Life In The Soviet Union Flashcards
What were working conditions like in towns?
They were harsh and there were strict rules on discipline and punctuality and high demands.
Fines were imposed in lateness and bad workmanship. Failures were blamed on saboteurs rather than the system. The secret police encouraged workers to inform on one another. Workers were poorly paid and strikes were not permitted. Demands for higher pay and better working conditions were seen as acts of selfishness.
Some big projects were carried by forced labour. These were prisoners in the gulag.
Better living conditions in towns
There were family benefits such as insurance and free healthcare. There was no unemployment due to no economic depressions unlike Britain, Germany and the USA. There were trade unions and collective farms provided clubs, sport facilities, film shows and general entertainment.
Worse living conditions in towns
Rapid population growth strained roads, water supplies, power and transport. Any streets had no street lights and it was dangerous to venture late at night.
Urban population increased from 29 million in 1929 to 40 million in only 4 years.
Most families lived in overcrowded and run down buildings. Often there was a family per room and had to share kitchens and bathrooms.
Living and working conditions in farms
Following collectivisation, better conditions occurred due to mechanisation. Tractors sped up work and scientists worked along with farmers, introducing new methods to improve farming.
Some collectives has schools and hospitals, proving vital for a workforce.
Bad conditions in the countryside
Peasants thought they would gain more freedoms after the revolution but it was worse under Stalin as they had to give up their land and livestock. Opposition was fierce so forced collectivisation started and confiscated land belonging to peasants and kulaks. Peasants were tied to collectives due to requiring a passport to migrate, making them like the serfs of 19th century. There were also food shortages as workers were prioritised
Experience of party members
Better lifestyle was provided as you moved up the party ladder
Better housing
Better healthcare
Dachas (villas)
Helped produce leaders such as Khrushchev and Brezhnev
Experiences of peasants
Conditions for peasants were worse than workers and many moved to towns for work after collectivisation began.
Experiences of workers
Workers were promoted to management jobs. Workers benefited from higher education enabled them to posses technical knowledge. Rapid industrialisation removed unemployment. However rapid increase in population led to poor living conditions.
Changing position of women
Family life-there were high divorce rates in mid 20s. In 1927, 2/3 of marriage ends in divorce. By mid 30s, family was back in favour. The high divorce rate of mid 20s and early 30s created crime and homeless children.
Employment- women were encouraged to work in all areas. Some women took on jobs like engineering but it was still mostly the same as women were expected to bring up families. There were some improvements however as all workers’ children received free primary education and healthcare schemes covered most of the work force
Political position of women
Women were still treated as second class citizens politically. By 1928, only 12.8% of the party were female members. There was a women’s department in the Bolshevik party called zhenotdel. That was closed in 1930 as it was felt all female issues were solved. Th communist party reminded male dominated and there was no push for women into real positions of power under Stalin.
Persecution of ethnic groups
There were 170 nationalities and 120 languages in the Soviet Union. Measures were taken place to produce a country with a single culture and language. Stalin wanted to turn Ukrainians and Georgians into Soviet citizens. They were discouraged from speaking their own language and were often discriminated against.
Many ethnic communities such as the Volga Germans, the Crimean tartars, Chechens were deported. Ukrainians were starved deliberately and leaders were purged.
