Date

4-29-2026

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)

Chair

Adam Coker

Keywords

Soviet Industrialization, Albert Kahn, Soviet Union

Disciplines

History

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to examine Albert Kahn’s influence on the Soviet Union during Joseph Stalin’s first five-year plan, how the Soviet Union influenced Albert Kahn and obstacles that Albert Kahn, Inc. faced from American news reporting. This research focuses on the significance of American news reporting on Albert Kahn’s first contract with the Soviet Union until after Albert Kahn’s death and Germany’s attack on Stalingrad in 1942. The opposition that Albert Kahn faced early on with his dealings with the Soviet Union, because of the red scare that the US faced between 1917 and 1920 and then the stock market crash of 1929 that started the Great Depression of the 1930’s brought with it severe economic hardships, labor movements, and a growth of government programs, did not deter him from acting on what he believed was the right decision to make. Despite the early negative reports, history would prove that Albert Kahn’s actions benefited the entire world. An important question of the research examines how the influence of Soviet government control had influenced Albert Kahn when he returned to the US after his failed renegotiations with Soviet leadership in 1932, right in the midst of the Great Depression. This dissertation does not intend to mitigate the importance of other companies, engineers or businessmen that helped industrialize the Soviet Union, but it does intend to present the contradictions and parallels of the US media reporting compared to firsthand experiences of those who visited and took part of Soviet Union industrialization. The majority of primary sources for my research were found at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan and the Lawrence Technological University Library, Southfield, Michigan. The majority of sources were newspaper articles, some articles written by Albert Kahn, the collection of USSR in Construction. The research analyzes the newspaper articles, papers written by Albert Kahn and articles in the magazines, USSR in Construction, to compare and contrast the events that took place, the perception of industrialization of the Soviet Union, and the impact it had on the world stage. The significance of this research shows the positive outcome of Albert Kahn’s work in the Soviet Union, why it was important for Albert Kahn not to cower to US news media, and how that work contributed to the Allies defeating Nazi Germany in World War II.

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