Social developments 1917-28

Question 1

What was the aims of proletarianization?

Answer 1

1. Turn the mass of the population into “workers” - preferably urban-based
2. Collectivization
3. Living standards to be good
4. Classless society - remove exploitative classes
5. Workers to have control of the industry

Question 2

What was the state or the urban workers in 1928?

Answer 2

Fewer urban workers than there had been in 1913, proportionally it was that of 1912 (18%)

Question 3

What did collectivization to do the urban population?

Answer 3

Drove peasants of the land and increased the urban population (12m to 36m from 1929-39)

Question 4

How many peasants had been collectivized by the year 1929?

Answer 4

only 3%

Question 5

How many peasants had been collectivized by 1939?

Answer 5

99%

Question 6

What Decree allowed the workers control of industry (briefly)?

Answer 6

The Workers Decree of 1917: allowed workers to take the initiative in their factories, also placed working hours in place.

Question 7

Where the Workers in control of the industry?

Answer 7

No, under War Communism the state took control of the industry - introduction of bourgeoisie specialists.

Question 8

How were the bourgeoisie removed/restricted during the years 1917-30?

Answer 8

War Communism:
1. businesses taken from them by the state.
2. Property taken from them
3. Vote taken from them
4. Subject to negative propaganda.

Collectivization:
1. the process of de-kulakisation

Question 9

However, how was the bourgeoise allowed to prosper during the years 1917-30?

Answer 9

Under the NEP capitalist groups were allowed to prosper - around 3 million private traders or small-scale factory owners.

Question 10

How were living standards during the years 1928-35? What statistic can you prove to support this?

Answer 10

Very poor:
1. Food rationing
2. Housing shortages
3. Lack of consumer goods
4. Terrible working conditions - long hours, 7 day week.
5. Cities without basic amenities - sewage, streetlights, transport.

Statistic: in 1933, consumption of meat was just 33% of that in 1928.

Question 11

When did living conditions slightly improve?

Answer 11

1. Food rationing abolished in 1935 (although market prices were high)
2. Benefits of the first and second five-year plans e.g., more housing, consumer goods and amenities.

Question 12

How were wages in 1937?

Answer 12

Lower than what they had been in 1928.

Question 13

Where did the New Soviet Man stem from?

Answer 13

Proletarianization:
- literature
-skilled
- Had a Soviet identity as opposed to Russian.
- Hard-working

Question 14

How was education changed after 1917 to begin with?

Answer 14

• Universal education provided 9 years under Commissariat for Enlightenment.
  2. Bourgeoisie practices removed:
• Teachers authority lessened
• Discipline, homework and exams banned.

Question 15

How was education altered after 1917?

Answer 15

General education:
1. History of revolution
2. Communist values

Practical skills:
1. Skills for industry and agriculture
2. Visits to industrial workplaces, state farms.

Question 16

What were the failures of the education system:

Answer 16

1. Majority of teachers were not communist (3-5%)
2. Teachers suffered from the loss of authority
3. 1921: universal education banned due to a lack of funds
4. By 1935, the number of school pupils had dropped by 50%

Question 17

How was adult literacy delt with? What statistics depict the severity of illiteracy?

Answer 17

Literacy was 65% in 1917

Between 1920-5, five million adults were forced into literary courses - failure to attend led to prosecution.

Question 18

What was the Komosol? How many members did it have by 1927?

Answer 18

Youth organization - used to instill communist values in the young

2 million members by 1927

1. Extra: Helped enforce collectivization/find kulaks.
2. Led the campaign against religion.

Question 19

Was the attempt to increase literacy affective? what statistic depicts its results?

Answer 19

Yes, between the ages of 9-49, 94% were literate in urban areas and 86% in rural.

Question 20

How was there a retreat in education?

Answer 20

1. Authority of teachers reinstated
2. Rigorous examinations
3. History teaching became more nationalistic - stressing the importance of Russia as a nation.
4. Basic education introduced in collectives

Question 21

What were the attitudes towards women during the late 1910s and early 1920s?

Answer 21

Wanted to:
1. Liberate them from the traditional family role as the housewife.
2. Participate in full time employment = gain economic independence.
3. Achieve equal legal status with men.

Question 22

What act gave women the right to vote and own property?

Answer 22

November 1917 - Decree against sex discrimination.

Question 23

What law made it easier for women to get a divorce?

Answer 23

New Divorce law of 1917:
Either partner could terminate the marriage on grounds of incompatibility.

Question 24

What social welfare laws were put in place?

Answer 24

1. Maternity pay for two months for women
2. Breastfeeding allowed in workplace.
3. 1920: abortions allowed under supervision.
4. Also, during 1920 contraception advice was provided.

Question 25

How was the attitude towards women successful? Give evidence.

Answer 25

During the civil war, many women contributed to the industry (47%)

However, when the soldiers returned they lost their jobs and women went back to crime or prostitutions.

Question 26

What were the limitations of the social welfare laws put in place regarding women?

Answer 26

Had to deal with the dual burden of household work and career as they were expected to still take the role as housewife.

Easier divorces allowed men to abandon pregnant women.

70% of divorces were initiated by men in the 1920s.

Government couldn’t fund enough nurseries

After the Civil war 5 million men returned from the army, forcing women back into unskilled work such as crime and prostitution.

Question 27

In what ways did women play a limited role in the communist party, causing continuity? (back this up with a statistic)

Answer 27

in 1917: 10% of the membership

1928: 12.8%

Little to no increase

Question 28

How did the Communist party treat women?

Answer 28

Women who involved themselves in politics often were met with prejudice.

Wives of Communist Party members were expected to stay at home.

Annual purges (usually for being inactive) tended to expel more women than men.

Question 29

How did women’s role in industry increase? (statistic)
How much were they paid in comparison to men?

Answer 29

3 million women in industry in 1928 and 13 million by 1940.

However, only paid 60% of male wages.

Question 30

How did their role as mother shift in the early 20s?

Answer 30

None, they were still primary responsible for cooking, cleaning and childcare. Meant they suffered with the dual burden.

Question 31

What was the Great Retreat a reaction to?

Answer 31

Falling population growth

High divorce rate

Disruption caused by family breakups

This resulted in the Family Code of May 1936.

Question 32

What was Stalin’s Family Code of May 1936? What did it entail?

Answer 32

Emphasis placed back on traditional role of women and family values:
1. Abortion was made illegal, birth rate increased
2. More difficult to obtain a divorce
3. Mother who had six or more children received cash payments.
4. New laws against homosexuality and prostitution
5. Contraception harder to obtain.

Question 33

How did propaganda portray women during the mid 1930s?

Answer 33

Reversion back to women as mothers and nurturers:

Emphasized the importance of raising children for the betterment of the socialist state.

Stalin called the family the primary cell of our society

Question 34

what were the effects of the purges on women?

Answer 34

Many women were deemed enemies of the people simply because their husband had been purged.

Question 35

How was marriage glamorized? Recite a statistic that supports its success.

Answer 35

Wedding rings were re-introduced in 1936.

Marriage certificates were printed on high quality paper.

Party members could be expelled for having affairs.

By 1938, 91% of men and 82% of women were married.

Question 36

How were women’s involvement in the Communist Party during the 1930s as opposed to the 1920s?

Answer 36

Female participation continued to fall even further than it had previously been in 1920.

Question 37

What was a positive with women in education?

Answer 37

Literacy rates improved and by 1940, 60% of university graduates were women.

Question 38

What was the Bolsheviks views on religion?

Answer 38

1. Atheist, wanted communist values to replace religion.
2. Religious practices and institution to be destroyed
3. Atheist/secular beliefs encouraged
4. Clergy seen as the class enemy to be removed from society.

Question 39

What did the Decree on Separation from the Church and State of January 1918 do?

Answer 39

Church buildings were to be rented from the state.

Religion would not be taught in schools.

Question 39

How did the Bolsheviks paint Communism as the new religion?

Answer 39

Red Weddings

Octobering

Question 40

How was the clergy restricted?

Answer 40

Not allowed to vote following the Soviet Constitution of 1918

Given the lowest rations during War Communism, thousands died.

Question 40

What did the propaganda campaign against the church in 1921 entail?

Answer 40

“Union of the militant Godless” - several branches across the country

Published a newspaper with anti-religious propaganda.

In 1931, 10% of school children were a member

87,000 members in 1926. 500,000 in 1929
5 million by 1931.

Question 41

In what way were churches attacked in 1921-2?

Answer 41

Church property seized to fund famine relief.

8000 people were killed, including 28 bishops and 1215 priests.

Question 42

How did the onslaught on church and religion continue under Stalin?

Answer 42

Alongside collectivization of agriculture, by the end of 1930, 80% or rural churches were closed down.

In many cases, churches had been tuned into public buildings - schools, cinemas, warehouses, museums.

Only 1 in 40 churches were functioning by the end of the 1930s.

Question 43

What could support the failure of the abolishment of religion?

Answer 43

By 1938, 57% of the population still defined themselves as Orthodox believers.