Social security under Khrushchev

Question 1

In what way did the post-Stalin leadership have different objectives to Stalin regarding social security?

Answer 1

Whereas Stalin prioritised giant factories and the mass production of raw materials, Khrushchev and Brezhnev wanted the Soviet economy to produce a better standard of living for Soviet citizens

Question 2

Khrushchev summarised his approach to socialist economics and politics with the phrase…

Answer 2

“What sort of Communism is it that cannot produce sausage?”

Question 3

What does this quote by Khrushchev suggest: “What sort of Communism is it that cannot produce sausage?”

Answer 3

For Khrushchev, Communism meant better living standards and increased production of consumer goods

Question 4

For Khrushchev, Communism meant better living standards and increased production of consumer goods - which policies reflect this?

Answer 4

This focus on plenty was evident in his Virgin Lands Scheme and his policy of increasing the production of consumer goods. His welfare and housing policies also reflected this commitment

Question 5

What is Khrushchev’s attitude to health and welfare?

Answer 5

Khrushchev believed that a socialist society should look after the welfare of all, not just Party officials. Therefore he increased investment in healthcare

Question 6

How much did the Soviet healthcare budget grow under Khrushchev?

Answer 6

The Soviet healthcare budget more than doubled in Khrushchev’s first years, from 21.4 billion roubles in 1950 to 44.0 billion roubles in 1959

Question 7

How did the death rate improve under Khrushchev?

Answer 7

In 1950, the death rate (per thousand population) was 9.7
By 1965, this had decreased to 7.3

Question 8

How did the infant mortality rate improve under Khrushchev?

Answer 8

In 1950, the infant mortality rate (per thousand population) was 81
By 1965, this had decreased to 27

Question 9

The pensions budget ____ from 1950 to ___

Answer 9

quadrupled
1965

Question 10

Why did the budget for pensions increase under Khrushchev?

Answer 10

The budget for pensions increased under Khrushchev because more people were living longer due to the increased investments to healthcare

Question 11

How much did the number of pensioners increase by under Khrushchev?

Answer 11

The number of pensioners increased from 1 million in 1950 to 4.4 million in 1965

Question 12

Major reforms introduced in ___ improved social benefits significantly

Answer 12

1961

Question 13

What were the major social benefit reforms introduced in 1961?

Answer 13

Free lunches in schools, offices and factories
Free public transport
Full pensions and healthcare rights for farmers

Question 14

The 1961 social benefit reforms marked a…

Answer 14

significant improvement in the standard of living of the Soviet people

Question 15

How much did urban housing numbers increase by under Khrushchev?

Answer 15

Between 1950 and 1965 the amount of urban housing more than doubled

Question 16

How did Khrushchev initiate improvements to urban housing?

Answer 16

He halted the building of new government and communal buildings
He invested in new materials and techniques to solve the housing problem

Question 17

What is the definition of Khrushchyovka?

Answer 17

A new kind of low-cost housing block
Although they were originally intended to be temporary accommodation for Soviet citizens, they eventually became the standardised model for all homes

Question 18

When did construction of Khrushchyovka take place?

Answer 18

Construction of Khrushchyovka continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s

Question 19

What were Khrushchev’s thoughts on Stalinist architecture?

Answer 19

Khrushchev believed Stalinist architecture was expensive and wasted resources

Question 20

Khrushchev ordered architects to abandon grand and extravagant Stalinist architecture and to focus on low-cost functional buildings - what did this lead to?

Answer 20

The result was the K-7 apartment block

Question 21

What was the K-7 apartment block?

Answer 21

Model for apartments established by Khrushchev that could be constructed quickly and easily from large prefabricated concrete panels and standardised windows and doors, rather than being built slowly from brick

Question 22

What did the Khrushchyovka allow for?

Answer 22

The new blocks allowed families to have an entire apartment, rather than being forced to live in a single room, or to share a dormitory

Question 23

What is the main difference between Stalin’s Kommunalka and Khrushchev’s Khrushchyovka

Answer 23

Khrushchyovka apartments were over ten times bigger than the Kommunalka of the Stalin period

Question 24

Why did the establishment of the Khrushchyovka worry the authorities?

Answer 24

The Khrushchyovka effectively recreated privacy - Soviet authorities were no longer able to keep a check on the population through informants in dormitories or in Kommunalka blocks

Question 25

How did the authorities tackle their concerns over the Khrushchyovka?

Answer 25

The new type of accommodation led to a propaganda campaign encouraging citizens to live good socialist lives