The significance of the adoption of the GOELRO plan (state electrification of Russia) lies in the fact that it became an important stage not only in the economic, but also in the political life of the Soviet Union. It was one of the largest projects to restore the destroyed economy and economy. Its development began at the time when the Civil War continued, in view of the urgent need to establish economic life in the state.
Background
The idea of adopting the GOELRO plan cannot be regarded as an exclusive invention of the Soviet leadership. The fact is that even in pre-revolutionary Russia, the level of energy development was quite high. Power stations were put into operation, which were in no way inferior in quality to American and Western European ones. The problem was that their number was very small, there was no single state program and no single center for their organization and management.
Pre-Soviet school
However, the level of the pre-revolutionary technical school was very high, domestic specialists were considered among the best in the world. The empire constantly held congresses of power engineers, who considered various options for building stations. The GOELRO plan was largely the result of their developments and plans. For example, in the first decade of the 20th century, Russian scientists came to the conclusion that it was necessary to build stations close to the mining site. This idea was subsequently adopted by Lenin when he took up the issue of electrification of the country.
Preparation
The year of adoption of the GOELRO plan was an important event in the history of our country. The fact is that it was not only a scheme to provide electricity to the entire country, but also a project to restore the economy as a whole, since it was supposed to build enterprises that were supposed to provide the stations with all the necessary equipment.
The country's transport system was also to be reorganized and modernized. On the initiative of Lenin, a special commission was created to develop the project. All work was supervised by G. Krzhizhanovsky. He wrote a special brochure on the implementation of this project, which became a kind of manual and guide for the main working group. The creators largely focused on the developments of their predecessors and decided to build stations near mineral deposits. This problem was all the more urgent because, in connection with the events of the Civil War, Baku oil and Donetsk coal wereunavailable, so other resources had to be used.
Development
The importance of the adoption of the GOELRO plan lies in the fact that it was the first project of the all-Russian level. The whole country was centrally divided into several economic districts, which were distinguished according to the principle of their level of development, as well as depending on local characteristics. The work was to be carried out within ten to fifteen years. The main goal of the project was the desire of the Soviet leadership to restore the economic potential of the country destroyed during the wars.
During the construction of the stations, new industrial enterprises were launched in parallel (for example, a tractor plant), new communication lines were built (Volga-Don Canal). It was assumed that the adoption of the GOELRO plan would play an important role in the restoration of the destroyed economy. The year in which this event took place was very difficult, because the civil war was still not over. Nevertheless, the project was accepted and approved in two stages.
Electrification
As already mentioned, a commission of nineteen people worked on this scheme. The immediate initiator was Lenin, who considered this measure the first step in revitalizing economic life. The adoption of the GOELRO plan, the date of which is December 1921, marked the beginning of the commissioning of not only thermal, but also hydroelectric power plants. In total, it was supposed to create about thirty of them. The work of putting the plan into practicedual character: on the one hand, it was a whole state program that was carried out by centralized methods. However, at the same time, the state actively supported the private entrepreneurial initiative, issuing benefits and loans to those who participated in the creation of power plants. As a result, the plan was not only fulfilled, but also exceeded. Separately, it should be noted that the greatest success was achieved in the Sverdlovsk region, where after the war almost all collective farms and state farms were provided with electricity.
Meaning
The adoption of the GOELRO plan became a prerequisite for the subsequent five-year plans for industrialization and collectivization. He laid the foundation for the centralized planned policy of the Soviet government to modernize the country's economy. The project was successfully implemented, but this was achieved at a high price, largely due to the draining of funds from the village, the difficult living conditions of the people, who showed considerable enthusiasm during the construction work. At the same time, the country was provided with electricity, new enterprises were put into operation, and the transport system was updated.
Interesting facts include the history of G. Wells' visit to Russia. The famous science fiction writer met Lenin, who told him about the electrification plan. However, the writer did not believe it and subsequently noted that the low population density of the country, the lack of a technical base are serious obstacles to the implementation of this project. However, Lenin invited him to come back in ten years and see how the plan would be carried out. Writervisited the USSR in 1934 and was amazed that the project was fully completed, and in some respects even exceeded.
