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11th Five-Year Plan - 1981-1985

Concern about productivity characterized the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (1981-85). The XXVI Congress of the CPSU in 1981 approved the "Main directions of development of the national economy of the USSR for 1981-1985." (XI five-year plan). The 27th Congress of the CPSU determined the most important general party, nationwide task for the 11th five-year plan to give the country's development even greater dynamism through the even more efficient use of production assets, their further development and renewal, the introduction of advanced technologies and the achievements of scientific and technological progress, especially in heavy industry. In the light and food industry, along with the creation of new capacities, the expansion and technical re-equipment of existing enterprises was actively carried out.

The XXVII Congress of the CPSU determined the most important general party, nationwide task for the 11th five-year plan to give the country's development even greater dynamism through the even more efficient use of production assets, their further development and renewal, the introduction of advanced technologies and the achievements of scientific and technical progress, especially in heavy industry.

The preliminary goals announced for the Soviet 11th five-Year Plan (1981-85) suggested that Moscow had yet to come to grips with the country's increasingly serious economic problems. Despite growing resource stringencies, thc implied growth rate planned for GNP (4.0 percent per year) was substantially above that achieved during the 10th Five-Year Plain and, if attained, would mark a return to the rate of the early 1970s.

The plan placed the greatest emphasis on the development of heavy industry and agriculture, with the highest growth targeted for those branches ordinary industry must closely tied to the military. Although the draft directives contained much rhetoric on thc need to boost living standards, few gains in consumption were likely. Whatever anxiety the leadership felt about the worsening pligh! of consumers had not beer enough to cause a significant reallocation of resources in their favor.

In a number of key areas, the guidelines for thc 11th Five-Year Plan contained considerably less statistical data - some 40-50 percent overall - than the guidelines for the previous two five-year plans. The cutback was especially pronounced in those activities most important, but troublesome, to the leadership - energy, agriculture, and transportation. Although the reduction in data was in line with the trend to curtail the volume of published statistical information evident since the mid-1970s, the absence of concrete figures for several key goals and conventional categories probably reflected delays, uncertainties, and possible conflicts in Soviet decision making.

To meet the ambitious targets that had been announced, Soviet leaders were again counting on sharp increases in labor productivity. In this regard, science and technology were to be given an expanded role in boosting the productivity of labor and other resources. Previous campaigns to raise productivity had failed badly, however, and Moscow's agenda offered little hope for changing this pattern. Without an acceleration in this growth of productivity to offset slower growth in employment, the USSR will achieve little more than half thc GNP growth implied in thc directives and was unlikely even to match thc 2.8-percent growth rate of the last five years.

In the light and food industry, along with the creation of new capacities, the expansion, technical re-equipment of existing enterprises was actively carried out. The total length of main oil and gas pipelines and branches from them reached 54 thousand and 112 thousand kilometers, respectively. On the whole, over the five-year period, the national income and the social gross product have grown by another 19 percent.

During the five -year period under consideration, the growth rates of the Soviet economy slowed down, while the fuel industry , especially the gas sector, exceeded the indicators of the five-year plan. The goals of the housing plan were not achieved in any of the Far Eastern regions of the Soviet Union.

The tasks of the XI five-year plan (1981-1985) were not fulfilled in any indicator. The targets were rather modest, and planners reduced even those after the first year of the period. Achievements remained below target. The plan period as a whole produced a modest growth rate of 3 to 4 percent per year, according to official statistics. National income increased only 17 percent. Total industrial output grew by 20 percent, with the production of consumer goods increasing at a marginally higher rate than producer goods. Agricultural output registered a meager 11.6 percent gain.

In the 1970s - early 1980s. investment in the social sphere has dropped sharply. The growth of wages was carried out without taking into account the real results of the work of workers. Due to financing on the basis of the “residual” principle, the provision of the village lagged significantly behind the city. This was manifested in the insufficient provision of the village with medical and preschool institutions, consumer services enterprises.

On May 7, 1985, the CPSU Central Committee adopted a resolution "On measures to overcome drunkenness and alcoholism." In accordance with it, each work collective was required to create an atmosphere of intolerance towards drunkenness and violations of discipline. Also, in order to combat drunkenness, it was envisaged to annually reduce the production and sale of alcoholic beverages and by 1988 to completely stop the production of fruit and berry wines. The anti-alcohol campaign initially met with some success. Alcohol consumption has dropped markedly (according to official data, 8.4 liters were consumed per capita in 1984; in 1985 - 7.2; 1987 - 3.3). The number of industrial injuries and deaths decreased.

However, the negative consequences were much more significant. The making of moonshine began everywhere, as a result of which there was a shortage of sugar and the quality of the bread was lowered due to the lack of yeast. The lack of alcohol affected industry and medicine. The consumption of surrogate alcohol increased. (In 1987, 11,000 people died from the use of chemical liquids, especially antifreeze and methyl alcohol). Reduced budget revenues. For 1985-87. the state lost more than 37 billion rubles in tax revenue. Under these conditions, in the fall of 1988, the government was forced to lift the restriction on the sale of alcoholic beverages.