Gosplan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gosplan (Russian: Госпла́н IPA: [gʌˈsplan]) was the committee for economic planning in the Soviet Union. The word "Gosplan" is an abbreviation for Gosudarstvennyi Komitet po Planirovaniyu (Russian: Государственный комитет по планированию, State Committee for Planning). One of its main duties was the creation of Five-Year Plans for the National Economy of the USSR.

The organization was created on February 22, 1921 by the decree of the Sovnarkom of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic under the name "RSFSR State Planning Commission". The prototype of its work was GOELRO plan. With the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, on August 21, 1923 the USSR State Planning Commission at the USSR Council of Labor and Defence (СТО СССР, Совет Труда и Обороны СССР) was established. The abbreviation "Gosplan" has been in use since 1921.

Initially Gosplan had an advisory role. Its goal was coordination of the plans of Union republics and the creation of the common Union plan. Since 1925 Gosplan started creating common yearly all-economy plans, known under the name of "control numbers" (контрольные цифры).

Its work was coordinated with the USSR Central Statistical Directorate (центральное статистическое управление СССР), Narkomat of Finance and All-Union Council of State Economy (ВСНХ), and later with Gosbank and Gossnab.

With the introduction of five year plans in 1928 Gosplan became primarily responsible for their creation and supervision according to the outlines set by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU, or The Party.)

In 1930 the Statistical Directorate was merged into the Gosplan, and on February 3, 1931 Gosplan was resubordinated to Sovnarkom.

In may 1955 Gosplan was split into two commissions: for perspective planning and for current planning: USSR Council of Ministers State Commission for Perspective Planning (Государственная комиссия СМ СССР по перспективному планированию) (USSR Gosplan) and USSR Council of Ministers Economical Commission for Current Planning of State Economy(Государственнaая экономическая комиссия СМ СССР по текущему планированию народного хозяйства) (Госэкономкомиссия СССР). The work of the latter one was based on the five-year plans delivered by Gosplan, with Gosplan planning for 10-15 years ahead.

Gosplan was headquartered at the same building which is now occupied by the Federation Council of Russia, in Moscow.