Social Developments ( theme 4) Flashcards
The collapse of industrial production 1918-21
The Civil war resulted in a drift in factory workers to the countryside, where food supplies were more reliable. Those factories still in production found themselves without sufficient workers.
Decree on work
In 1918, during war communism, labour conscription was introduced to ensure that the Red Army was adequately supplied to win the Civil War
How did the end of the Civil War bring pressures to labour?
The demobilisation of the Red Army meant that 1 million people were without jobs and food shortages in the countryside led to waves of workers and peasants into the cities. Unemployment soared and reached over 1 million. Skilled workers had job security due to NEP and real wages started to rise.
NEP for skilled workers
Under NEP, wage differentials grew as skilled workers demanded more money than unskilled workers. This trend was due to the relative shortage of skilled workers as the economy recovered from civil war. Thus there were benefits for being part of the working class.
Employment as a result of collectivisation
Number of workers rose from 11.6mil in 1928 to 27 million in 1937. Employment opportunities were plentiful with the rapid expansions in heavy industry. The excessive targets set by the government for industry resulted in factories using every available source. Many joined the urban workforce from the countryside. Despite this by 1932, there were labour shortages.
Full employment had a considerable impact on workers:
- Divisions in the workplace between skilled and unskilled workers.
- Restrictions placed on trade unions
- 1930, unemployment benefit removed in the light of full employment
- vast number of jobs created but productivity still low
- labour shortages created fear in managers needed to meet extortinate targets
- 1931, wage differences increased between skilled and unskilled to incentivise skilled workers to not switch jobs
- ## absenteeism was made criminal offence in 1939
Housing- 1917
They were slow to make an impact: In 1917, the Bolsheviks began a programme on confiscating the large houses of the rich, partitioning them and renting them to families of workers. The reality was there was not enough housing to meet the needs of all.
Housing- Five year plans
The enormous growth of towns and industrial centres put considerable strain on housing. Not only did housing receive few resources and a low priority, the focus on industrialisation greatly increased the demand for worker’s housing.
Five year plans: housing in industrialisation centres.
The new industrialisation centres lacked the range of facilities associated with towns and cities this was due to the rush of industrialisation and meant resources for housing was non-existent. Workers had to sleep in tents, makeshift huts or even factories. Conditions improved throughout the 1930s but only little enough to produce drab barracks.
Lack of housing due to WW2
The lack of housing was exacerbated by the damage caused by ww2. Some cities were hit bad: Stalingrad lost 90% of its housing, Leningrad 1/3. Housing remained a low priority following the 4th and 5th five year plans due to focus on heavy industry.
Social Benefits
The workplace was the source of some benefits for the soviet worker. By the 1930s, cheap food was available within the workforce canteens. Social benefits were often provided by trade unions. Stripped of any real economic or political power, they nonetheless played a key role in organising sports facilities, meetings and film shows. Thus trade unions were an important factor of a worker’s life and expulsion from a union was a serious matter.
Health care
It was designed by the government to benefit all of the population and despite limited resources it proved effective at containing epidemics. A compulsory vaccine programme was implemented to deal with a serious cholera outbreak in 1921. Many doctors fled Russia soon after the 1917 revolution and this weakened healthcare provision. The government was forced to increase the number of training places on offer. As a result, doctors increased from 70,000 in 1928, 155,000 in 1940. Hospital beds also increased. Although quality may not be there, these figures represent considerable improvements through this period.
Social developments by 1953
By 1953, The soviet worker was likely to be employed, housed and in receipt of basic social services. Life was harsh and the provision of services remained more primitive, if not non-existent, in rural areas. The promised social utopia had yet to be realised.
The shift from khrushchev
After the social upheavals of the Stain years, soviet society became a lot more stable under Khrushchev. The hardships that had accompanied the rapid industrialisation of the 1930s and ww2 gave way to a more prosperous period, which allowed Khrushchev to declare in 1961 that the soviet population would finally enjoy the benefits of socialism.
Developed socialism
Term applied to a soviet society that had become instilled with the values of the revolution: collectivisation, political consciousness and an active participation driven by revolutionary spirit. It may have been a propaganda slogan that over-exaggerated reality, but there is no doubt by the 1970s there was a lot of support for a social system that provided advantages and material rewards for the majority. It was this support that gave soviet society under Brezhnev stability.
Key features of social stability under developed socialism: Full employment
The soviet constitution of 1977 guaranteed its citizens employment. There was some unemployment seasonal work in agriculture in rural areas, and it was common for graduates to have some short term unemployment after finishing university. Moreover, having employment was no guarantee of job satisfaction and many jobs were created that were undemanding, repetitive and sometimes pointless. What made a difference was the increase in real wages and they rose 50% between 1967 and 1977.
Job security
It was very difficult to dismiss someone who was not very good at their job. Managers often ignored low standards of work discipline as workers were absent to queue for food or other items in shops. This would then be followed by a short period of intense work at the end of the month to ensure production targets were met. Labour turnover remained high, 30% per year, as workers moved to jobs where managers offered better benefits.
Job security policies
A minimum wage was introduced in 1956 which was designed to ensure no workers were below the poverty line, but hardships remained for those workers who had to support families on the minimum wage. The working week was reduced in 1957 and the number of holiday days increased.
Improved material benefits
The greater availability of consumer goods played a central role in ensuring a contented society. For the first time the 9th five year plan, set a higher growth rate for consumer goods than heavy industry. The ability to deliver an improvement in the quality of life was seen by the government as legitimising the rule of the communist party. Targets for the production of consumer goods were not met, but progress was sufficient enough for the population to recognise significant improvements. Sustained economic growth, often relying on skilled labour rather than unskilled, also ensured that there were greater opportunities for upward mobility in the soviet system.
The Nomenkaltura System
A key feature that tied the population to the state was that the state was their employer. The party was responsible for appointments in virtually every economic enterprise. It was no surprise that membership of the party grew considerably, 6.9mil in 1953 to to 17mil in 1980. By the end of the 1970s, 20% of male aged over 30 were part of the party. Ultimately, advancement depended on having a recommendation from a sponsor within the party, and this process was responsible for building in loyalty to the system and enormous stability.
education system
attachment to the party was reinforced through the education system, which did its best to instil socialist values from a young age. For gaining social status, good educational qualifications helped secure better jobs and increased promotions. Both boys and girls had equality of access to school by 1980s. Schools in urban areas seemed to attract better teachers, especially in residential areas dominated by the elites. Thus, education played a key role in perpetuating a Soviet elite.
