<P> During this period, the first purges were initiated targeting many people working for Gosplan . These included Vladimir Bazarov, the 1931 Menshevik Trial (centered around Vladimir Groman). </P> <P> Stalin announced the start of the first five - year plan for industrialization on October 1, 1928, and it lasted until December 31, 1932 . Stalin described it as a new revolution from above . When this plan began, the USSR was fifth in industrialization, and with the great success of the first five - year plan moved up to second, with only the United States in first . </P> <P> This plan was achieved with great success in less time than had been predicted . When the plan was initially proposed it was instantly rejected as being too modest . The target goals were then increased by a reported 50% . Much of the emphasis was placed on heavy industry . In fact, 86% of all industrial investments during this time went directly to heavy industry . Officially the first five - year plan for industry was fulfilled to the extent of 93.7% in just four years and three months . The means of production in regards to heavy industry exceeded the quota, registering 103.4% . The light, or Consumer goods, industry reached up to 84.9% of its assigned quota . However, there is some speculation regarding the legitimacy of these numbers as the nature of Soviet statistics are notoriously misleading or exaggerated . Another issue was that quality was sacrificed in order to achieve quantity and because of this production results generated wildly varied items . This great industrial push created a lack in consumer goods and shortages in rationing . </P> <P> Propaganda used before, during and after the first five - year plan compared industry to battle . This was highly successful . They used terms such as "fronts," "campaigns," and "breakthroughs," while at the same time workers were forced to be working harder than ever before and were organized into "shock troops," and those who rebelled or failed to keep up with their work were treated as traitors as if they were in wartime . The posters and flyers used to promote and advertise the plan were also reminiscent of wartime propaganda . A popular military metaphor emerged from the economic success of the first five - year plan: "There are no fortresses Bolsheviks cannot storm ." Stalin especially liked this . </P>

What was the purpose of the soviet state’s five-year plans