Gosplan

Gosplan, short for Gosudarstvennyy planovyy komitet, was the central state planning body of the Soviet Union from 1921 until its dissolution in 1991. It was responsible for formulating the republic-wide economic plans and directing the allocation of resources among industries, enterprises, and regions, most notably through the five-year plans.

Established by the Council of People's Commissars in 1921, Gosplan developed and issued targets for production, investment, and capacity across the economy. It worked with state ministries and regional planning bodies to translate party policy into quantitative targets and to choreograph inputs such as raw materials, labor, and capital. The committee also prepared annual plans and conducted performance reviews against targets.

Gosplan operated under the authority of the Soviet government and the Communist Party. It issued directives to ministries and regional agencies, collected data, performed forecasting, and adjusted plans in response to shortages or overruns. Planning was executed through a system of resource balancing and investment budgeting, with fulfillment measured by plan completion rates.

During the postwar era, planning gradually shifted at times toward decentralization, but Gosplan remained the central coordinating body. Reforms in the 1980s under perestroika sought to introduce market mechanisms and decentralize decision-making, undermining the authority of centralized planning. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Gosplan was dissolved and its functions were largely abandoned or transferred to other agencies during the transition to a market economy.

Gosplan is widely studied as the emblematic institution of the Soviet planned economy, illustrating how central authorities sought to direct production and investment. Its legacy informs analyses of centralized planning, economic forecasting, and the challenges of rapid industrialization.