Chapter 16 Flashcards
Leninist/Stalinist Society
When was class hierarchy abolished in the Soviet Union?
November 1917
What was the ‘socialist man’?
An ideal of a man to have a sense of social responsibility and would willingly serve either the factory, the fields or in battle
What was proletarianisation?
The aim to turn the mass of the population into urban workers in order to achieve socialist aims
How were workers kept under control?
Workers could be imprisoned or shot if they failed to meet targets and unions were monitored
What were the harsh working conditions implemented by Stalin?
A seven day working week, longer working hours, lateness could result in dismissal, damaging machinery was a criminal offence and strikes were illegal
What was the Stakhanovite movement?
Aleksei Stakhanov was a miner whose speed led to a propaganda campaign being created around him as a way of forcing management to meet their targets
What were living conditions under Stalin like?
Workers lived in cramped communal apartments with inadequate sanitation and erratic water supplies
What were the decrees that benefited women under Lenin?
Only civil marriage was recognised, in 1920 abortion was legalised, free contraceptive advice was provided, 1926 introduced common law marriages
How much were women impacted by these changes?
Women were not only expected to work in the fields and the factories but were also expected to complete domestic labour
How did Stalin present women through propaganda?
The importance of marriage was re-emphasised and in films and art, women were portrayed as feminine family women
What were Stalin’s measures that he introduced for women?
Large fees were introduced to deter divorce, adultery was criminalised, contraception was banned and financial incentives were introduced for large families
What was the growth of female industrial workers?
Grew from 3 million in 1928 to 13 million in 1940
How did the birth rate change under Stalin?
There were 150,000 abortions to every 57,000 live births
What were the subjects in Stalinist secondary schools?
Reading, writing, science, Russian language and literature, maths, and Stalinist history
How many people were literate in towns by 1941?
94% were literate
Who was in charge of the RKSM?
Lenin’s wife, Krupskaya, who was made Commissar for Education
What did the Komsomol teach and advise on?
Communist values and smoking, drinking, religion, volunteer work, sports, politics and drama
What were some slogans used for the Komsomol?
‘As the great Lenin has instructed’ and ‘as the Communist party teaches me’
How did Lenin describe religion?
As ‘the opium of the people’
How did religion change from 1917-18?
Church schools were taken over by the state as were the decrees on civil marriage, births, and deaths. From 1921, the teaching of religion was illegal
How did the Orthodox Church suffer during the 1920s?
The Patriarch, Tikhon, was arrrested in 1922 and the Church itself suffered from desecration such as Church bells being seized in 1921, as well as members ransacking to show socialist faith
What were Christian holidays replaced with?
New Year’s Day replaced Christmas and May Day replaced Easter.
What newspaper was founded to support anti-religious propaganda?
‘The Godless’ in 1923
What event changed the calendar in 1932?
The removal of the ‘holy day’ Sunday, to introduce a six day working week
