Chapter 14: Life In The Soviet Satelite States Flashcards
Define the term Sovietisation ?
Sovietisation is the attempt to make all aspects of life in the satellite states match the soviet model in politics, economic, society and its institutions and culture
Propaganda and censorship is Poland ?
-there were two function of propaganda one was the influence opinions in the state and the other to reinforce solidarity against other countries
-the party controlled all media within each sates and censored anything that conflicted with party values, it praised the achievements of socialism and the USSR and criticised the west
-satellite states audience were proud of their socialist achievement and the aims was to have western audience be impressed by them
Living standard in Poland ?
-unrest was triggered by living and working conditions
-there was widespread resentment that the nomenklatura were able to access a wider range of high quality consumer goods that the rest of the population
-nomenklatura were elites bureaucrats who controlled appointment to desirable and influential jobs
-the standards of health care were high across the satellite states, there was free education and little unemployment or homelessness
-for working class people and women, the living standards were seen to have improved since pre war times
-however living standards different between satellite states in Poland the GDP was 2447 US dollars which was the lowest out of the satellite states
State organisation in Poland ?
-in Poland trade unions were controlled by the polish united workers party and they became an instrument of this
-however they weren’t able to control everyone, in 1956 industrial workers in poznan held strikes and protested for better working conditions, it was one of the first instance of resistance to communism known as the polish october
-the PUWP also had to control over sports club, youth organisation, professional organisation and women organisation these were strictly monitored
Education in Poland ?
-education was free by the states, highly centralised, secular- no religious education, egalitarian- less classic subject, more technical ones like maths and science
-communist -Marxism-Leninism was compulsory for everyone, specialist student were directed towards productive careers and soviet led transitions of Russian textbooks were used, Russian was the main foreign laungage to learn
-when Poland became independent in 1921, 1/3 of the population was illiterate and compulsory education was made a priority to solve this problem. This continued during Poland’s time as a satellite states by 1978 only 1.2% of the population was illiterate
Benefits of living in Poland ?
-improvement in education, health and employment
-wider access to culture and leisure opportunities compared to the west
-more women were employed in engineering, architecture and university teaching in Poland compared to the rest of the satellite states
-life was generally more liberal in Poland compared to other satellite states: more intellectuals, strong nationality, and the Catholic Church was seen as important
-health improved due to the growing availability of antibiotics and extension of medical services
Problems of living in Poland ?
-poor working conditions, poor pay, lack of motivation, shortages of consumer goods, poor quality goods, cramped housing and poor quality housing
- limited freedom of expression and movement
-limited career opportunities without party membership
-foreign travel was restricted
Propaganda in Czechoslovakia ?
-workers were seen as the heroes of the nation, they were glorified and frequently used as an examplar citizen
-the most blatant form of propaganda was the Stalin memorial built in Prague with Stalin along with workers, there was so much outrage that it was knocked down in 1962
-for Czechoslovakia the ice hockey team was used as a major form of propaganda, similar to how the GDR promoted shot put and discus throwers
-the team dominated the European scene until the Soviet Union took off in the 60s
-there were times when this backfired as the Soviet Union and the Czechoslovakia team fought for glory, similar to the water polo matches of Hungary and the USSR
-in 1969 when Czechoslovakia beat the USSR, radio stations, TV and newspapers were shut down and more troops were sent to Prague however no one showed up at the celebration ad the crowd was to big
The role of the media in Czechoslovakia?
-the radio was constantly used for broadcasting speeches and during the 50s purge trials were emitted such as the Miranda Horakova trail who was the only women to be executed
-the Soviet national anthem was put on at the end of the television and radio broadcasting
-the rude proof newspaper was the most controlled by the party
-when the secret speech was publicised, rude pavo was the only newspaper allowed to publish until 1 o’clock in the evening
-however the BBC and voice of America weren’t jammed and depending whet you lived they could see GDR, polish, Austria and even FDR television
Living standards in Czechoslovakia?
- the lowest difference between white collar worker and blue collar worker
-accounts from the 60s said “we were amazed by how the rich left their industrial mansions to live as equal with us, the empty palaces left as memorials of capitalist life
-wages were steadily rising in the country, second to the GDR, however there was stagnation in the 60s
-agriculture had been a weak part of the economy throughout the 1950s, consistently, failing to reach planned output targets and the minimal reforms of 1958-59 had done little to alter the situation
-national income decline in 1963 by 1965 was only 1.9% higher than in 1950s consistory failing to reach planned output rate in 1956-60 period
-had the highest GDP in the satellite states
-factories were dealt a further blow when orders from china were stopped as sink soviet split relations dipped
-there was less construction of housing compared to the number of marriages between 1960 and 1975, until construction exceeded marriages
-one of the factors contributing to the housing shortages was the low construction rate of rental housing
Healthcare in Czechoslovakia
- the centuries old spas were open to the public where areas before only European royalty could use them, they were part of the free healthcare system
-the ration of physicians to inhabitants was 1% per 745 in 1954
-a comprehensive and universal system of social security under which everyone wad entitled to free medical care and medicine
-the medical system was based on preventive medicine, leading to the amount of local clinics, work medical centres and walk in clinics increasing
-in some rural areas, especially Slovakia there was a lack of medics due to a lack of redistribution of doctors
Society in Czechoslovakia
-religion especially catholics, were broadly persecuted during this time, more than 6000 religious people received prison sentences, between 1948 and 1968 the number of priest declined by half and half the remaining clergy were over sixty years of age
-in Slovakia religion was still important as only 14% were atheists
-because of the proximity of Czech culture to Europe there was extensive crackdown on western ideas, rock music was heavily banned and people who listened to it faced fines and prison sentences
-fourth fifth of the workers who entered the labour force from 1948 through 1975 were women, stemming from shortages of manpower in Czechoslovakia
-industry was the main sector of the country’s starting from a base of 100 in 1948 the index increased to 371,9 in 1960 and 665.5 in 1970
Education in Czechoslovakia
-similar to other states, education was a place to learn Marxist Leninist teaching not to discuss them
-the young pioneers were the youth organisation in the country that was one of the requirements for a student to enter a university
-anti religious and western sentiments were extended in the schools
-to be able to enter university one had to be from either a working class background, have participated in the communist party or had been part of the young pioneers
-school were for the creation of future communist and workers
Strength of life in Czechoslovakia
-practically no one was unemployed
-industrial workers were treated much differently compared to before
-society was orderly people didn’t really mind the politics of the nation they just lived in the lives as long as things went well
-the pre-existing industrial nature of the country meant that there was considerable less hardship compared to other satellite states
-the proximity to Europe in culture mean there still was a connection between the western and communist lifestyle in Czechoslovakia
-everybody technically had access to free healthcare
-there was educational equality in the nation and opportunity for higher education was much more accessible than before
Weaknesses of life in Czechoslovakia
-much o the problem seen in the USSR are seen in Czechoslovakia
-lack of housing and healthcare resources
-lack of innovation in industrial factories leading to discontent among workers
-a lack of quality which was what Czechoslovakia was known for before communism
-crackdown on western ideas and religion which was still present especially in Slovakia
