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JoinBritannica's Publishing Partner Program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work!Five-Year Plans
Five-Year Plans, method of planningeconomic growth over limited periods, through the use of quotas, used first in theSoviet Union and later in other socialist states. In the Soviet Union, the first Five-Year Plan (1928–32),implemented byJoseph Stalin, concentrated on developing heavy industry and collectivizing agriculture, at the cost of a drastic fall in consumer goods. The second plan (1933–37) continued the objectives of the first. Collectivization led to terrible famines, especially in the Ukraine, that caused the deaths of millions. The third (1938–42) emphasized the production of armaments. The fourth (1946–53) again stressed heavy industry and military buildup, angering the Western powers. InChina, the first Five-Year Plan (1953–57) stressed rapid industrial development, with Soviet assistance; it proved highly successful. Shortly after the second plan began in 1958, theGreat Leap Forward was announced; its goals conflicted with the five-year plan, leading to failure and the withdrawal of Soviet aid in 1960.
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