Farm to Factory

Robert Allen argues that the USSR was one of the most successful developing economies of the twentieth century. He reaches this provocative conclusion by recalculating national consumption and using economic, demographic, and computer simulation models to address the 'what if' questions central to Soviet history. Moreover by comparing Soviet performance not only with advanced but with less developed countries, he provides a meaningful context for its evaluation. While highlighting the previously under-emphasized achievements of Soviet planning, Farm to Factory also shows, through methodical analysis set in fluid prose, that Stalin's worst excesses - such as the bloody collectivization of agriculture - did little to spur growth. Economic development stagnated after 1970, as vital resources were diverted to the military and as a Soviet leadership lacking in original thought pursued wastefully investments.