Final answer:
Stalin's command economy and Five-Year Plans led to rapid industrialization but also caused the catastrophic Holodomor famine due to forced collectivization of agriculture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stalin's Economic Policies and Their Impact
Joseph Stalin's economic policies had significant impacts on the Soviet Union. With a focus on a command economy and the implementation of Five-Year Plans, Stalin aimed to rapidly industrialize the nation. The first Five-Year Plan saw substantial investment in heavy industry and the construction of new cities, resulting in a 50 percent increase in industrial capacity. However, a significant aspect of his policies, collectivization of agriculture, led to dire consequences.
Collectivization involved consolidating individual farms into large, state-run entities, aiming to modernize and streamline production. But the reality of this policy resulted in intense resistance from peasants, widespread disruption of the agricultural sector, and a catastrophic famine known as the Holodomor, causing the death of nearly three million Ukrainians.
While Stalin's industrial policies did create employment and achieve growth during a period of global depression, and matched the Western industrial capacity, they came at an immense human cost. The Soviet Union, under Stalin, represented a stark example of a command economy where governmental control dictated all economic activities.