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Warandfulfilleditsprincipalobjectivetoindustrialisethecountry.Beforethesystemcollapsed
underitsweight,itwasforalongtimethemodelforMao'sChina,thestatesofSouthAmerica,
AfricaorforcountriesbehindtheIronCurtain.
TheSovietmodelwasunique.Itsmaingoalwastoindustrialisethenationasquicklyas
possible,usuallyatthecostofgreatsacrifices.InSovietRussiaorChina,thisendedinmajor
famines.TherewerenosuchtragicconsequencesinLatinAmericaorAfrica,buttheeffects
didnotliveuptoexpectations.
Theacceleratedgrowthmodelimpliedthatnotallincomeproducedinsocietywas
consumed.Acertainsurplus,verylowinunderdevelopedcountries,isspentonconsumption
orluxuries.Whatwasacceleratedgrowthsupposedtoconsistof?Ifacountryspends5percent
ofitsnationalincomeontheinvestment,itwasassumedthatitswealthwouldincreasebythat
amount.However,ifthebirthrateisalsocloseto5percent,itwillmeanthatthewealthlevel
willremainatanidenticallevel.ItisaclassicMalthusiantrap.Therefore,toovercomepoverty,
itisnecessarytoincreasethelevelofinvestmentand,asitwere,overtakethebirthrate.Thus,
inordertodothis,capitalhadtobeaccumulated,consequentlythelevelofsavingshadtobe
increasedandallocatedtoinvestment.Ifthiscouldbeincreasedto20percent,thentherewould
beanincreaseinwealth.Ofcourse,noonegaveathoughttotheefficiencyorcompetitiveness
ofsuchahigh-costindustry;theyonlycountedtheamountsspentonitsconstructionorthetons
ofsteelproduced.SinceeveryonewantedtocatchupwithindustrialisedBritainthen
industrialisationwasalsothegoal.Thereasoningwasquitesimpleandobvious,ifGreatBritain
becamerichthroughtheindustry,thenbuildingitathomeshouldproducethesameresults.So,
grainfromfarmersinRussiahadbeentaken,soldabroad,andthehardcurrencyraisedwas
usedtobuythetechnologytobuildsteelmills,powerstationsorindustrialplants.
Theproblemwastoobtainadditionalfundsforinvestment.Theonlygroupthatpossessed
themwasaprivilegedstratum,forexample,thenobilityortheclergyincountrieswithafeudal
system.Unfortunately,theywerescarceinnumberandhadinfluence,whiletheresourcesthey
couldacquireinthiswayweremodest.Thechoicewas,therefore,madeforthepoorestbut
mostnumerousclass,theruralpopulation.
Thebasicdifferencebetweentheacceleratedmodelandmercantilismwasthattheaim
becameindustrialisationitself,ratherthangainingacompetitiveadvantageforownindustryon
internationalmarkets.TheSovietmodelachieveditsgoal,itindustrialisedthecountryatthe
astronomicalrateofafewyears.ThatallowedthemtowintheSecondWorldWar.Thestate's
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