SOCIETY

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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

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Free health service for all

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Holidays with pay for many workers

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Insurance against accidents

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Divorce more difficult and abortion was a

criminal offence unless on medical grounds

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Sport and exercise encouraged – trade unions

and collective farms provided clubs and sports

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Paid according to ‘piece work’ – if you worked

hard you would earn more

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No unemployment – unlike countries such as USA,

UK and Germany

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Women were employed (1940 – 40% of workers

were women)

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Education improved

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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

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Often one family per room, sharing the

bathroom and the kitchen

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Rationing only stopped in 1934

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Passports (internal) – restrictions on

movement

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Workbook – recorded if late/badly behaved –

fined

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Peasants who worked in urban areas took time

to adjust to the regulations of factory work

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Gulags and slave labour

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Wages dropped by 50% (1928-1933)

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Working week was 7 days (no Sunday off as no

religion)

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No trade unions to sort out improvements in

living/working conditions

Education

Women

Religion

Youth

Changes in urban society experienced in 1930s