Stakhanovites & Working & Living condition Flashcards
Who was the man behind the Stakhanovite movement?
Aleksei Stakhanov
Who was Alezsei Stakhanov?
a coal miner in the Don Basin
What did Stakhanov do?
he picked 102 tonnes of coal in under 6 hours in 1935
Why was it significant that Stakhanov picked 102 tonnes of coal in under 6 hours in 1935?
as this was the expected amount from a miner in 14 times that length of time
What was Stakhanov hailed as an example of?
of how human determination and endeavour might increase productivity
As well as declared a Soviet hero and given a large work bonus and honour awards, what was held in his name?
competitions to emulate his achievement
Why was the Stakhanovite movement ideal propaganda for the Party?
as this helped to create a new proletarian culture based on team work and selfless sacrifice
What did the Stakhanovite movement force managers to do?
to support their workers and increase production
What was a negative side effect of the Stakhanovite movement?
jealousy from the material benefits awarded
What are there records of which reflect a negative impact of the Stakhanovite movement?
records of Stakhanovites being victimised and even attacked by colleagues who resented campaigns to make them work even harder than they were
What was the job of directors and managers of industrial enterprises?
to ensure that output targets set by regional administrators were met
Why was the job of managers hard?
as they had no control over resources, prices, wages and other costs
What % of his income would the manager of an industrial enterprise get as a bonus if his output was better than expected?
40%
What did the pressure managers faced cause them to do?
to falsify statistics
Why could a manager be be put on trial, imprisoned or executed?
for failing to meet targets
What was ‘wrecking’ which managers could be charged with if they didn’t balance their books?
‘wrecking’ were acts perceived as sabotage such as failing to meet targets or lowering morale in the work place
From what year did factories have to pay for their own fuel, raw materials and labour out of their profits?
1936
Why is it little wonder that bribery and corruption became embedded within the system?
due to the pressure on managers to ensure targets were met
What were national ‘work norms’?
these governed how much work a labourer should be expected to do and rules on absenteeism
Why did national ‘work norms’ make it difficult for managers?
as it was now more difficult to earn the good will of his labour force
Why couldn’t managers bypass regulations when work norms were raised in 1936 from 10-50% and caused workers to protest?
as this could result in accusations of sabotage
Why did Stakhanovites pose particular problems to managers?
as too much effort could lead to factory targets being revised upwards, creating problems for output the following year
What would some Stakhanovites who were keen to show their prowess accuse managers of ?
of wrecking their Stakhanovite attempts by failing to supply good tools or resources
Why would some Stakhanovites accuse managers of wrecking their attempts by failing to supply good tools and resources?
as they were keen to show their prowess to earn medals and other benefits
When was there a slump in trade as a result from the worldwide Depression
late 1930’s
Why did managers face labour shortages in the late 1930’s? (2)
as conditions on collective farms improved which reduced immigration to the cities and many young men were conscripted to the military
Despite the communist talk of ‘_____________’ and the creation of the ‘______ ____’, the living and working conditions experienced by most industrial workers were far from a ‘socialist paradise’.
proletarianisation
socialist man
How many days a week did the drive for industrialisation bring?
7 working days
What was proletarianisation?
turning the mass of the population into urban workers
What could arriving late or missing work result in?
dismissal, eviction from housing and loss of benefits
What was a criminal offence for workers?
to damage machinery or leave a job without permission
What was illegal for workers to do?
to strike
From 1938 what recorded workers employment?
labour books
Why was there a certain degree of enthusiasm among workers in the early years of industrialisation?
as an extensive training programme was set up with opportunities for advancement by learning new skills
What was set up in 1931 to reward those who stayed in their jobs and worked hard?
wage differentials
How did the proletariat become more diverse?
as by allowing managers to vary wages and award bonuses and pay by the piece, some struggled while others thrived
Who did Stalin’s purges in the 1930’s hit hardest?
the intellectuals and white collar workers
What was an ‘advantage’ of Stalin’s purges in the 1930’s?
there was more vacancies ‘at the top’ available
What did Stalin announce in 1933?
“life has become better, comrades, life has become more joyous”
“life has become _____, comrades, life has become more ______”- Stalin 1933
better
joyous
Why were workers living in extremely cramped communal apartments with inadequate sanitation?
due to the numbers of people which poured into the industrial cities
What was the effects of the influx of numbers that poured into the industrial cities?
1) cramped communal living
2) overcrowded public transport
Under which Five year Plan did real wages increase?
the first
aLthough real wages increased during the first Five Year Plan, they were still lower in 1937 than they had been in which year?
1928
What year was rationing phased out?
1935
Who in the socialist system could obtain goods more cheaply which was not the case for ordinary workers?
party officials
Why did government attitudes towards workers become harsher in 1939 and 1940?
as war loomed
in 1939 discipline was tightened which meant that being how many minutes late for work would account as a criminal offence?
being 20 minutes late
What was cut in 1940?
social benefits
Which construction between 1931 and 1933 was built almost entirely by a manual labour force of 300,000?
the Belomor Canal
How did many of the 300,000 manual labour forces on the Belomor Canal project 1931-1933 die? (4)
from overwork, poor treatment, lack of food and disease
What was the death rate at the Belomor Canal construction from 1931-1933 which was balanced by the 1500 per day influx of new prisoners?
700 per day
What was the rate at which new prisoners came into the camps in the Belomor Canal area per day?
1500 per day
What was the average survival time at the Belomor Canal construction 1931-1933?
2 years
What was the Zhenotdel?
the women’s section of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
Despite communist doctrines of equality in 1929, what was the reality?
women were largely concentrated in the lowest paid jobs requiring the least skills (textiles and light industry)
What % of the workforce did women make in 1929?
29%
How were women routinely discriminated against in the work place?
as they were paid less than men for fulfilling the same work norms
What was closed down in 1930?
the Zhenotdel, the women’s section of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
by 1935 what % of the workforce were women after unprecedented numbers began tot enter the Soviet industry?
42%
Why did women find jobs in education, healthcare and administration?
they had to sustain their family from the high food prices
What did the desperate attempts of factory managers lead to?
them to hire the wives, widows and daughters of their male workers
Who were women more reliable than?
the victims of collectivisation from the countryside
What did the employment of urban women reduce?
this reduced the need for further housing development to cope with migration into cities
Under which five-year plan did the Party take note of the value of female workers and sent orders for more women to be employed in heavy industry?
under the second 5 year plan
Although under the Second Five Year Plan orders for more women to be employed in heavy industry were instructed, what was the reality?
many factory managers were reluctant to offer promotions or to train women to take on skilled work
from what year did the Party make more of an effort to enrol women in the technical training programmes?
1936
What allowed women to cope with work and family?
the state nurseries and child clinics
on average what % less did women earn than men?
40% less than men
by 1940 what % of the industrial workforce was female by 1940?
43%
