Theme 4 - Social Stability and Housing Flashcards
What was the labour exchange?
Labour conscription was needed due to the lack of workers because of the civil war.
Labour exchanges supervised hiring of workers.
Why were people against labour exchanges?
Many were against it as they did not want to be allocated a job they did not want to do
How was housing redistributed under Lenin?
Housing was redistributed away from rich property owners to allow poor people to have better housing. This was replaced by distribution into the ranks of communist party.
How was housing effected under the 5YP?
Housing was strained as industrial cities needed housing for workers.
City population increased drastically in a rush to industrialise. This made resources for housing harder to find. Many workers slept in factories in earlier years.
How was Moscow effected between 1926-39?
Population increased from 2.2 million to 4.1 million
How was Magnitogorsk effected between 1929-32?
25 people to 250,000 people
How was housing for workers improved by the late 1930s?
Barracks were introduced with communal kitchens.
Housing usually had measures to enforce communist incentives.
What was the effect of NEP on social security and employment?
Demobilisation after the civil war left many people flooding into the cities for jobs. Arteli groups formed under the NEP that provided manual labour in groups and distributed profits. This was seen as a “backwards feature” and were later replaced with shock brigades.
Large disparity in wages for skilled and unskilled workers
How was social stability and employment effected under the 5YP?
FUll employment was achieved in the process of pushing for more industry power. Employments were common as excessive standards needed more labour.
However, labour was strained by lack of modern technology and unskilled workers.
What government incentives were there under Stalin?
-There was a large difference between unskilled and skilled workers as government rewarded the skilled workers to discourage them from moving job.
-Stakhanovism
-Komsomol shock brigades deployed to spread communist values.
How did Stakhanovism effect social stability?
Medals and honours were given to hard workers through Stakhanovism. This pushed the difference between skilled and unskilled work ethic and wages.
What were Narkomfin buildings?
Buildings under Stalin that were produced to provide easy housing.
However, these houses were expensive to build so were wholly inefficient.
Symbolised a new start of Soviet Architecture.
What social benefits were available under Stalin?
- Standards of living improves due to food rationing, better access to public transportation and vaccines were more easily available
- Factory canteens provided meals, though they were low quality.
When was the moscow metro built?
1935
Improved the transportation system around Moscow.
What were the problems with welfare under Stalin?
- Peasants benefitted much less than workers
- Large problems over food. Work canteens often gave rotten food which spread illness
- Sanitation in factories was terrible. This lead to infestations of lice and vomiting.
How was housing changed under Stalin?
Modern apartments were given to those who were committed to the 5YPs. These often had running water, electricity and heating.
What was housing quality like in 1936?
Most rented housing were only 1 room, often shared by large families. This heavily impacted the dynamic of families.
Improvements to rural housing were even slower.
How was housing quality during WW2?
There was a lack of housing due to severe damages. Stalingrad and Leningrad lost significant housing and housing was not a main priority under the 4th and 5th recovery plans.
How much of housing in Stalingrad was lost during WW2?
90%
What was the impact on employability and social stability during WW2?
Pressure on labour during the war. Women were often given jobs to be able to fulfil quotas. When men were demobilised after the war, many returned to work but were unneeded. This meant there was little opportunity for social benefits to actually be used.
What were Khrushchev’s housing reforms?
K’s new housing programme increased the housing available per year to 394 million square metres.
New housing blocks were built outside cities that quickly spread basic housing for quite cheap.
When were Khrushchev’s housing reforms?
1961
What was the downside to Khrushchev’s housing reforms?
The housing was nicknamed “Khrushcovy” (Khrushchev Slums) as they were often very poor quality. They were built with pre-fabricated panels and many were left unfinished for tenants to finish plastering etc.
Lists for these housing were VERY long
What were Khrushchev’s social reforms?
Focused on improving the lives of people. He doubled gov. spending on healthcare between 1950 - 1959. and quadrupled pensions budget between 1950 to 1965.
What new social benefits were introduced under Khrushchev?
Introduced free lunches for schools, work and factories, Transportation was easier and better health was available for farmers in 1961.
Greater investment in welfare decreased death rate and birth mortality and raised social stability.
How was full employment achieved?
Full employment was the key idea behind the 1977 Constitution by Brezhnev. Although there remained some seasonal jobs, wages rose and prices in shops were fixed at a lower price. Appeasing the soviet people.
What were the negative impact of the 1977 constitution?
To fill employment, jobs were created with very meaningless and useless activities. This led to unmotivation in workers.
What is Absenteeism?
Harsh punishments were issued for absent workers. It was criminalised in 1939 and often resulted in imprisonment.
What was the passport system?
A system to prevent workers from easily switching jobs. Passports were required to move to different jobs and were often hard to acquire without higher class/power. Food was distributed through these too.
When were labour shortages and why?
Labour shortages in 1932 created problems for managers to fulfill their targets. Moving jobs became increasingly more annoying, hence the passport system.
When were unemployment benefits removed?
Oct 1930
When did the government announce full employment was achieved?
1930
When was the Uprising in Hungary?
1956
When was Khrushchev’s programme for improving social benefits and housing?
1961
When were protests over food prices?
1962
How was job security effected under Khrushchev and Brezhnev?
It became increasingly difficult to dismiss someone from their position, regardless of work ethic. Managers often did not punish and discipline low standards of work. Moonlighting was ignored and labour was concentrated at the end of the month to achieve targets.
What is moonlighting?
Workers stole tools e.t.c from the factory to use in their side jobs to gain extra.
How did Brezhnev use Nomenklatura in the 1970s/80s?
Worker employment resided on gaining the internal passports to be able to relocate jobs and housing. Famers were included in 194 which allowed for easier job switching for farmers.
What was the effect of Nomenklatura?
To maintain control in their chosen successors, nepotism was common in this era.
Examples of nepotism under Khrushchev and Brezhnev?
Khrushchev’s son in law became editor of Izvestiya
Brezhnev’s son-in-law became head of State committee for science and technology.
What benefits were avaialble under Khrushchev and Breznhev?
Society was more content with the focus on consumer goods.
What was special about the 9th 5YP under Brezhnev?
This plan had higher targets for consumer produce than heavy industry.
Were the consumer goods targets met?
Targets were often not met under neither leader.
What welfare benefits were made under Brezhnev and Khrushchev?
Social security improved as welfare spending increased. Pensions, maternity and housing gained more attention. Pension funds rose even more under Brezhnev by expanding it to peasants.
How was health impacted under Khrushchev and Brezhnev?
The provision of health was better 1950-80. Availability was no longer a problem, but the quality remained poor. Polyclinics provided all-purpose health and many workers took advantage to get time off work.
How did the provision of health improve (stats)?
By 1978, there were 2,000 sanatoria (medical rest homes) and 1,000 rest homes provided medical care.
Cities still had better health care than the countryside, some rural ones barely had heating and water.
How was health under Stalin?
- Introduced new access to vaccinations against common illnesses
- Stalin had removed many doctors through purges so there was a lack of quality, this continued throughout later periods.
How were provisions in the countryside changed under Brezhnev?
Passport system extended to farmers to give them more mobility and freedom with work.
There still remained a large difference between urban and rural.
Khrushchev had invested a lot into agriculture and it was continued under Brezhnev. Farmers were given regular wages, Schools, houses and health provisions were built in the countryside.
What as the soviet constitution in 1977?
Brezhnev abandoned Khrushchev’s goal for achieving communism by 1980, but continued his welfare investments. The constitution guaranteed full employments and raised living standards for soviet citizens. Focused on job security, low prices, second economy (black market), free healthcare and social molibility.
What problems arrose from the soviet constitution?
Brezhnev’s tradtional policies blamed women for crime and refused them jobs.
Life expectancy declined due to alcoholism.
Why did alcoholism and hooliganism emerge?
alcohol consumption increased by 600% from 1940 to 1980.
Gangs formed, called Stilyagi, that were non-conformists and spread hooliganism that concerned older people.
What evidence of protest were there?
- Protest over soviet rule (Hungary 1956, Czech. 1968)
- Protest over workers discontent (Kazakhstan 1959)
- Protest over food prices (1962 “Cut up Khrushchev for sausages”)
- Unrest over housing (Kiev 1969)
- Terrorism (Assasination attempt on Brezhnev 1969)
How was social stability under Lenin?
Varying levels of employability. There were not many benefits for working. Housing was redistributed from the rich to the poor. Large disparities in rural and urban. Launched health campaigns to eradicate disease during war, but little provisions.
How was social stability under Stalin?
Achieved full employment in 1930 due to 5YPs, however, there were still problems through wage disparities, absenteeism and rations. Housing was slowly improved for the growing industrial workers. Social benefits introduced to good workers by providing food for workers and barrack-style housing. Increased provision of health.
How was social stability under Khrushchev?
Became more stable after Stalin’s death. Focused on improving living standards, pushed for light industry and invested in welfare. Focused on large reform to housing. This system was continued throughout the 80s, now had water and heating. Better provisions of medical facilities, still better in cities
How was social stability under Brezhnev?
Guaranteed full employment through1977 Constitution Gave fairer benefits for both rural and urban areas for social benefits by expanding passport system. Reduced life expectancy due to alcohol. Andropov tried to fix. High amounts of nepotism and economic stagnation created less motivated workers. Sacking people was increasingly difficult.
Why was there more protest under K and B?
The loosening of the discipline under Stalin and Lenin meant that people could more easily voice their concerns. This must have led to more people speaking out against unfairness, e.g. food prices, housing.
