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USSR > Topic 4 > Flashcards

Topic 4 Flashcards

(106 cards)

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1
Q

In 1918 what did Lenin publish?

A

The declaration of rights of toiling

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2
Q

What two principles did this introduce?

A

> the declaration abolished private ownership of land
the declaration introduced universal labour duty.

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3
Q

Why was ensuring employment difficult between 1917-1918?

A

the economic chaos caused by the revolutions of 1917 and 1918

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4
Q

How did this situation worsen

A

Lenin took the USSR out of WW1 ceasing any war manufacturing leading to further unemployment.

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5
Q

What did Lenin encourage during this period?

A

Encouraged workers to remember their labour duty and to cooperate with their former bosses now known as ‘bourgeois specialists’ who made money no longer through property but through a wage.

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6
Q

How did Lenin end widespread unemployment?

A

He made labour compulsory in 1918 when he issued war communism.

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7
Q

How did this system operate?

A

People who worked were given cards which entitled them to food rations.

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8
Q

How were rations allocated?

A

Rations were allocated based off occupation, there were six groups based off occupation which were in a sense based on class those in the working class were given the most and those in the sixth tier the former bourgeois were given the least amount of rations.

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9
Q

At its peak how many were receiving food rations under war communism?

A

Around 22 million

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10
Q

What other benefits did workers receive?

A

> access to public transport
communal food halls
laundry rooms and crèches for women
however these were only available in major cities like Petrograd and Moscow

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11
Q

What % of the urban population were eating regularly?

A

The government boasted that 93% of the population in Moscow was eating regularly.

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12
Q

What privileges were only available to party officials and members?

A

Party members enjoyed special shops which made scarce food and goods available to them

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13
Q

How did work benefits under war communism perform?

A

> very poorly
by 1920 factories under war communism ran out of fuel so many workers were laid off to search for coal or join food detachments.

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14
Q

Why was there a rise in the black market?

A

> the government never provided over 50% of the food that was needed for people to live on in towns and cities.
as a result people turned to the black market.

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15
Q

What happened to cities like Petrograd?

A

They lost around 50% of their population as workers left to work on farms to get food.

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16
Q

What happened to work benefits under NEP?

A

The relationship between compulsory work and benefits disappeared under Lenin.

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17
Q

Why did unemployment increase during the NEP?

A

> soldiers from the red army returned to work but struggled to find jobs
Urban workers who left the cities returned but also struggled to find work
industry was rationalised to make it profitable, therefore the number of workers in government factories was reduced to lower labour costs

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18
Q

Why did female unemployment increase drastically?

A

> jobs to stimulate the economy were given to former soldiers
and crèches were cut government funding

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19
Q

What % of females made unemployment rates in urban areas?

A

62.5%

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20
Q

What systems of work benefits was introduced?

A

> social insurance was introduced
the 1922 labour law gave unions the right to negotiate binding agreements about pay and working conditions with employers
the government invested in education for urban workers.

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21
Q

How did the first five year plans of Stalin change employment?

A

> full employment was reinstated
well paid jobs attracted peasents fleeing the countryside associated with collectivisation
however full employment did not lead to an increase in standard of living.

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22
Q

How did working conditions decrease under Stalin?

A

> Stalin continually prioritised targets over safe and clean working conditions
Stalin reintroduced strict labour discipline under war communism:
- criminalised lateness
- strikes were banned
- union lost right to negotiate with employers
- Stalin introduced internal passports so workers could not move and change jobs.

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23
Q

What was the ‘continuous work week’

A

Workers still received one day off but it changed from week to week so some workers could work seven days in a row.

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24
Q

How did workers benefits improve over time?

A

> workers were entitled to food rations
most soviet citizens had access to electricity by 1933
significant increase in health care provision

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25
How were benefits available to the workers?
Through factories were factories administered benefits including hospitals and homes, re establishing the link between work and social welfare.
26
How were peasents treated unequally as a result of these social welfare benefits?
> peasents simply didn’t receive them > food was much scarcer > to the extent that peasants had to travel from town to town to get bread.
27
How else was this system unequal?
party officials received more work benefits than ordinary citizens
28
Give me an example?
soviet health care operated on a ‘party first basis’ meaning often party officials got vaccinated and ordinary workers were left to queue for whatever medicine was left.
29
Give me another example of the radical inequalities between party officials and citizens
For example a city in Ukraine vaccinatied all of its party officials against malaria yet there were still 26,000 cases in 1932.
30
Why did employment increase after the war?
soldiers returned home from the war, ensuring full employment.
31
How did food shortages impact work benefits?
> an average worker now spent half of his monthly wages on eating in the communal food hall > as a result there was a marked decline in eating in the food halls.
32
How did healthcare improve?
> health did improve after the war > infant mortality declined by 50% > the number of medical doctors increased by 2/3 between 1947 and 1952. > vaccines for common diseases such as typhus and malaria were made universally available in 1947.
33
Despite all this why didn’t illness rates drop?
> food shortages and poverty > planned economy struggled to provide soap and clothes leading to further health problems
34
How did the government make up for food shortages?
By using rotten food and animal feed which increased illness rates
35
How did sanitision impact working conditions?
poor sanitation led to lice outbreaks and dysentery
36
Overall how would you judge worker benefits from 1917-1953?
> war communism and the five year plans succeeded in making work compulsory but workers consistently failed to benefit from that system. > the NEP ensured industrial workers a wide range of benefits but saw an increase in unemployment and these benefits weren’t available to peasants. > failed to remove capitalist parasites who evolved into party officials who enjoyed a much more privileged life style off the backs of workers. > overall workers benefits were ineffective and unfair.
37
What did working people in 1918 begin to do?
They seized the homes and buildings of aristocrats and the middle class turning them into homes.
38
What did Lenin do in response?
> implemented a decree on land which he hoped would quell the chaos > empowered local soviets to seize property and redistribute in a organised manner.
39
What happened to homes during the civil war?
As many workers fled to the country side in search of food the government seized their abandoned homes and turned them into timber for fuel.
40
How did property and housing change under the NEP?
> reintroduce rents > 60-80% of homes were denationalised. > redistribution was outlawed > after Lenin’s death however homes were renationalised.
41
What happened to homes that were ‘socialised’
Large homes that were ‘socialised’ during 1923-24 were occupied by multiple families each living in a small room acting as an apartment.
42
What happened to Church property?
It was seized and turned into housing or stores.
43
What restarted during the NEP?
> house building > with 89% of homes built being done by private companies
44
Why was housing a problem under Stalin?
The urban population trebled between 1929-1940
45
How did Stalin attempt to solve this?
One way he attempted to fix this issue was kommunalka- essentially divided buildings in urban cities into multiple apartments.
46
What were living conditions like?
> by 1940 the average size of the apartment was 4 square feet. > one light switch to control multiple apartments > with communal bathrooms and kitchens if there were any.
47
What else did the government fail at in relation to Stalin’s kommunalka?
> the government failed to invest in proper sewerage systems or communal facilities making bathrooms scarce. > in the liubersty district of Moscow there were 650,000 residents and not one bathhouse.
48
What else was turned into living space?
Apart from buildings coal sheds and under stairs were converted into apartments with one family of six living in an under stairs cupboard in Moscow.
49
What were living conditions in factory towns like?
>worse than that of the kommunalka as construction prioritised factories over good housing. >families lived in military style barracks made out of timber with straw roofs.
50
How bad were the conditions?
> no running water or bathrooms > no paved streets > no street lights
51
What was Magnitogorsk initially designed to be like?
It was meant to have modern and clean homes but these homes were too expensive and after a one year all plans were scrapped.
52
What was the standard of living like in Magnitogorsk?
> of the few originally designed buildings they were occupied by American specialists who helped the project > most workers lived in barracks > 20% lived in mud huts.
53
How did the Second World War worsen the housing situation?
The Second World War resulted in the destruction of a third of the homes in urban areas.
54
How did Stalin combat this issue?
The standard pre-war policy of cramming families into small living spaces.
55
What was the average space a worker had living in a barrack?
3 sq metres
56
What were the living conditions like for those who worked in Moscows coal mines?
Workers in coal field were made to live in barracks with only 15,000 beds for 26,000 people
57
Why was house building not a priority?
> Stalin post war was focused on industry and agriculture not living conditions > Stalin also had a small budget to spend on living conditions
58
How did most housing projects end up?
> incomplete > for example in Moscow in 1948 they only used 40% of their budget before scrapping their plans meaning not a single home was completed.
59
What did Stalin prioritise?
> industry > and agriculture notably housing on collective farms
60
How many farming villages were built during under Stalin?
> 4,500 between 1945 and 1950 in Ukraine > Krushchev wanted to replicate this but Stalin Vetoed the plan due to its cost.
61
How were Khrushchev and Brezhnevs aims different to Stalin’s?
They wanted the soviet economy to produce a better standard of living for its citizens.
62
For Khrushchev what was the most important things communism should provide:
> food > consumer goods
63
How did Khrushchev tackle health care issues?
Khrushchev doubled the budget of healthcare in his first five years.
64
What did this lead to?
> a decline in infant mortality rate > a decline in death rates
65
Why did Khrushchev increase funding for pensions?
The number of pensioners increased from 1 million to 4.4 million from 1950 to 1965.
66
How much did Khrushchev increase the pensions budget in the years 1950 to 1965
He quadrupled the pensions budge
67
What major reforms did Khrushchev bring about in regard to welfare?
> free meals in schools, factories and offices > free public transport > full pensions and health care rights to farmers.
68
What happened to Urban housing between 1950 to 1965?
It doubled
69
How else did Khrushchev solve the housing issue?
Invested in new materials to help produce cheap but strong homes.
70
What was Khrushchevs long terms housing plan?
> in the short term produce mass cheap homes > in the long term when communism fully developed build more sophisticated homes.
71
What was the design of Khrushche’s low cost housing called?
‘Khruschyovka’ housing
72
What did Khrushchev order architects to stop doing?
> building high cost Stalinist architecture > in favour for low cost functional apartment blocks
73
What were living conditions like in ‘khurschvoyka’ apartments
> two bedrooms > a kitchen > a bathroom > 10 times more space than Stalins ‘kommunalka’
74
What was social policy like under Brezhnev?
> continuation of Khrushchev’s successful social policy > but with a different justification
75
What was Brezhnev’s ‘social contract’ policy?
> the alternative justification for an increase in standard of living > where Brezhnev promsied a rise in standard of living in return for a obedient and stable society.
76
What five elements did Brezhenvs social contract contain?
> job security > low prices for essential goods > a thriving second economy > social benefits such as free healthcare > some social mobility
77
How did the standard of living increase under Brezhnev?
> electricity and water was practically free > government provided health care and pensions where investment increased 5% per annum.
78
How did Soviet standard of living also improve?
> more job security > government benefits > free trade on the black market.
79
How did this create a stable society?
It ensure people were content meaning Brezhnev’s government received very little united opposition.
80
Why did Stagnation occur?
Brezhnev’s reluctance to modernise the economy.
81
How did this affect welfare and job security?
> meant 20% of people employed were doing futile work but still getting a wage > female unemployment increased particularly in Central Asia as their industry focused primarily on heavy industry and mining > 10% of women were unemployed in they region
82
How did standard of health decline?
> In the 1970’s standard of health decline despite increased investment in healthcare. > infant mortality rate increased by 4% and the average life expectancy dropped from 68 to 64 > largely due to alcoholism.
83
What % of the population could read in 1914
32%
84
What did Lenin do prior to the NEP?
> set up unified labour schools for all children aged 8-17 to teach a polytechnic education > many schools were under funded > 22 pens for 60 students on average > those in the red army received education with 100% being literate by 1925.
85
What did Lenin do during the NEP?
> abolished primary fees > changed secondary school funding from central planning to local planning > 97% of students had to pay > only rich kids got the education > 40% of the working class went to secondary school only 3% completed it.
86
What % did literacy rates increase by?
>1914 they were at 32% > 1928 they were at 55%
87
What curriculum reforms did Stalin introduce?
> in 1931 he issued a decree abolishing the polytechnic style of training in favour of reading writing and science and maths, backed up by a harsh discipline system. > examinations and homework were also introduced. > also taught a style of history not centring around the class struggle but around notorious Russian leaders.
88
How did Stalin’s war against illiteracy go?
> by 1932 95% of students aged 8-12 were in school > by 1953 all children aged 8-12 completed their primary education and 20% of them completed secondary education > by 1939 over 94% of soviet citizens were literate.
89
What were labour reserve schools?
> trained young men between the ages of 14-17 in specialism in industry. > recruits were enrolled in training courses lasting six months then a 4 year work placement with food and accommodation. > students who deserted would be sent to the gulag. > and during the war and 4th and 5th five year plan became important for economic reconstruction. > recruited 4.2 million in 1946-52.
90
How did Khrushchev attempt to resolve poor rural education?
> merging small rural schools together and offering a 10 year education. > however these schools were only made in certain areas and were poorly built.
91
What % of teachers had a higher academic education under Khrushchev?
> 40%
92
How many teachers were there by 1964?
> 1953, 1.5 million > 1964, 2.2 million😉
93
How much did secondary education increase by?
> 20% in 1953 to 75% in 1959.
93
What happened to school fees?
> abolished school fees for secondary and higher education. > followed by special funds to help poorer students who attend secondary schools.
94
How did Khrushchev chance the curriculum?
> reintroduced polytechnic education > made education compulsory for ages 5-17 > ensured that last 3 years of education would be completed in a factory or farm. > created a subject called the fundamentals of political knowledge.
95
What were Khrushchev’s final reforms?
> in 1958 he introduced a new code of conduct scrapping Stalinist discipline > new emphasis on learning foreign languages > exams replaced by continuous assessment > teachers lost the right to expel students.
96
Why was Khrushchev just really bad at education?
> unpopular> parents wanted an academic not vocational education for their child > unsuccessful> only 65% of schools implemented Khrushchev’s reforms his reforms also did not address key issues like poorly built schools.
97
What was Brezhnevs aim with education?
> to repel Khrushchev’s reforms
98
What did Brezhnev repeal?
> ended vocational training for 16-19 year olds > ended the 11 year schooling policy > drew up a temporary curriculum to focus on academics not vocation.
99
Was this a success?
> Brezhnev’s target of 100% of students completing their secondary education felt short achieving only 60% > curriculum remained essentially the same from 1949 aside from textbook updates > did make free meals available for poor students.
100
How much did uni enrolments increase by from 1953-80?
> 1953 1.5 million > 1980 5 million
101
How much did staff increase by from 1953-80?
>1953 87,000 > 1980 380,000
102
How did Khrushchev accomodate ethnic minorities?
> he built 5 unis to allow ethic minorities access to higher education
103
By how much did uni enrolments increase by under Stalin?
> 1927 170,000 > 1940 812,000
104
How did Stalin reform higher education?
> during Stalins purges he killed many uni intellectuals replacing them with red specialists
105
How did Stalin rebuild after WW2?
> Uni decimated the uni population with only 287,000 remaining but by 1953 this increased to 1.5 million

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