>In a post a second ago on this thread, I refered to GDP growth under
>Stalin's "build factories or I'll shoot you" economic policy.
>
>The USSR in the years under Stalin's reign had an estimated GDP growth of
>300% in 30 years (I'm going by stats cited in the Russian business magazine
>Kommersant), even taking into accountthe ravages caused to agriculture by
>forced collectivization, destruction of 40% of the USSR's productive
>capacity by the Nazis, and an additional shock brought about by moving from
>a wartime policy in 1945-1946.
>
>Are there any historical parallels to this rate of growth?
Some years ago, I did a quick & dirty sort of growth rates, using the figures Angus Maddison prepared for the OECD in 1994. It sloppily mixes countries and regions (some of them overlapping), and uses only periods based on Maddison's classifications. But it's useful for comparing broad performance over the long term. "Offshoots" is shorthand for Western offshoots, which is Maddison's name for the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand together. The measure is average annual growth rate in per capita GDP (on a real PPP basis). Here 'tis.
Doug
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1 Japan 1950-1973 8.0% 2 Korea 1973-1992 6.9% 3 Korea 1950-1973 5.2% 4 China 1973-1992 5.2% 5 Germany 1950-1973 5.0% 6 SEur 1950-1973 4.9% 7 Asia ex-Jap 1973-1992 4.2% 8 WEur 1950-1973 3.9% 9 Asia 1950-1973 3.7% 10 Asia 1973-1992 3.5% 11 EEur 1950-1973 3.5% 12 Russia 1929-1950 3.5% 13 Russia 1950-1973 3.4% 14 Mexico 1950-1973 3.1% 15 Japan 1973-1992 3.0% 16 world 1950-1973 2.9% 17 China 1950-1973 2.9% 18 LatAm 1950-1973 2.6% 19 Asia ex-Jap 1950-1973 2.5% 20 UK 1950-1973 2.5% 21 India 1973-1992 2.4% 22 offshoots 1950-1973 2.4% 23 EEur 1929-1950 2.4% 24 US 1950-1973 2.4% 25 Japan 1913-1929 2.4% 26 Germany 1870-1913 2.2% 27 UK 1870-1913 2.1% 28 Africa 1950-1973 2.1% 29 Germany 1973-1992 2.1% 30 WEur 1973-1992 1.8% 31 US 1870-1913 1.8% 32 offshoots 1870-1913 1.8% 33 Mexico 1870-1913 1.7% 34 SEur 1973-1992 1.7% 35 US 1913-1929 1.7% 36 Mexico 1929-1950 1.6% 37 offshoots 1929-1950 1.6% 38 US 1929-1950 1.6% 39 India 1950-1973 1.6% 40 LatAm 1913-1929 1.5% 41 offshoots 1913-1929 1.5% 42 LatAm 1870-1913 1.5% 43 LatAm 1929-1950 1.5% 44 UK 1973-1992 1.4% 45 offshoots 1820-1870 1.4% 46 US 1973-1992 1.4% 47 offshoots 1973-1992 1.4% 48 Japan 1870-1913 1.4% 49 WEur 1870-1913 1.3% 50 SEur 1913-1929 1.3% 51 world 1973-1992 1.3% 52 US 1820-1870 1.3% 53 Korea 1913-1929 1.3% 54 world 1870-1913 1.3% 55 UK 1929-1950 1.3% 56 SEur 1870-1913 1.1% 57 world 1913-1929 1.1% 58 WEur 1913-1929 1.1% 59 Mexico 1973-1992 1.1% 60 WEur 1820-1870 1.0% 61 EEur 1870-1913 1.0% 62 Asia 1913-1929 0.9% 63 Russia 1870-1913 0.9% 64 Africa 1913-1929 0.9% 65 Africa 1929-1950 0.9% 66 world 1929-1950 0.8% 67 Germany 1913-1929 0.8% 68 WEur 1929-1950 0.7% 69 Asia ex-Jap 1913-1929 0.7% 70 world 1820-1870 0.7% 71 EEur 1820-1870 0.6% 72 Russia 1820-1870 0.6% 73 SEur 1820-1870 0.6% 74 Asia 1870-1913 0.6% 75 LatAm 1973-1992 0.6% 76 Germany 1820-1870 0.6% 77 China 1870-1913 0.6% 78 Asia ex-Jap 1870-1913 0.5% 79 Africa 1870-1913 0.4% 80 India 1870-1913 0.4% 81 UK 1820-1870 0.3% 82 UK 1913-1929 0.3% 83 LatAm 1820-1870 0.2% 84 Africa 1973-1992 0.2% 85 Africa 1820-1870 0.1% 86 Asia 1820-1870 0.1% 87 Asia ex-Jap 1820-1870 0.1% 88 Japan 1820-1870 0.1% 89 India 1820-1870 0.1% 90 Mexico 1913-1929 0.1% 91 EEur 1913-1929 0.1% 92 China 1913-1929 0.0% 93 India 1913-1929 0.0% 94 China 1820-1870 0.0% 95 Germany 1929-1950 -0.1% 96 Mexico 1820-1870 -0.1% 97 Japan 1929-1950 -0.2% 98 SEur 1929-1950 -0.3% 99 China 1929-1950 -0.4% 100 Russia 1913-1929 -0.4% 101 India 1929-1950 -0.5% 102 Asia 1929-1950 -0.8% 103 Asia ex-Jap 1929-1950 -0.9% 104 EEur 1973-1992 -1.2% 105 Korea 1929-1950 -1.3% 106 Russia 1973-1992 -1.4%