Communism VS Capitalism

In 1931, Joseph Stalin attempted to catch up to Western Europe, which he felt was a century ahead of his Soviet Union. Also, communism allowed Stalin to avoid relations with neighboring nations, whom he had just fought in WWI, by keeping his country self-sufficient. His first approach was to convert the small farms to state-run agricultural facilities, in order to provide enough food for the entire nation (Lowenthal p 27). To do so he had to go against the peasant class which ran these farms. Although he managed to move most of the peasants to collective farms, many destroyed their agriculture in protest, and millions of citizens starved. For his country's industry, Stalin set up what was known as the "Five Year Plan". A board would set up a target goal for each company, now all state-owned, and the company would have to meet that target in production within five years. Failed attempts to do so could result in imprisonment in work camps or even execution. Since money is one of the most...