Final answer:
The primary goal of Stalin's first Five-Year Plan was rapid industrialization, which significantly increased the Soviet Union's industrial capacity and employment. However, forced collectivization led to a famine that caused the deaths of nearly three million people, with severe consequences particularly for the agricultural sector.
Step-by-step explanation:
Goals and Effects of Stalin's First Five-Year Plan
The primary goal of Stalin's first Five-Year Plan was rapid industrialization of the Soviet Union. This economic strategy aimed to increase industrial capacity and was successful in enhancing the Soviet Union's position as a modern industrial power. The plan called for cities to be devoted to specific industries, with dramatic increases in iron and steel production and the build-out of new electrical power stations. Achieved in part by 1932, this plan led to a 50% increase in industrial capacity, providing full employment and economic growth.
However, the first Five-Year Plan had grave effects on agriculture. Stalin's push for forced collectivization disrupted traditional farming and led to resistance from peasants. This resulted in a severe famine, known as the Holodomor in Ukraine, which caused the death of nearly three million people. Consequently, while industrial workers were spared the worst of Stalin's purges and did not face starvation, peasants suffered tremendously under the effects of the Five-Year Plan.
Stalin's economic policies, though controversial, did create employment and industrial growth during a period where Western democracies faced economic challenges due to the global depression. Stalin's attempts to control every aspect of life extended to the economy, where he imposed high production quotas and centralized planning, radically altering the nation's economic landscape.