Life in the Soviet Union 1924-41

Question 1

Describe living and working conditions under Stalin.

Answer 1

• The increasing demand for labour under the Five-Year Plans encouraged many to abandon their life in the collective farms, uproot their families and seize any opportunities for an improved living standard in the growing factories.
• Wages weren’t equal. Many were paid on the basis of piecework, they were paid according to how much they produced not how long they worked. Anyone who complained about the long hours and work conditions were accused of being a troublemaker and sent to the gulag. Laziness or being late were considered crimes and could cause a loss of ration cards, fines or sacking.
• The diet of a worker consisted no fat or milk, little bread and very little meat or fish. Clothing was poorly made and winter clothing was hard to get.

Question 2

Explain what family life was like under Stalin.

Answer 2

In 1936 Stalin placed a great emphasis on the family as the basic social unit and introduced measures to reinforce family life. Stalin believed that having strong families would produce a stronger and more productive society.

Abortion was now made illegal and divorce became more difficult and very expensive. Under Stalin, mothers were rewarded for having large families, Married couples received child allowances.

Question 3

Describe the status of women in Stalin’s USSR.

Answer 3

Under Stalin, mothers were rewarded for having large families. Factories encouraged women back to work after having children by setting up creches.

In 1935, women made up 40% of the work force; by 1937, the figure was 50%. Women were encouraged to become doctors and nurses. By 1937, 72% of health service workers were women. In the eyes of the law, women were equal to men, but women rarely took up the most senior positions in industry, politics or the civil service. During the war over half a million women fought on the front line.

Question 4

Explain the importance of education in shaping the new Socialist citizen.

Answer 4

An educated, literate population was also needed to ensure a modern economy- vital if Russia was to survive the attack from the capitalist West. Illiterate adults were encouraged to attend school. By 1939, illiteracy had dropped to only 4% amongst men and 18% amongst women.

The aim of education was summed up by Rule One of behaviour. ‘To become an educated and cultured citizen and to be of the greatest possible service to his country.’

Question 5

Outline why and how Stalin persecuted ethnic minorities.

Answer 5

• People like Finns and Koreans and Jews with possible loyalties to states outside of the USSR were persecuted. Terror and persecution was felt particularly in border areas such as Central Asia, the Caucasus, Ukraine and also Soviet Karelia which held a large Finnish population. Over four hundred thousand Baltic people were deported as Stalin believed they were collaborators with the Germans. Stalin encouraged ethnic minority groups to see themselves as Soviet citizens.
• Ethnic nationalities were Russified, this was done by Russians getting key jobs, Russian being the compulsory language and Russian being compulsory in state organisations.

Question 6

Outline the changes to education under Stalin.

Answer 6

• Teachers were purged and there was limited money for schools.
• An education law of 1935 undid most of the revolutionary ideas of the early 1920s and allowed teachers to use strict methods of discipline. Report cards and test marks, which had been abolished in the 1920s, were reintroduced. School uniforms were restored, pigtails were compulsory for girls. In history lessons, kings and battles, especially Russian ones, became the common lesson for pupils.
• The Pioneers was an organisation for those under fourteen years of age. Komsomol catered for those between fourteen to eighteen.
• Young people were encouraged to have loyalty to the Soviet Union before their own family.