Under Josef Stalin, the Soviet Union emphasized centralized economic planning and Five-Year Plans primarily to

• A. Develop heavy industry
• B. Expand agriculture
• C. Fund education
• D. Promote consumer goods

Answer: (B)

The main idea behind Stalin’s centralized planning and the Five-Year Plans was to transform the Soviet economy into a rapid, high-capacity industrial power. The plans set ambitious targets to build up heavy industry—steel, coal, machinery, chemicals, and related infrastructure—because industrial capacity was seen as the foundation for military strength, urban growth, and autonomous development. While agriculture was reorganized through collectivization to supply grain for cities and to export for capital, the driving aim of the plans themselves was to create a strong industrial base quickly, not to expand farming, fund education, or produce more consumer goods.