Topic 4 USSR Social Developments Khrushchev to Brezhnev

Question 1

What did Khrushchev and Brezhnev both want?

Answer 1

To build on Stalin’s achievements and develop social welfare

Question 2

What three policies did Khrushchev introduce for his social welfare provision?

Answer 2

• Quadrupled healthcare spending from 1950 to 1965
• Doubled spending on pensions between 1950 to 1965
• 1961 introduced free lunches in schools, offices and factories, free pensions, free public transport and healthcare for farmers

Question 3

Soviet life expectancy improved in the Soviet union, what waas the death rate in 1965 compared to 1950?

Answer 3

1965- 7.3

1950- 9.7

Question 4

What was the infant mortality rate in 1950?

Answer 4

81

Question 5

Infant mortality rate 1965?

Answer 5

27

Question 6

Khrushchev invested in the development of housing to improve?

Answer 6

The housing crisis

Question 7

What was the result of housing investment by Khrushchev?

Answer 7

K-7 housing blocks began to be built, nicknamed Khrushchyovka

Question 8

What were the benefits of the Khrushchyovka?

Answer 8

They were low cost, easy to build, made out of large prefabricated slabs and all doors and windows were standardised which made them cheaper to build rather than using bricks and lots of different types of windows and doors

Question 9

What perks did the Khrushchyovka provide families?

Answer 9

They provided families with entire apartments to themselves with running water, electricity and heating rather than having barrack style dormitories like the ones in stalins era

Question 10

What were the Khrushchyovka initially designed to be?

Answer 10

To be temporary apartment block but became the standard build throughout the 1970s and 1980s

Question 11

What did Brezhnev abandon?

Answer 11

Khrushchev’s goal of achieving communism by 1980 and instead intro the ‘Social Contract’

Question 12

What did the Social Contract entail?

Answer 12

That living standards would continually improve if support for the government remained

Question 13

How was the promise of better living standards achieved?

Answer 13

• subsidising prices, goods were heavily subsidised by govt making them cheaper however a shortage in supply and excess of demand of many consumer goods gave a deeper impression of a shortage of goods
• the second economy was tolerated and and it allowed citizens to buy goods illegally

Question 14

What three things were Soviet citizens guaranteed under Brezhnev?

Answer 14

• job security
• low prices for essential goods
• some social mobility

Question 15

What did Brezhnev extend in terms of welfare provision?

Answer 15

• subsidised rent
• subsidised utilities
• subsidised holidays
• spending in pensions and healthcare increased every year

Question 16

During Brezhnev’s reign what did Soviet citizens experience?

Answer 16

The highest levels of living standards in the USSR

Question 17

What could be testimony to Brezhnev’s success in creating a stable society? (hint, dissent)

Answer 17

the fact there was hardly any organised opposition to the govt

Question 18

What were the main social problems under Brezhnev?

Answer 18

The fact that he was a traditional leader and the ignorance of him and his elderly government tended to favour the side of traditional women contributed to the rise of female unemployment of up to 10% in some areas
Male life expectancy declined, the average age fell from 68 to 64 the main cause was alcoholism