Russia Social developments 1917-53 Flashcards
1
Q
War communism: work and social benefits
A
- Work for aged 16-50 became compulsory
- They would either have to work or fight in the army, this would give them a work card, which entitled them to various social benefits
- Prodraspred - in charge of rationing food and fuel
- Housing and transport,
sometimes creches and laundries available free for urban workers - Rations insufficient for workers in cities so moved to rural areas, by 1920s urban population fell by 25%
2
Q
The NEP: work and social benefits
A
- Unemployment returned as soldiers were demobilised after the civil war
- Workers sacked to make industry more efficient
- Creches closed so less women could work
- 1924 unemployment in urban class was 18%
- But there social benefits were very advanced for urban workers who were entitled to social insurance and the government invested in education for their families
- Peasants did not have these benefits
3
Q
Work and benefits under Stalin
A
- Compulsory work was reintroduced under Stalin
- The demands of the five year plans led to full employment of the male urban class and more opportunity for women
- Labour discipline was harsh and conditions dirty and dangerous
- Social benefits - food rations, better transportation - Moscow metro 1935 and vaccines for common diseases such as malaria and typhus available from 1947
4
Q
Problems with welfare under Stalin
A
- Peasants benefited less - not entitled to rations
- Food - shortages, rotten food and animal often used as substitutions led to illness
- Sanitation inadequate
5
Q
Housing under Lenin
A
- In the 1920s Lenin confiscated housing from capitalists and aristocrats for peasants to live in
- Experiments in architecture such as the Narkomfin Apartment House provided excellent housing but was rare because they were expensive
6
Q
Housing under Lenin
A
- kommunalka - communal apartments housed whole families in as little as 4.5 square metres
- Barrack style dormitories to house factory workers. In Moscow coal fields there were only 15000 beds for 26000 workers
7
Q
Women during the civil war
A
- Zhentodl - set up after the civil war, women’s department of the communist party
- Alexandra Kollantai was the head, recruited women to working creches and orphanages
- Women also worked in labour if needed
8
Q
Changing attitudes to the family under Lenin
A
- More radical Bolsheviks criticised the idea of a traditional family - fundamentally individualistic, traditional roles, religious background
- Youth groups (komsomol) attacked the “tyranny of the parents”
- Party sections set up (Zhentodl) to educate women to become more assertive and independent
- Wives are encouraged to refuse obedience to their husbands
Kollantai called for greater sexual freedom for women, sex before marriage, Lenin found this shocking - Communal living spaces - privacy breeds secrecy
9
Q
Women during the NEP
A
- Creches closed
- Women sacked from industry to free up jobs for men
- prostitution rose
10
Q
Women under Stalin’s industry and WWII
A
- Demands of the five year plans offered jobs to women
- In 1940 over 10 million women joined the labour force
- During WWII women made up 75% of the workforce
- Women were paid 60% of what men were
- They were subjected to verbal and physical abuse
11
Q
Women workers 1953-85
A
- During 1960s 45% of industrial jobs went to women but were restricted to low skill jobs
- In the 1960s 74% of the people employed in clerical work were women
- By 1985 women made up 70% of medical doctors and 65% of workers in art and culture
12
Q
Women in the countryside 1920s to 1940s
A
- 1920-40s a high proportion of women worked in agriculture- they worked a “triple shift” - agriculture labour, household chores and handicrafts
13
Q
Literacy and the civil war
A
- Trotsky introduced litercay classes for the Red Army - in 1918 50% were literate and by 1925 all were
- Lunacharsky set up reading rooms across Russia, offering 6 week intensive course in reading and writing
- Outside of the army the literacy campaign was not a success as the people were prioritising their survival
14
Q
Literacy and the NEP
A
- Campaign to end illiteracy started again in 1925, the government aimed to eradicate illiteracy by 1927
- Communist worked with trade unions to establish libraries and literacy classes
- The transport workers union acheived 99% literacy by 1927
- The metal workers unions had 4% illiteracy rates by 1926, compared with 145 in 1925
- Ending illiteracy in rural areas was much harder
15
Q
Literacy under Stalin
A
- In the 1930s the communist party set the target of eliminating illiteracy by the end of the first five year plan
- It was run in a military style, volunteer “cultural soldiers” were organised into “cultural battalions” and told to fight a “cultural war” against literacy
- This campaign was during forced collectivisation and as teachers were associated with the government the peasants resisted, 40% of teachers were physically attacked in the first year
- By 1939 over 94% of Soviet citizens were literate
16
Q
Communist young peoples groups
A
- The young pioneers founded in 1922, accommodated children aged 10 to 15
- Komsomol founded 1918 for ages 16-28
- Komsomol members and young pioneers had uniforms, their activities included hiking and camping, they’d receive talks from, red army soldiers, factory workers and farmers
- In theory Komsomol members were supposed to be disciplined and committed to the ideology but they were known for their drunkness, promiscuity and hooliganism
17
Q
Youth groups under Stalin
A
- During the 1930s the young pioneers and komsomol were encouraged to spy on their parents and report any of their crimes
- encouraged to be hard working and obedient
18
Q
Schooling 1917-28
A
- Schools requisitioned by the army and turned into stores or barracks
- During the NEP schooling expanded, in 1927 fees for schools were abolished, 60% of soviet children primary school aged were in education, majority of soviet children received 4 years of primary school
- Only children from wealthy backgrounds got secondary school education
19
Q
State control of the curriculum under Stalin
A
His goal was to create a new generation of disciplined and patriotic soviet citizens who could work efficiently in soviet factories, therefore the curriculum focused on:
- core subjects, reading, maths and science
- Taught about the history of “great men” such as Ivan the Terrible
20
Q
Education under Stalin
A
1953 official figures showed
- 100% of children received the full 4 years of primary education
- 65% gained some secondary education
- 20% completed secondary school
- University expanded from 170,000 students in 1927 to 1.5 million by 1953
21
Q
Educational inequalities under Stalin
A
- Access to secondary school and university was limited
- Fees for higher education maintained
- Communist party and trade unions offered grants and scholarships to help students access higher education, but favoured the children of party members
