SOCIETY

Need a literate workforce in order to develop the country Technical engineers, physics, chemistry, maths History - emphasize their imperial past - Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great - ignored role of Trotsky Russian - Russification - truly united USSR Complete control of curriculum - patriotism and appreciation of Communist party ideology - desire to work Secondary education was encouraged and so was university - creating an elite group of people Discipline in schools = discipline in work

10 million women entered the workforce under Stalin 50-60% teachers were women, and some were doctors Vast majority = factory workers Equality BUT less paid and less literate Traditional family values - abortion and divorce rate decreased - increase in population

Communist ideology replaced religion - Stalin was god-like figure Church accused of supporting the Kulaks - Kulaks were suspected of hoarding grain in the churches Priests were humiliated and forced to leave the villages, many killed 1 in 40 churches were functioning by the end of the 1930s Stalin set up the godless league to convince people that religion was useless

Young pioneers - komsomol 1927-1940 membership 2-10million Indoctrination - Stalin's ideas

    Living conditions Working conditions + ·         Free health service for all ·         Holidays with pay for many workers ·         Insurance against accidents ·         Divorce more difficult and abortion was a criminal offence unless on medical grounds ·         Sport and exercise encouraged – trade unions and collective farms provided clubs and sports ·         Paid according to ‘piece work’ – if you worked hard you would earn more ·         No unemployment – unlike countries such as USA, UK and Germany ·         Women were employed (1940 – 40% of workers were women) ·         Education improved - ·         Overcrowding as peasants moved to the city – trams and buses crowded and often one family per room with 6% of households having more than one room·         Often one family per room, sharing the bathroom and the kitchen·         Rationing only stopped in 1934 ·          Passports (internal) – restrictions on movement·         Workbook – recorded if late/badly behaved – fined·         Peasants who worked in urban areas took time to adjust to the regulations of factory work·         Gulags and slave labour·         Wages dropped by 50% (1928-1933)·         Working week was 7 days (no Sunday off as no religion)·         No trade unions to sort out improvements in living/working conditions    

Education

Women

Religion

Youth

Changes in urban society experienced in 1930s