He justified these demands by claiming that if rapid industrialization did not take place, the Soviet Union would not be able to defend itself against an invasion from capitalist countries in the west. He demanded a 111% increase in coal production, 200% increase in iron production and 335% increase in electric power. The first Five Year Plan that was introduced in 1928, concentrated on the development of iron and steel, machine-tools, electric power and transport. However, Stalin suddenly changed policy and made it clear he would use his control over the country to modernize the economy. Power stations also had to be built to supply the farms with electricity.
As well as tractors, there was also a need to develop the oil fields to provide the necessary petrol to drive the machines. His advisers told him that with the modernisation of farming the Soviet Union would require 250,000 tractors. When Stalin accepted the need for collectivisation he also had to change his mind about industrialisation. He accused them of going against the ideas of Lenin who had declared that it was vitally important to "preserve the alliance between the workers and the peasants." When left-wing members of the Politburo advocated the building of a hydro-electric power station on the River Druiper, Stalin accused them of being 'super industrialisers' and said that it was equivalent to suggesting that a peasant buys a "gramophone instead of a cow." (1) Leon Trotsky, Gregory Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev and other left-wing members of the Politburo had always been in favour of the rapid industrialisation of the Soviet Union.
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