4.3 Education and young people

Question 1

When did Khrushchev create the education law and what did it do?

Answer 1

1959 and it made education compulsory for 7-15 year olds

Question 2

How did Khrushchev try and improve the access to education?

Answer 2

Doubled the number of schools

Question 3

What education did 16-19 year olds have to do under Khrushchev?

Answer 3

Vocational training

Question 4

Why was there opposition to vocational schools?

Answer 4

The Party saw them as restricting the availability of an academic education of the children of the Party elite

Question 5

How many schools complied with government regulation?

Answer 5

65%

Question 6

When did Brezhnev end vocational training?

Answer 6

Between 1964 and 1966

Question 7

What did Brezhnev abandon?

Answer 7

Compulsory secondary education

Question 8

What did Brezhnev replace compulsory education with?

Answer 8

A target that 100% of students would be in school by 1970

Question 9

Did Brezhnev reach the 1970 target?

Answer 9

By 1976, 60% of students had finished secondary education

Question 10

How many university students were there in 1980?

Answer 10

6 million

Question 11

What were the Soviet Youth Groups?

Answer 11

• Octoberists (aged 5 to 9)
• Pioneers (aged 10 to 14)
• Komsomol (aged 15 to 28)

Question 12

Why were youth groups significant?

Answer 12

Joining a youth group was important if you wanted to be in favour with the party. It also allowed children to escape crowded social living