Evening star., 1932-08-07

About to embark upon the last year
of her original Five-Year Plan, Russia
already has assigned her scientists and
managers the task Of laying plans for a
second outline of activities to cover
| similar period The first Five-Year
Plan, the first plan ever laid by which
an entire nation was scheduled for
definite period in its day-to-dsy duties,
began on october l, 1923. 1t will expire
on September 80 next year.
The leaders of the Soviet Union claim
that the plan has been fulfilled in many
respects already, before four years have
run. Whatever controversy there may
! be on this subject, the plan has sue
ceeded sufficiently we'll to encourage the
Russian leaders to prepare for a second
| similar schedule, making a full decade
OF assigned and regimented work for
vast population, every individual Of
which has part in the vast program.
The extraordinary triumph of organ
ization achieved has been made possible,
! 1t is declared by outside observers, by
Two fundamental reasons. In the first
place the entire vast population was
fired by a spirit Of patriotism unlike
anything which ever existed before
They possessed their traditional patriot
ism as Russians, but in addition to that
they were imbued with a fanatical de-
votlon to the new type of government
which had liberated them from CEN
turies OF political oppression. The feel
ing OF American colonists after the
Revolution may be compared to some
extent. but the numbers Of the Ameri-
can colonistS who set up their new re-
public were scarcely more than the
| population OF one Russian city. Multiply
/ that many times and an idea of the
tide of fervor which held the Russians
after their revolution may be better
imagined.
In the second place, the new govern
ment, when 1t initiated its first Five
Year Plan, was in much the same posi-
| ton as school teacher taking fresh
| class under his tutelage-all eager to
learn. 1t must be remembered that
Russia was almost illiterate especially
the new Russia Of the peasants which
had come into control. They could be
taught everything for the first time.
| The Book of Lifea
These two factors made it possible
Tor the leaders to hold the Five-Year
Plan before a nation Of l60,00O,OOO and
induce them to work toward its achieve
ment almost as one man. Millions
learned to read, millions of adult work
ers. Youths, just coming into man
hood, learned to read for the first time
What they read was the story of the
Ffve-Year Plan. 1t became the sum of
their knowledge. They knew nothing
else To Americans who remember the
World War it may seem strange that
there are millions Of Russians today
who know of it only as a legend OF
capitalist oppression. They have no
outside accounts to read, only the Soviet
story
Everything except the Five-Year Plan
is rather unreal to them; something
half-legendary and outside the pale OF
their existence. In these circumstances
1t Is little wonder that the Ffve-Year Plan
has been so conspicuously successful as
reports declare. The people have had
nothing else to do and have had moth
ing else to think about. 1t must be re-
membered that the adherents of and
the sympathizers with the old political
school and with capitalism are dead or
exiled and that the censorship over
books and papers is strict. The modern
Russian may read about scarcely moth
ing but the Ffve-Year Plan. It is
| synonymous with life. 1t is the Book
of Life.
Plans for the second Five-Year Plan
are largely scientific. The first Five