Question

Stalin’s first Five-Year Plan included:

1. meager economic growth rates of 3–4 percent.
2. an increase in free labor in the Soviet Union.
3. rapid industrialization that even resulted in the building of entire new cities
4. assurances that industrial production would be of high-quality goods.
5. plans for the first nationalized retirement plan.

Answer 1

Only statement 3 is correct.

Brief explanations:
- 1 (meager growth of 3–4%): False. The First Five-Year Plan (1928–1932) produced very rapid industrial growth—especially in heavy industry and construction—well above "meager" rates (exact GDP estimates vary, but industrial output rose dramatically).
- 2 (increase in free labor): False as written. The plan mobilized large numbers of workers, but much labor was coerced or highly directed (forced recruitment, internal migration, extensive use of prison/Gulag labor), not an increase in "free" labor.
- 3 (rapid industrialization and new cities): True. The plan prioritized rapid industrialization and led to huge projects and the founding/building of new industrial cities (e.g., Magnitogorsk).
- 4 (assurances of high-quality goods): False. Quantity and meeting targets were prioritized; goods were often low quality and consumer goods production lagged.
- 5 (plans for the first nationalized retirement plan): False. Social insurance/pensions were not a central aim of the First Five-Year Plan; welfare/pension policy was separate and not a headline feature of the Plan.