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Eleventh five-year plan (Soviet Union)

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The Eleventh Five-Year Plan, or the 11th Five-Year Plan, of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was a list of economic goals that was designed to strengthen the country's economy between 1981 and 1985. The plan was presented by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikolai Tikhonov at the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).[1]

The 26th Congress

Main article: 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
A Soviet stamp devoted to the 26th Party Congress

In his speech to the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) Leonid Brezhnev told the delegates that the main goal of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan was transitioning the Soviet economy from an extensive to an intensive growth, and to further improve the standard of living by 18-20 percent by 1985.[2] Brezhnev also told the Congress that the 1979 economic reform, initiated by Alexei Kosygin, would be of major importance to the five-year plan's success.[3] Other goals was halting migration from East to West, and from South to North, to ensure economic growth. By 1981 the majority of Soviet economic centers were located in underdeveloped areas, such as Siberia and Central Asia. The solution, according to the Soviet government, was reducing social differences in the republics, oblast and sub-regional units, or as Brezhnev said, establish an "effective demographic policy".[4] However, in the eye's of the Soviet government, the socioeconomic development of the Soviet Republics had been even out due selflessness of the Russian people. According to the Soviet authorities developmental differences between republics were not a problem anymore.[5]

Nikolai Tikhonov, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, told the Congress that the estimated growth for industrial output, during the five-year plan, would be 26-28 percent while the growth of capital investment would be between 12-15 percent over the preceding plan. Tikhonov criticised what he saw as inefficiencies with the planned economy, and blamed most of it on low labour productivity, therefore, labour productivity was set to grow by 23-25 percent, and increase of 6-8 percent from the preceding plan.[6] "The basic guidelines for the USSR's economic and social development in 1981–85 and the period up to 1990", an economic plan proposed by Tikhonov, was adopted by the Congress. The five key points of Tikhonov's economic plan are as follows:[7]

  1. Growth in the eastern regions will be accelerated.
  2. The labour reserves of Central Asia will be better used, and the training of a well-educated workforce will improve.
  3. Enterprises in Soviet Europe will be modernised, and existing resources would be put to better use.
  4. Territorial production complexes are going to be put to better use.
  5. The Soviet's role in planning the planned economy will be increased.

Tikhonov, in his presentation to the congress, admitted that Soviet agriculture was not producing enough grain. He called for an improvement in Soviet–US relations, but dismissed all speculations that the Soviet economy was in any sort of crisis.[8] However, Tikhonov admitted to the economic "shortcomings" and acknowledged the ongoing "food problem". Other topics for discussion was the need to save energy resources and to improve the qualities of Soviet produced goods.[9]

Fulfillment

By the 1980s the Soviet economy was in a state of stagnation. Natural gas industry was the only Soviet fuel industry to over-fulfill the five-year plan's indicators.[10] 40 thousand robots were produced during the plan.[11] Advances in computerised technology decreased, due to growing disillusionment with the Soviet system.[12] At the very end of his life, former Premier Alexei Kosygin feared the complete failure of this five-year plan, claiming that the sitting leadership were reluctant to reform the stagnent Soviet economy.[13] None of the Soviet Far East oblasts fulfilled the five-year plan's housing plans.[14]

The goal of increasing the surplus of labour had become a major obstacle already in the 1960s. This can be blamed on various, such as the birth rate decrease. Labour growth had also stagnated; the growth of the working population had stayed at 18 percent from 1971 to 1980. The table below uses the planner's target as a base for comparison across time with actual increased in industrial growth because of labour productivity, to see if the Soviet authorities fulfilled this part of the plan or not:[15]

Year % growth
11th Five-Year Plan 90
1981 62
1982 61
1983 80
1984 93

According to Nikolai Ryzhkov, the Soviet Premier at the 27th Party Congress, the Eleventh Five-Year Plan had not been able meet the USSR's fuel requirements.[16]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ Lahusen, Thomas; Solomon, Peter H. (2008). What is Soviet now?: identities, legacies, memories. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 206. ISBN 3825806405.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Dellenbråt 1986, p. 109.
  3. ^ Dellenbråt 1986, pp. 109–110.
  4. ^ Dellenbråt 1986, p. 110.
  5. ^ Dellenbråt 1986, pp. 110–111.
  6. ^ Dellenbråt 1986, p. 111.
  7. ^ Dellenbråt 1986, pp. 111–112.
  8. ^ "Tikhonov Bids for U.S. Trade". Reading Eagle. 27 February 1981.
  9. ^ "Soviets put squeeze on U.S. for summit". Tri-City Herald. 27 February 1981.
  10. ^ Dodd, Charles K. (1994). Industrial decision-making and high-risk technology: siting nuclear power facilities in the USSR. Taylor & Francis. p. 36. ISBN 0847678474.
  11. ^ Yovits, Marshall C. (1990). Advances in computers. Vol. 30. Academic Press. p. 282. ISBN 0120121301.
  12. ^ Yovits, Marshall C. (1990). Advances in computers. Vol. 30. Academic Press. p. 244. ISBN 0120121301.
  13. ^ Вергасов, Фатех. "Организация здорового накала" (in Russian). pseudology.org. Retrieved 4 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Rodgers, Allan L. (1990). The Soviet Far East: geographical perspectives on development. Taylor & Francis. p. 71. ISBN 0415024064.
  15. ^ Arnot, Bob (1988). Controlling Soviet labour: experimental change from Brezhnev to Gorbachev. M.E. Sharpe. p. 71. ISBN 0873324706.
  16. ^ Hardt, John Pearce; McMillan, Charles H. (1988). Planned economies: confronting the challenges of the 1980s. M.E. Sharpe. p. 71. ISBN 0873324706.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Bibliography

Dellenbrant, Jan Åke (1986). The Soviet regional dilemma: planning, people, and natural resources. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 087332384X.

Preceded by
10th Plan
1976 – 1981
 11th Five-Year Plan
1981 – 1985 		Succeeded by
12th Plan
1986 – 1990
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