13 - Life In The Soviet Union

Question 1

What were the benefits of being a town worker in the Soviet Union?

Answer 1

• Family benefits: Free health service, holiday with pay, insurance
• No unemployment: Became a lot easier to find employment, were not hit very hard by the Great Depression
• Many opportunities for leisure

Question 2

What were the disadvantages of being a town worker in the Soviet Union?

Answer 2

• Strict working conditions
• Low pay
• Poor living conditions made worse by population growth, which caused overcrowding

Question 3

What were the advantages of being a peasant in the Soviet Union?

Answer 3

• Greater mechanisation and trained scientists made work easier
• Peasants were offered free housing to join collectives
• Literacy and health rates improved, with schools and hospitals being provided

Question 4

What were the disadvantages of being a peasant in the Soviet Union?

Answer 4

• Peasants resented collectivisation as it took away their freedom, but opposition was met with fierce punishment
• Peasants were tied to their collective as they required passports to move to the city
• Food shortages, churches were destroyed and the secret police invaded the privacy of the peasants

Question 5

Who had the most lavish lifestyle in the Soviet Union?

Answer 5

The party members, the further they moved up the ranks the better housing and healthcare they received.

Question 6

What was the approach to young people under Lenin?

Answer 6

• Each child receives nine years, free, universal education
• Compulsory learning about history of revolution and communism
• More practical education - technical subjects and industrial training
• Homework was forbidden, there was a lack of discipline as the authority of teachers had reduced
• No exams
• Pioneers for under 15s, Komsomol for 15-22 year olds

Question 7

What was the approach to young people under Stalin?

Answer 7

• Fees for some advanced secondary schools
• Learnt Stalin’s version of history, which exaggerated his role in the revolution ‘A Short History of the USSR’ was the book written by Stalin that was used
• Communist ideology was compulsory
• Non-party teachers were replaced with Bolsheviks
• Exams brought back
• Youth groups continued to run, Young Pioneers was available for 10-16 year olds

Question 8

How did the role of women change throughout the Soviet Union?

Answer 8

• Women were allowed to divorce and were allowed abortions. Divorce rates were very high however this often created broken homes, families were encouraged to stay together and abortion and divorces started to become difficult.
• Women started to enter higher skilled jobs in industry however were expected to work full time and bring up a family, which was a large strain
• A women’s department formed in the Bolshevik party, the Zhenotdel, however very few women reached high positions in the part and the Zhenotdel was abolished in 1930 because ‘women issues had been solved’

Question 9

Why did Stalin clamp down on ethnic minorities?

Answer 9

• Did not want multiple national identities in the Soviet Union: Wanted a united union to form a stronger nation who were less prone to invasions and developed in industry faster
• Distrusted national groups, believed they were disloyal to the regime: Wanted to turn them into Soviet Citizens and prevented them from speaking their own language and practising traditions
• Many ethnic groups opposed Stalin’s ideas and sought separation