Social Security 1917-53

Question 1

What was the goal / priority of soviet economy in relation to social security?

Answer 1

One goal of their economic policy was to distribute wealth FAIRLY to ALL workers and peasants

BUT

This commitment to:
• a decent job 
• good housing
• other social benefits 
Tended to be SECONDARY to other economic priorities

Question 2

What principle were Lenin and Stalin both committed to, under work?

Answer 2

That allllll able-bodied adults should work

Question 3

What happened to full employment and social benefits under War Communism?

Answer 3

• 1) Work became COMPULSORY: soviet citizens 16-50 had to either work or fight.
2) In return, they received a WORK CARD— entitled them to a variety of social benefits.

• Food and fuel was rationed by PRODRASPRED (Section of General Distribution)
• other amenities: housing, transport— free to urban workers
• Laundries and crèches— also provided in cities

Question 4

Was War Communism a success in relation to social benefits?

Answer 4

It failed in practice.

Rations were insufficient for workers needs:
By 1920– they were beginning to ABANDON factories in search of food in rural areas
^^^ the urban population fell by 25% during the civil war

Question 5

What happened to full employment under the NEP?

Answer 5

The economy changed:
— Unemployment returned:
• soldiers were demobilised
• Workers were sacked to make Industry more efficient

— Free crèches were abolished: harder for women to work

— By 1924: 18% of the urban workforce was unemployed

Question 6

What happened to social benefits under the NEP?

Answer 6

During the 20s, the Soviet Union developed the MOST COMPREHENSIVE system of social benefits in the world.
Urban workers were entitled to:

• SOCIAL INSURANCE: paid disability benefits, maternity benefits, unemployment benefits, medical benefits
• the government invested in EDUCATION for urban workers and their families

^^^ the system was administered by TRADE UNIONS & covered 9m urban workers during the 20s
BUT
Peasants had no right to this welfare

Question 7

What happened to work under Stalin?

Answer 7

Compulsory work was reintroduced.

Five-Year Plans: led to full employment for male urban workers and jobs for an increasing number of women

Labour discipline in Stalin’s factories: HARSH— conditions often dirty and dangerous

Question 8

What happened to benefits under Stalin?

Answer 8

❌ Standards of living improved slowly at best
✅ system of SOCIAL BENEFITS emerged— included:

• food rations
• access to better transportation (construction of the Metro & over 30,000 km of railways)
• vaccines for common diseases such as typhus and malaria made universally available from 1947
• factory canteens provided meals for workers

Question 9

What were the problems with welfare under Stalin?

Answer 9

• peasants benefitted much less than workers, eg. Not entitled to rations
• FOOD was a major problem— in order to make up for shortages, work canteens used rotten food, animal feed and other products unfit for human consumption (led to illness)
• SANITATION in factories and farms was often inadequate— led to lice infestations, outbreaks of dysentery and vomiting

Question 10

What was housing like, 1917-53?

Answer 10

Continual problem.

• 1920s— soviet authorities redistributed existing housing: took it away from rich property owners and allowed poor people to live in the houses of the capitalists and aristocrats
• EXPERIMENTS IN ARCHITECTURE: Narkomfin Apartment House, Moscow: provided excellent housing BUT these projects were rare (bc they were expensive)

• STALIN: existing urban housing divided into ‘kommunalka’ (communal apartments)—
— Entire families would live on a single room of between 4-5.5 Square meters.
— some cases: while families lived in under-stairs cupboards or corridors

• BARRACKS-STYLE DORMITORIES constricted to house factory workers in new factory towns such as Magnitogorsk.
Moscow Coal Fields dormitories— only 15,000 beds for 26,000 workers