The Soviet Union 1917-1964 Stalin and Lenin Flashcards
1
Q
What was Lenin’s ideology surrounding communism?
A
-Highly centralised revolution
-Claimed capitalism was a corrupt system and exploitative
-Believed the spontaneous will of the people would support the revolution
-Dismissed the need for constitutional govt
2
Q
How can Lenin’s view of a centralised revolution be seen?
A
-In what is to be done 1902
3
Q
When was the first Sovnarkom?
A
October 1917
4
Q
Why was the first Sovnarkom October 1917 unsuccessful due to weak opposition ?
A
-Unable to coordinate action against the govt
The power of the Soviets declined > no serious contender on the left to challenge bolshevism
5
Q
Why was the first Sovnarkom in October 1917 unsuccessful due to political misjudgements?
A
-SRs and Mensheviks did not take action > thought the bolshevik govt would collapse swiftly
-Underestimated the Bolsheviks
6
Q
Why was the first Sovnarkom October 1917 unsuccessful due to the army’s collapse?
A
-Officers and conservative forces could not count on any loyal troops to attack the Bolsheviks
7
Q
Why was the first Sovnarkom October 1917 unsuccessful due to distracted workers and peasants?
A
-Declining living conditions and disillusionment with revolution > difficult to rouse anyone for action
-Urban workers > focussed on their factories and jobs
-Peasant sonly concerned with land > what was going on in cities was largely irrelevant to them
8
Q
Why was the first Sovnarkom October 1917 unsuccessful due to attacks on the opposition?
A
-Bolsheviks moved quickly to deal with the opposition > Closed the opposition press > arrested key figures/ political opponents
-CLosed the Constituent assembly by force
-Set up the Cheka > make arrests and deal with protests
9
Q
What was the Cheka?
A
A secret police force
10
Q
Why was the first Sovnarkom in October 1917 unsuccessful due to the use of class warfare?
A
-Effective in deflecting antagonism onto the bourgeoisie
-Brought support from large sections of the working class
11
Q
Why was the first Sovnarkom October 1917 unsuccessful due to the concessions made to urban workers and peasants?
A
-Lenin originally gave them what they wanted > 8hour working days > land > peace
-Real gains for these groups after the October revolution
12
Q
What is a Sovnarkom?
A
The cabinet
13
Q
What was done at the November 1917 Sovnarkom?
A
-Right of self-determination granted to all parts of the former Russian empire
-Abolition of titles and class divisions
-Workers to control factories
-Abolition of the justice sytem
-Women declared equal to men and able to own property
14
Q
What happened at the December 1917 Sovnarkom?
A
-CHEKA officially formed > needed to shut down counter-revolution
-Banks nationalised
-Democratisation of the army
-Marriage and divorce become civil matters, no longer linked to the church
15
Q
What was the Democratisation of the army in December 1917?
A
-Officers to be elected
-Army to be controlled by Army soviets and soldiers committees
-abolition of ranks, saluting and decorations
16
Q
What was Lenin’s ideology?
A
-One party state > no opposition > no factors
-Cheka
-War communism and the NEP
-Central planning (nationalisation)
-Independence movements seen as counter-revolutionary
17
Q
What was Lenin like as a leader?
A
-Outstanding leader > able to hold the party together when it could’ve fragmented
-Great organisational abilities > demonstrated through war communism
-Flexible and pragmatic > finding solutions to problems when building a govt from scratch
18
Q
What was Lenin like as a theorist?
A
-Adaptations of Marxism> known as Marxism-Leninism
-Concept of the small, disciplined revolutionary party
-the notion that the Proletariat could carry through a socialist revolution without having to go through the ‘bourgeoisie-democratic stage’
19
Q
What were Stalin’s strengths in the leadership contest?
A
-Genuine working-class background
-Trust of Lenin
-Experience in the Bolshevik party
20
Q
What were Stalin’s weaknesses in the leadership contest?
A
-No involvement in the October revolution
-Pragmatic to win leadership > no real belief ran through
21
Q
What were Trotsky’s strengths in the leadership contest?
A
-Popular with radicals
-Strong intellectual and orator
-In charge of the army
-Led the red army in the civil war
22
Q
What were Trotsky’s weaknesses in the leadership contest?
A
-Arrogant and aloof
-Dismissive of other leading Bolsheviks
-Viewed as an outsider as only joined the Bolsheviks in 1917
23
Q
when did the civil war begin?
A
November 1917
24
Q
When did the civil war end?
A
October 1922
25
Who led the White Army in the civil war?
Admiral Kolchak > viewed as supreme ruler
26
Who sent troops to help the Whites to put down the Bolsheviks?
-The allies sent troops and resources
27
Which group was once allied with Kolchak and then turned against him?
The SRs > they believed he wanted to become a Tsar
28
What did the Whites do to try and prevent communism?
-Banned Trade Unions
-Privatised nationalised institutions
29
How many civilian deaths were during the civil war?
5million
30
How many Russians were executed at the Yensei revolt?
10,000
31
What was signifficant about Omsk?
-Held 2/3 of Russia's gold reserves as taken from the Bolsheviks
32
How many died at the Perm operation?
30,000
33
When was the Perm operation?
24th December 1918 > Victory for the Bolsheviks
34
How many miles by the end of the Civil war did the Bolsheviks capture from the Whites?
200miles
35
How many soldiers did the Red army have?
1.5million
36
What was Finland's involvement in the civil war?
-Offered to send 100,000 troops to Petrograd > to the whites for recognition of Finnish independence
37
What did Tsar Nicholas do on the 4th January 1920?
Issued his resignation as his last decree and retreated to mongolia
38
Why did the Whites fail in the civil war?
-Kolchak's inability to compromise
-General Janin and Kolchaks' difficult relationship
-Self pride > declining Finnish support
-Growth in the Red Army under Trotsky > severe discipline under Trotsky
-Kolchak did not do anything that the people supported
-Kolchak's lack of military equipment > Cavalry
39
What is Stalinism?
-A system of rule
40
What is 'Namenklatura'?
-people who had key administrative positions ( govt, industry, agriculture and education) > granted only with approval of the communist party of the region
41
What is Democratic centralism?
-Communist idea of democracy > workers and peasants elected members of local soviets who then chose those who sit in a higher position on a higher soviet > All-Russian Congress of soviets > could influence policy
42
What is the Apparatchik?
-The party/ administrative system
43
How did the decline in congress meetings suggest Stalin's rise in power?
-There was one in May 1924, December 1925, December 1927 and then June-July 1930 > after that became more infrequent
-shows power lies more with stalin than with the people suggesting a signifficant indivdual power growth
44
What was the 1918 Constitution under Lenin?
-Russian Soviet Federative Socialist republic was created
-All russian congress of soviets had supreme power
-vote was reserved for the 'toilling' masses > members of former 'exploitative classes' were excluded from voting
-Structure of the govt was centralised > real power focus was the party
45
What was the communist party structure?
Local Parties > Provincial and city parties > Congress > Central committee > Politburo
46
What was the Constitution 1936 under Stalin?
-freedom from arbitary arrest
-freedom of speech and the press
-the right to demonstrate
-Universal sufferage for over 18s
47
What was Stalin's 1936 constitution trying to achieve?
-All rights subordinate to the interests of the working classes > communist party would decide those interests
-Only communists could go up for election > 1 party dominance
-Intended largely for international consumption
-Old congress of soviets > replaced by Supreme soviets
-Stalin wanted to gain control hrough centralisation of govt > centralised democracy
48
How did the Civil war effect Bolshevik views of the world and their actions?
-Post civil war > Bolsheviks threatened by the white supporters and western democracy > one nation socialism forms from this
49
When was the seventeenth party congress?
26th February 1934
50
What happened at the seventeenth party congress under Stalin?
-regarded as the 'congress of victors'
-feeling that economic groundwork had been accomplished
-Stalin was by no means secure as leader > split opened between stalin and leading members of the Politburo > Kirov
51
What characterised Stalin's rise to power?
-rule by terror > assasisnations
-Grasped that Lenin was the 'God' of Bolshevism
-Afraid of Trotsky > seen as the lesser of two evils
-Used trotskeists as the scape goat and enemy
52
When did the power struggle between stalin and the other potential leaders end?
1927
53
Why did Stalin's communism remove religion?
-No room for both Stalin and religion > needed full devotion from the people
-Priests were even killed and imprisoned
54
When was the birth of the 'Gulag' under stalin?
-4th stage of collectivisation > classed it as an instituition for re-education
-he sent those who 'threatend' the state
-Was like a concentration camp
55
How many forced labourers were working under Stalins rule?
10million
56
When was the worst years of the famine?
1933
57
What characterised the 'Great Terror'?
-Show trials
-Murder > a part of russian politics
-Masses incarcerated
-Secret police > 4am they would make arrests
58
What was the name of the secret police under stalin?
NKVD
59
How many people were liquidated between 1937-1939 during the 'Great Terror'?
more than half a million
60
Who controlled the second phase of the Terror under Stalin?
-Nikolai Yezhov
61
How would the NKVD extract information during The Great Terror?
-Would beat people to give them the desired statement
-Often false accusations and forced statements
62
How many Death warrants were issued a night during The Great Terror?
7,000 > 1937-1939 more than half a million people were liquidated
63
How many military officials were executed during the Great Terror?
30,000
64
What were the three distinct Economic policies of the Bolsheviks 1917-1924?
-State Capitalism (November 1917-June 1918) LENIN
-War Communism (1918-1921) LENIN
-New Economic Policy (1921-1924) LENIN
65
What was the economic climate in which State Capitalism (Nov 1917-June 1918) was implemented?
-Bolsheviks inherited substantial economic problems in 1917
-Therefore was a pragmatic policy
-Inability to implement complete Socialist economic policy > due to Bolshevik power not stretching beyond Petrograd and Moscow
- War brought Russia to the verge of collapse
-Industrial production was reduced to 2/3 of its 1914 levels
-Grain supplies were over 13million tonnes short
66
What were all Lenin's economic policies from 1917 seen as a response to?
How could Russia find enough supplies to feed itself> he never lost sight of that although Industrial workers were the future, the Peasants were the food producers.
67
What economic decrees were issued in November 1917?
"Decree on Land" and "Decree on Workers' Control"
68
What did the Decree on Land 1917 state?
-Private ownership of land would be abolished forever > and pass into the use of all those who cultivate it.
69
What did both 1917 decrees do?
They had simply sanctioned what had been happening since the February 1917 revolutions > wanted to gain some order and stability
70
What did the Decree on Workers' control 1917 state?
-The decree attempted to recognise the legitimacy of the workers' takeover while at the same time asserting the need for discipline and order in the industrial workforce.
71
Was the Decrree on Workers' Control 1917 successful?
- The relative powerlessness of the Bolshevik govt meant NO
-for every factory formally nationalised under the decree, four more were seized by the workforce > 'Proletarian nationalisation from below'
72
When was the Supreme Council of the National Economy (Vesenkha) set up under Lenin?
December 1917
73
What did the Vesenkha do?
-Plans for the regulation of the economy and take control of all existing economic institutions
-Unify the activities of local and central regulating organs > The People's Commissariats, the All Russian Soviet of Workers' control, Factory committees, and Trade Unions.
74
Was the Vesenkha a success or failure?
-It was unable to exercise a degree of authority > however it did preside over many important developments
-1920 > A special state commission (GOELRO) was established to generate a statewide system for generating electricity > Banks and Railways were nationalised > foreign debts were cancelled > Attempts were made to fix the chaotic transport system.
-Suggested that centralised economic control would be effective if the Bolsheviks regime be able to gain real power
75
What was the economic climate that War Communism 1918-1921 was implemented in?
-Restrictive and rigorously applied economic measures needed during the Russian Civil War.
-Economic policy was strategic to help the Reds win the war against the white.
76
What was War Communism's (1918-1921) approach towards industry?
-Formal policy June 1918 established War Communism.
-The existence of the Cheka and Red Army allowed for industrial centralisation as there was increasing Bolshevik influence in the factories.
-Steps towards Nationalisation
77
What was the "Decree on Nationalisation" 1918 under War Communism?
-Within 2 years, Brought all the major industrial enterprises in Russia under central govt control.
78
Was Nationalisation under War Communism (1918-1921) a success?
-The workforce remained the same
-It did nothing to increase industrial production.
79
Why was Nationalisation under War Communism (1918-1921) be seen as unsuccessful?
-Imposed at a time of severe disruption > caused initially by the First War 1914-1917 > Which worsened during the Civil War.
-Military needs were given priority. > denying resources to unessential industry
- Inadequate manpower > due to conscription and the flight from urban areas > Populations of Moscow and Petrograd dropped by half during war communism
-Problems deepened by Hyper-inflation > By the end of 1920, the rouble had fallen to 1% of its worth in 1917
80
How can Industrial output be seen to decrease under War Communism (1918-1921)?
- Coal output fell from 29million tonnes in 1913 to 8.9million tonnes in 1921
-Pig Iron output fell from 4.2 million tonnes in 1913 to 0.1 million tonnes in 1921
-Electricity output fell from 2039 Million Kwhs in 1913 to 520 million Kwhs in 1921
-Exports at 1913 rouble value fell from 1520 million in 1913 to 20 million in 1921
81
What was War Communism's (1918-1921) approach towards Agriculture?
- Needed for the critical food shortage
- Tightening of govt control over agriculture > force the peasants to provide more food
-In June 1918 The People's Commission of Supply (Narkomprod) was set up to organise committees of 'poor peasants' responsible for the collection and transportation of grain.
82
Did the Peasant work with the Bolshevik govt regarding agricultural policy under War Communism 1918-1921?
-The Peasants were hard to coerce compared to factory workers > deeply suspicious of central govt > highly resistant to collective or state farms.
83
What was Lenin's approach to getting the Peasants to work with War Communism's agricultural policy?
-Overcome resistance by playing the 'poorer peasants', 'middle-class peasants' and 'Kulacks' against each other> however these rivalries did not exist.
-Therefore Lenin turned to direct coercion through the policy of Grain requisitioning.
84
What was the effect of Grain requisitioning under War Communism 1918-1921?
The countryside was terrorised
-peasants reverted to subsistence farming
-By 1921 there was a drastic fall in food production caused by Requisitioning, drought and war > Widespread famine.
-Grain harvests of 1920 and 1921 produced less than half of that in 1913
85
When and why was the NEP announced as the new economic policy?
-Due to widespread anti-Bolshevik uprisings 1920-1921 > Lenin saw the need for change
-Intended by Lenin to meet Russia's urgent need for food.
-NEP announced at the tenth party congress in March 1921
86
What were the main proposals of the NEP 1921-1924?
-The needs of the Peasants must be satisfied.
-Coercion had been unsuccessful under war communism and Lenin knew that the Peasants were needed to combat the food shortage
87
When was the decree publically announcing the NEP to be the official govt policy?
-In the Pravda March 1921
88
Why did Lenin emphasise that the NEP 1921-1924 was only temporary?
-The policy was a retreat from the principle of state control of the economy > and re-introduced principles of the mixed economy
-Lenin was conscious of the unease of Bolshevik colleagues on an ideological level.
89
Was the Vesenkha succesful by 1921?
- It had not achieved the hoped-for advancements in Industry > Costs were high and production was low.
90
How did the NEP 1921-1924 plan to reduce costs and increase production?
-The NEP granted a large degree of autonomy to small-scale industrial enterprises.
-The state bank was instructed to advance loans and credit facilities > this was an attempt to restore money to its traditional place in the economy as the principal medium of exchange > Consolidated in 1922 by the introduction of a newly-valued rouble.
91
What did the features of the NEP suggest about the Bolshevik govt by 1924?
-The inability of the Bolshevik govt since 1917 to restructure the Russian economy along purely ideological lines.
92
How can the NEP be seen to consolidate and preserve Russia as a revolutionary state?
-By 1921 it was clear that the Proletarian revolution that Lenin had envisaged was not going to happen > therefore the Bolsheviks needed to conserve their power as a revolutionary state.
-Political theory had to take second place to economic necessity to achieve this.
93
What did Trotsky label the NEP as?
'the first sign of the degeneration of Bolshevism'
94
What was one of the complaints regarding the NEP?
-It was creating a new class of 'Nepmen' > scornful term applied to those who stood to gain from the capitalism permitted under the NEP > Kulacks, Retailers, Traders and small manufacturers.
95
Which left-leaning member of the Politburo abandoned his opposition to the NEP and decided to support it?
-Bukharin 'Enrich yourselves under the NEP'
-Bukharin became Lenin's closest confidant due to the support he provided
96
Did the NEP 1921-1924 mark a sense of economic recovery in the USSR?
-YES
-Coal production grew from 8.9 million tons in 1921 to 18.1 million tons in 1925
The average weekly wage of urban workers rose from 10.2 roubles in 1921 to 25.2 roubles in 1925
97
How can the NEP be seen as not totally successful?
-Industry failed to grow
-High unemployment in the urban areas
-The disparity between agriculture and industry growth rates led in 1923 to the "scissor crisis"
98
What was the "Scissor Crisis" of 1923 and how was it caused?
-Caused in part by the ending of the famine and the revival of agriculture.
-1922-1923 kinder weather and increase in land cultivated > naturally led to a fat in the price of food > However this is not
99
Why did Stalin's Industrialisation depend on agriculture in the USSR?
-To industrialise a country, capital investment is needed
- The USSR had gold, fur, oil and a lot of products to export > However, these could not solely generate the sums of money needed to pay for the heavy industrial equipment that Stalin required
- The Soviet Union - not in a position to obtain loans from abroad > western capital would not invest > therefore, only agriculture would generate the needed income
-Surplus grain could be exported to earn foreign currency
100
Why did Stalin want to industrialise Russia as rapidly as possible?
- An increased standard of living was needed
- There was a potential for the West to threaten the Communist state
-Needed on the road to socialism
- The competitive nature of Stalinist> Russia was way behind the capitalist West
- Heir to Lenin > puts Lenin on a pedestal - projects himself as Lenin's disciple
- The USSR's need for self-sufficiency > wants reduced ( no ) support from Western Capitalist states
-USSR Needs a secure grain production > Year on Year, not enough grain
-Wants to increase military strength
101
What was the Great Turn under Stalin?
- The move from the NEP to the five-year plan and collectivisation of agriculture > entailed a move to central planning > govt responsible for economic cooridnation
-The New Industrial growth would build self-sufficiency and lead to a truly socialist state
102
When was the First Five-Year Plan?
1928-1932
103
What was the focus of the first five year plan 1928-1932?
- Emphasis on heavy industry > Coal, Iron, Steel, Cement, Metal, Timber > accounting for 80% of total investment
104
What was the First Five-Year Plan's (1928-1932) aim for increased production?
-Increase production by 300% through setting targets for growth
105
What was the First Five-Year Plan's (1928-1932) aim for developing heavy industry?
-Develop heavy industry
106
What was the First Five-Year Plan's (1928-1932) aim for electricity?
- Boost electricity production by 600% > would increase living standards and help advance technology needed for industrialisation
107
What did the First Five-Year Plan's (1928-1932) aim to double?
-Double the output from light industry such as chemical production
108
What was Magnitogorsk under the first five-year plan 1928-1932?
- Brand new industrial centre in the Urals
-Intended to showcase socialism in action
-A gigantic steel plant was built
-A town of 150,000 people was created from nothing > industrial workers
109
What was Homosovieticus under the first five year plan 1928-1932?
- New industrial base, designed to be the home of the "NEW SOCIALIST MAN" > dedicated to his work and his party
- Here, workers lived in communal barracks beneath the imposing pictures of Lenin and Stalin > subject to constant lectures and political discussion
110
What were the successful sectors of the first five-year plan, 1928-1932?
-Electricity production tripled
-Coal and steel production doubled
-Engineering > developed and increased the output of machine tools and turbines.
-Huge new industrial complexes were built
-Tractor works built in Stalingrad and Kharkov
111
What were the weak sectors of the first five-year plan, 1928-1932?
-Little growth, even decline in consumer industries > houses, building, fertilisers, food processing and woollen textiles
-Small workshops are squeezed out > drive against Nepmen, and shortage of fuel and materials
-Chemical targets weren't achieved
-Lack of skilled workers > instability within jobs
112
What were the aims of the Second Five-year plan 1933-1937?
- Continue the aims of heavy industry
-Put the new emphasis on light industry such as chemicals, electricity, and consumer goods
-Develop communications to provide links between cities and areas of industry
-Boost engineering and tool making
113
What were the successes of the Second Five-year plan 1933-1937?
-Steel and coal output doubled
-The Soviet Union was now virtually self-sufficient in metal goods and machine tools
-Women up to 17% of GDP by 1937
-The Moscow Metro was opened in 1935
-The Volga Canal was opened in 1937
-Dnieprostroi Dam opened in the 1930s
-Transport and communications grew rapidly
-Metallurgy developed > minerals like copper were mined for the first time
114
Why was Alexei Stakhanov important under the Second Five-Year Plan, 1933-1937?
-August 31st he mined 102 tonnes of coal in a 6hour shift > Figure for the ideal soviet man > great symbol for communist propaganda.
115
What were the weaknesses of the Second Five-Year Plan, 1933-1937?
-Consumer goods industries were still lagging > although showing signs of recovery > with growth in footwear and food processing > but just not enough overall
-Oil production did not make the expected advances.
116
What were the aims of the third Five-Year Plan, 1938-1942?
-Focus on the development of heavy industry
-Provide rapid rearmament
-Complete the transition to communism
117
What were the successes of the third Five-Year Plan, 1938-1942?
-Heavy industry continued to grow > machinery and engineering > however, the image was uneven
-Defence and armament grew rapidly as resources were diverted to them
118
What were the weaknesses of the third Five-Year Plan, 1938-1942?
-Oil production failed to meet targets, causing a fuel crisis
-Consumer goods were neglected
-Lack of good managers, specialists, and technicians
-Steel output grew insignificantly
-Many factories ran short of materials
119
What did the Great Turn under Stalin mean for agriculture?
- Move towards collective farming> a farm of cooperative farming > all agricultural workers employed on large factory farms delivering quotas of grain to the state
120
What happened in 1926 agriculturally?
-Good harvests > requisitioning only produced 50% of what was expected > Suspected that grain was being hoarded > Led to increased taxes on the Kulacks and Nepmen
121
Under Stalin's Great Turn, what happened to the Kulak class?
-Kulaks made up only 4% of the population, yet 15% of them were persecuted > this would cause damage to agriculture as Kulaks were often skilled farmers with more livestock.
122
When was Stage 1 of Collectivisation?
1929-1930
123
What happened under the first stage of collectivisation 1929-1930?
-Dec 1929 > Stalin announced he would eliminate the Kulaks as a class
-The Red Army and the Cheka were used to identify and execute or deport the kulaks
-KOLKHOZ > was a collective operated by many peasant families on the state-owned farms where peasants lived rent-free but had to fulfil state procurement quotas > Only the surplus was divided among the families
-The State was getting what they wanted > they could feed the workers, allowing for industrialisation to continue > State procurement of grain increased from 10.8 million tons in 1928 to 22.1 million tons in 1930
124
When was Stage 2 of collectivisation under Stalin?
1930-1941
125
What happened under Collectivisation Stage 2 1930-1941?
-New drive to collectivisation
-Characterised by proceeding at a slower pace, accompanied by the establishment of 2,500 machine tractor stations (MTS) > would provide seed and maintain hire machinery to the Kolkhozes
- The MTS has a secondary purpose > ensure that quotas were collected and to control the countryside
126
How did the Collectivisation stage 2 190-1941, look successful on the surface, but was plagued with many implementation problems?
- 'Dekulakisation' > removed 10million of the most successful farmers
-Grain and livestock were destroyed > 25-30% of cattle, pigs and sheep were slaughtered by peasants 1029-1933) > Livestock numbers did not exceed pre-collectivisation until 1953
-Unrealistic procurement quotas > peasants forced to hand over almost all their grain > did not reach pre-collectivisation levels until 1953
-The collectives were often organised poorly > party activists who established them knew nothing of farming.
- October 1931 > Drought-hit many agricultural areas > combined with severe Kulak deportations > brought a severe drop in food production > 1932, there was a famine in Ukraine
127
Was the 2nd stage of collectivisation, 1930-1941, a success?
-The state seemed to achieve its purposes in promoting collectivisation
-The industrial workforce was fed, and exports of grain increased, while many peasants swelled the workforce in the cities
-Such achievements were at the expense of the Peasant class > upheaval and forced to starve and die in the pursuit of 'economic socialisation'
-Dubbed the 'second serfdom' by peasants
128
What is the term Burzhui?
-Term used against the aristocrats, priests, merchants, land owners, officers, employers and the well-dressed.
-Used against anyone considered a hindrance to the proletariat's prosperity
-Would be condemned as a 'blood sucking 'bourgeios parasite'
129
What is the term Kommunalka used to describe?
-Communal dwelling
-Lenin drafted a plan to 'expropriate and resettle private apartments' shortly after the revolution
- Building committees were allocated to housing blocks > and reallocated space within them, according to family size.
-Typically, 2 to 7 families shared one apartment.
130
What is Proletarianisation?
- To turn the mass of the population into urban workers.
- Masses had to be part of the proletariat to reach a fully socialist, then communist state.
131
What was the attitude to women under Lenin like?
-Civil marriage replaced church weddings
-Divorce became easier and less exspensive
-Legalisation of abortion in 1920
-Free contraception advice
-1926 'Common law' > Marriages given equal rights
-Wedding rings > banned
132
What was the attitude to women like under Stalin?
-Divorce was discouraged through financial penalities
-Adultery criminalised
-Contraception banned
-Tax exemptions for large families
-Men earned 40% more than women
-HOWEVER
