features of industrialization in the USSR consist in the fact that all funds were allocated for the development of heavy industry, while in other countries in this economic process light was preferred. Western countries sought to draw resources from outside. In the USSR, internal reserves were used, which was extremely negatively reflected in the standard of living of ordinary people. But still there were positive points:
- construction of new enterprises;
- the development of new industries;
- transformation from an agrarian power to an industrial one;
- strengthening the country's defense capability;
- liquidation of unemployment.
Negative effects
During the industrialization, basic economic laws were ignored, which entailed quite negative consequences:
- centralization of industry management;
- undermining the development of light and food industries;
- unproductive distribution of production power;
- riots and accidents resulting from ultra-high speeds;
- isolation of the country's economy from the world;
- lack of material principle of labor stimulation.
Industrialization and society
Since this process was an important component of Soviet ideology, it could not but affect not only the economic sphere, but also the lives of ordinary people. Ten years after the communists came to power, the country reached a level corresponding to the pre-war period. It was necessary to move on, but there were no resources. Foreign investment was not possible for the Soviet government. The way out of the situation was collectivization. The consequences of this tough event - hunger, homelessness, increased mortality ...
It was possible to create heavy industry in a few years, but this was done at the expense of the vast majority of the population.
To realize the grandiose plans for industrialization, professional personnel were also required, most of whom were in prisons and camps in the thirties. 1926-1927 - the time of an indicative landmark process at which the fate of Donbass engineers accused of sabotage was decided. Then other high-profile cases followed, after which there were no personnel left. And the Soviet government decided to train new ones. This was accomplished so swiftly that the level of “professionals” left much to be desired. It is not surprising that Soviet factories and plants produced such a quantity of low-quality and defective products.
The USSR became an industrial power.However, this was accomplished by a grandiose drop in the material and spiritual standard of living of ordinary citizens.
