1.4 Full Employment, Housing and Social Benefits, 1917-53 Flashcards
what year were labour exchanges set up?
1918
what year did the government announce that full employment had been achieved?
1930
what year was minimum wage introduced and the pension provision expanded?
1956
when was the expansion of the housing programme? (range)
1956-65
what year did the reduction of the working week occur?
1957
what year was the passport extended to the rural population?
1974
What year were regular wages introduced for collective farmers?
1966
The labour market under Lenin- what happened during the collapse of the industrial production in the civil war? (3)
- caused many factory workers to migrate to countryside where food supply was better
- factories in the cities didn’t have enough workers
- so the government forced unemployed people to take on any work that was offered to them
The labour market under Lenin- what happened during war communism? (2)
- in 1918, under war communism, labour conscription was introduced to ensure the Red Army was adequately supplied to win civil war
- labour exchanges were established, but many did not register for fear of being forced into a job they didn’t want
The labour market under Lenin- what happened after end of civil war? (2)
- demobilisation of Red Army returned milions of soldiers to cities for work and food
- unemployment reached over 1 million workers by 1926
what are arteli? (3)
- groups of workers, usually in the same trade, who offered their services as a group and were paid as a group
- led by older members, who arranged jobs and distributed pay
- government did not encourage their use
The labour market under Lenin- during the NEP? (3)
- for skilled workers, there was an increase in job security and wages started to rise
- continued use of arteli in the recruitment of labour
- wage differences grew as skilled workers demanded more money than unskilled ones
what were the result of the five-year plans in terms of employment (7)
- in 1930, it was announced that Soviet Union was first country to reach full urban employment in peacetime
- number of hired workers rose from 11.6 million to 27 million
- there were many employment opportunities with the rapid expansion in heavy industry
- the targets set by gov. for industry resulted in factories using every available labour source
- lack of modern technology put additional pressure on work force
- many peasants drifted to the towns due to collectivisation
- by 1932, there were labour shortages
in what ways did full employment impact the workers? (9)
- divisions in the workplace because new peasant recruits joined the old industrial workers, the more skilled workers tried to protect their positions by harrasing the newcomers
- restrictions were placed on trade unions and working conditions were poor with little attention put on even basic levels of health and safety
- in 1930, unemployment benefits were cancelled due to full employment
- productivity was low, so they worked long shifts (uninterrupted work)
- passport system was introduced in 1932 because workers kept changing jobs and food rations were distributed through the workplace (only partially successful)
- bonuses and better rations were introduced for skilled workers and by 1934, piecework rates (workers were payed by amount they produced) were common
- honours and medals were used to motivate the workforce (Alexei Stokhanov)
- increase in absenteeism due tue restrictions on workers changing jobs, harsh punishments followed including imprisonment
- during Second World War, women were employed more and prisoners of war were used as forced labour
what were the first steps in providing housing for the population? (3)
- in 1917, a programme of confiscating large houses of the rich and renting them to families of workers started
- often houses were not distributed by need, but according to rank within the communist party
- not enough houses to meet the needs of all
