Compare and differentiate Maoism and Stalinism Term Paper

Compare and differentiate Maoism and Stalinism - Term Paper Example The peasants and workers formed the revolutionary classes under this belief. Marxism-Leninism is a globally inclined ideology that was of the belief that the communist revolution was inevitable. It further advocated that once the revolution had happened in one country, then others will soon have their own revolutions. Thus, it was the duty of believers of Marxism-Leninism to try to export the revolution. Both Stalin and Mao tried to implement Marxism-Leninism in their countries albeit with some modifications to suit their present situations and personal convictions. The two leaders implemented â€Å"Five Year Plans† in their countries in order to spur development. Stalin’s First Five Year Plan (FFYP) begun early in 1926. His major focus was to transform the Soviet Union from an agrarian economy to a prominent industrial power. He argued that rapid industrialization was critical for the Soviet Union to flourish and survive as a world power. Stalin’s FFYP was prese nted as a Second Revolution and this helped him to mobilize the peasants as they perceived themselves to be in a class war with their previous oppressors (Keefe, 2009). Rather than follow Marxism-Leninism, the FFYP was a revolution from above; not from the masses. Stalin created a highly centralized command economy under the auspices of the State Planning Committee (Gosplan). The communist tenet of equality was disregarded as Stalin gave incentives to Managers and skilled workers. It should be noted that the FFYP put heavy emphasis on the heavy industry as massive resources were put in place to develop the oil and steel industry. Mao’s began implementing his First Five Year Plan (FFYP) in 1953. According to Friedman (2001), Mao’s core goal was to end Chinese dependency on agriculture and transform the country into an industrialized economy. Mao’s plan was very similar to Stalin’s since it also advocated for rapid industrialization so as to make China a wo rld power. The Chinese relied on the assistance of the Russians both economically and technically. Mao reorganized his administration to reduce bureaucracy and increase the country’s labor force. This move was aimed at reducing the chances of derailing progress due to a long chain of command. The peasants were required to diversify from agriculture to industrial work. Although the effectiveness of the First Five Year Plans for both leaders was questionable, they nevertheless went ahead to launch their Second Five Year Plans (SFYP). Stalin implemented his SFYP beginning 1933. This plan utilized the industries built during the previous plan to increase productivity. The Second Five Year Plan gave more attention to consumer goods unlike its predecessor. In retrospect, this plan was much more realistic and achieved considerably better results. After Mao’s FFYP, he implemented a much more audacious policy in the Second Five Year Plan. Mao believed that China would develop m ore rapidly if all resources were used to develop both industry and the agricultural sector concurrently. He utilized the country’s cheap labor to provide services primarily to the grain and steel industry. However, poor workmanship resulted in the failure of the steel production projects. The steel plants were poorly planned and there was scarcity of qualified engineers to oversee the work (Mark, 2001). In order to reign on the agricultural sector, both Stalin and Mao implemented the policy of Collectivization. Under Stalin,

The Rise of Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rise of Capitalism - Essay Example Smith’s theory that propagated dependence of individualism that oozed out of the nation at this time period. America’s obsession with Industrial began with Slater’s mills in which textiles became the primary market to produce. Although it may seem a new age, most workers were orphans or children who owed debt to the nation. The drive of capitalism for this country relied on many factors that included slavery, turned raw goods into products, factories, and the ability to produce such a drastic workforce. Jefferson understood and acknowledged this problem. He feared that the America could not be properly industrialized due to the fact that it would not attract workers. Hence, the need to build factories around villages became critical components towards the move to industrialize America. Moreover, the ability of the American leaders to explore the â€Å"wild west† catapulted the nation to expand and dramatically changed from an urban to a rural area. One of the most significant factors that contributed to the development expansion of the United States was the fertile land that was available in the South. The large plantations in the south gave the rise to slave labor was the fertile farmland in the Midwest enabled United States to accomplish several things. First of all, the invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin initiated the rise to slave labor in the rich land that extended beyond from Carolina to Texas, which expanded the United States border. The fertile land gave boosted the American economy, which contributed to development of United States. The south had to dramatically shift their economy to tobacco and cotton to agriculture. In the north, corn supply was enhanced along with the focus on producing textiles. Cities such as New York and Chicago became the top commerce cities that built its economic empire due to the industrial revolution. The creation of Erie Canal became the hallmark of water commerce that enabled America to lower shipping costs