The Industrialization of Russia: A Historical Perspective (The European History Series)

In the third edition of this popular book, William Blackwell provides a brief historical perspective on one of the most remarkable occurrences of modern times, the industrialization of Russia. It aims to make available to interested readers the background usually lacking in more detailed and technical examinations of the contemporary economy of Russia and the other successor states of the U.S.S.R. The focus is on the transformation of the Russian economy and society from agriculture to industry in the past century. This process involved the suffering, sacrifice, and waste of millions of lives. Hence, in this volume the genre is social and political history rather than economic analysis. The following trends and patterns are discussed: the movement of peasants to urban areas; Stalin's collectivization; love of gigantism; five year plans; free sales incentives; bureaucratic incompetence; industrial decrepitude and waste; falsified statistics; and ecological disasters.