Theme 4a - social security Flashcards
marxism and work
parasitism should be abolished
everyone should work
What were the 3 stages of work under Lenin
1917-18 - chaos
1918-21 - war communism
1920s - NEP
what happened with work initially in the USSR
employment and economic chaos
unemployment up when russia taken out of WW1 in 1918
March 1918 - 75% chemical and metal workers in Petrograd unemployed
bosses employed as “bourgeois specialists”
rising unemployment
what happened with work under war communism
sept. 1918 - compulsory labour for 16-50
rations given based on occupation - workers got most (Aristocrats got 25% of what workers got)
workers got work cards, giving rations
communal dining halls (claimed that in 1920 Moscow 93% were regularly fed in these)
other communal facilities (creches, laundries) - helped women
party members got privileges
what happened with work and benefits under NEP
capitalism + unemployment returned
1921-24 - unemployment up 13%
creches funding ended + soldiers jobs prioritised ( unemployment up for women )
benefits created - 1922 Labour law (Unions could negotiate) , social insurance created, comprehensive education for workers and families
workers in 1926 paid around 10% more than in 1913 and ate more meat
why did unemployment rise from 1921-24
red army demobilised
workers returned to cities
govt. sacked people in their factories to improve efficiency and make them profitable
March 1918 - unemployment of … in Moscow
75% metal and chemical workers unemployed in Moscow
results of system of work under war communism
fuel shortages - houses destroyed for fuel
war communism never gave >50% of needed food and fuel (people fled to farms and turned to black market)
stats of people moving out of cities under war communism
Petrograd pop decreased 50% from 1917-21
during civil war total factory workers decreased 25%
what did rapid industrialisation under Stalin result in
full employment
peasants fleeing collectivisation got city jobs
safety not priority as speedy construction was - hazardous conditions especially in mines
harsh labour discipline
how was labour discipline made harsher under Stalin
lateness criminalised
unions lost rights
strikes banned
“continuous work week” introduced
1940 - workers lost right to change jobs (internal passports)
benefits of 5 year plans
workers got rations
1933- most soviet citizens got electricity
increases in healthcare, including mass vaccinations
1930s - Moscow metro opened
drawbacks of 5 year plans / evidence of inequality
peasants still got alot less. Food scarcer on farms due to requisitioning
healthcare had a “Party first” policy - party members guaranteed vaccines, workers queued for remaining
party officials organised banquets (radical inequality)
post war work and benefits under stalin 1945-53
full employment
workforce increased by 4 million (returning soldiers)
food shortages
expensive canteens (use dropped significantly)
healthcare increased - infant mortality down, vaccines for common diseases made universally available from 1947.
on average, post ww2 how much did eating in communal canteens cost
about 1/2 a workers wages
infant mortality stats 1940-50
infant mortality decreased 50%
problems with benefits after the WW2
- consumer goods problems
food shortages
poor housing
poverty
housing under Lenin
property initially taken from rich and distributed.
Civil war - people fled to farms for food and houses destroyed for fuel
end of civil war - house rebuilding started (90% built by companies under NEP)
housing under Stalin 1929-40
urban pop. 3x as peasants fled collectivisation
govt. tried to solve housing problems in 2 ways - kommunalka (communal apartments) and factory towns
what were kommunalka
buildings in cities that were divided up. rooms v. small with families sharing one room
low utilities investment (rooms not rewired, low/ no sewage system)
650,000 people in a Moscow district had no bathhouse.
what were factory towns
accommodations built around factories (e.g. Magnitogorsk)
- poor quality as the factories were prioritised
- barrack-style dormitories
- no water or bathrooms
- lack of electricity
in Magnitogorsk housing meant to be modern but this proved too expensive
housing under Stalin 1941-53
WW2 made housing worse (1/3 urban housing destroyed)
industry still prioritised
dorms still poor (Moscow Coalfields - 15,000 beds for 26,000)
scheme to try to get workers to build houses failed
houses constructed leaked, and had no utilities
benefits under Khrushchev
objective of increasing standard of living
with VLS + increasing consumer goods + welfare and housing
healthcare and pensions under Khrushchev
healthcare budget 2x in his first few years to 44 billion. death rates and infant mortality rates dropped.
1950-65 pensions 4x (but number pensioners also 4x)
