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Summary ALEVEL NOTES FOR RUSSIA COURSE Cornell notes Social Developments, 1917-85
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Cornell notes Social Developments, 1917-85
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Key Guidance Step 1: Type in key words (highlighted in the text from Pages 88-113 Communistfor notetaking States Textbook) Step 2: Type in subheadings and summarise the key points
from each subheading in each section in note format Step 3: Provide a summary
at the end of your notes assessing: What changed over time? What stayed the
same? Step 4: Tick off PLC descriptors for Key Topic 4 Social Developments in
the USSR, 1917-85
Key Words: Notes on: Social Developments, 1917-85, Pages 88-113 Communist States
Textbook Challenge Task: Read and make notes on relevant chapters from one
of the recommended reading titles on Page 113 Communist States Textbook
Moonlighting Section 1: (Pages 89-96)
Nepotism • Social Security, 1917-85: Employment, housing and social benefits
Satellite state Full employment, housing and social benefits, 1917-53:
The labour market under Lenin collapse of industrial production during the civil
war resulted in a drift of factory workers to the countryside, where food supplies
were more available. Insufficient workers in factories made government issue a
degree that forced people to take any work offered to them. After the civil war
the demobilisation of the Red Army returned millions of soldiers to the cities in
search of work, and food shortages in the countryside led to a wave of workers to
the city. Unemployment soared and in 1926 over a million were unemployed.
During the years of the NEP was continued use of Arteli in the recruitment of
labour, Arteli were groups of workers who offered their services as a group and
were paid as a group. Use of arteli in the recruitment of labour, arteli were
groups of workers who offered their services as a group and were paid as a
group. Pay was disturbed due to age and even beard length sometimes. Wage
differentials grew as skilled workers.
Industrialisation and full employment: in 1930 the Soviet Union announced it
was the first country to create full employment, the number of hired workers
rose from 11.6 million in 1928 to 27 million in 1937. Many came to rural areas
due to hardship of collectivisation, but in 1932 there were labour shortages. The
swamping of the old industrial workers by new peasant recruits led to divisions in
the workplace. Restrictions were placed on trade unions, who were no longer
allowed to negotiate with managers to improve conditions. In October 1930,
unemployment benefits were cancelled in light of full employment, trade unions
were left to act as providers of social insurance, dealing with compensation for
industry. 1n 1927, productivity was low as Soviet workers produced half of an
average British worker. During the 5year plans this increased slightly due to
machinery and use of uninterrupted work (day and night with long hours). To
prevent people changing jobs too often, the government issued a passport
system. In 1932 an internal passport was needed to change jobs, and food rations
were distributed through the workplace. These had partial success as by 1937,
30% of all urban workers changed their job in each quarter of the year. In 1931,
the wage differences between skilled and unskilled workers were increased in
attempt to reward skilled workers. From 1934, piecework (workers paid due to
amount produced) allowed skilled workers to earn more but lack of consumer
goods meant higher wages were useless. The government used honour and
medals to motivate workforce, workers encouraged to work like Alexei Stakhanov
, (a coal miner from Donbass region who could mine 15 times the average amount
of coal). There were rewards for model workers such as a new flat and bigger
ration. One consequence of restrictions on changing jobs increased absenteeism.
Harsh punishments were introduced for absent workers. By 1939, absenteeism
was made criminal offence which could result in imprisonment. During the war,
women were employed in greater numbers to make up for shortfall. After the
war, labour camp inmates rose from 1.5 million in 1945 to 2.5 million in 1953.
Housing: in 1917, the Bolsheviks began a programme of confiscating large houses
of the rich, renting them to families of workers. Enormous growth of towns and
industrial centres under the 5 Year-Plans put strain on housing. Moscow’s
population grew from 2.2 million in 1929 to 4.1 million in 1936. And Leningrad
grew from 1.6 million in 1926 to 3.4 million in 1939 and the population of
Magnitogorsk rose from a mere 25 people to 250,000 in 1932. Workers had to
sleep in tents, makeshift huts and factories. In 1936, only 6% of rented units of
housing consisted of more than one room and 24% of cases it was only part of
one room. 5% renting lived in kitchens or corridors and 25% lived in dormitories.
Cost of renting was low, with few families spending more than 8% of their income
on accommodation. After the war, Stalingrad lost 90% of its housing and
Leningrad lost one-third.
Social benefits: cheap food was available in workforce canteens and work clothes
were often given free of charge. Trade unions organised sports facilities,
meetings and films and workers were given 2 weeks paid holiday and this was
usually taken by cheap subsidised holidays to state resorts. Health care was
designed to benefit the whole population and was effective at containing
epidemics. A compulsory vaccination programme was used to deal with cholera
outbreak in 1921. Lice-spread typhus was a serious issue between 1918 and 1920
resulting in 6 million deaths. Lenin launched campaign ‘Either lice will defeat
socialism or socialism will defeat lice’. Due to doctors fleeing Russia in 1917 the
government was forced to increase training places. Therefore, the number of
doctors increased from 70,000 in 1928 to 155,000 in 1940 and the number of
hospital beds rose from 247,000 to 791,000 in 1939.
Full employment: the soviet constitution of 1977 guaranteed its citizens
employment. There were some unemployment due to seasonal work. Having a
job was no guarantee of job satisfaction and many jobs were created that were
undemanding, repetitive and sometimes pointless. Real wages increased
between 1967 and 1977. Increase per capita consumption at an annual increase
of 3.8% for the Khrushchev years. Wage differentials were relatively low, less
than half of that of USA in 1970.
Job security: very difficult to dismiss someone who was not good at their job,
whether due to laziness, incompetence or alcoholism. Managers often ignored
low standards of work as workers were absent to queue for food or moonlighting
to earn extra money on the side. Labour turnover remained high, often at a rate
of 30% each year. A minimum wage was introduced in 1956 which ensured no
workers were below the poverty line. The working week was reduced in 1957 and
paid holiday increased.
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