The development of communism: hydroelectric power stations on the Dnieper River

On October 1, 1927, Joseph Stalin's first five-year plan was put into effect in the Soviet Union. The plan set a timetable for expanding industrial production, collectivizing agriculture, and establishing schools to train enough Communist Party officials to run the system. The plan also reflected a shift in Stalin's political approach. The Communist leader was abandoning the "New Economic Policy" with more capitalist characteristics; a policy formulated by Lenin that had been severely criticized by Trotsky. Stalin was also moving the Soviet Union away from its role as the leader of the world revolution and to concentrate on domestic problems.