Other
Effect of living condition improvement on USSR from Essay Plan
- Module
- Tsarist and Communist Russia
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
Essay Plan covering the extent of improving living conditions on ordinary people in the USSR from .
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
To what extent did conditions of living for ordinary people in the Soviet Union improve in years 1941-1964?
Yes under Stalin – people content after war – Stalin hero; had hope after seeing west of what could do;
comradeship among soldiers; war years helped bring state + people closer. To maintain morale, peasants
allowed to keep private plots to sell produce from 1941
No under Stalin – terrible wartime suffering – poor and strict rations which were only given to those who
turned up for work; huge starvation as food needed to be sent to soldiers; many in west lost homes so had
to sleep in factories which became normal or during awful winter 1941-42, thousands forced to live in
improvised huts + tents due to hardly any substantial accommodation near factories. returning prisoners
of war sent to gulags + many made essential supplies + airports; women essential workers yet expected to
raise large families. During ww2 working hrs increased, wages decreased; everyone expected to help out;
factories under martial law
Neither 4 or 5 yr plans substantially improved life – peasants countryside squeezed on quota system so
lived on income 20% less than industrial worker; diets poor + consumer goods in short supply; wage
differentials favoured elite and meant they had higher rations; 12 hr working day post-war; continue
Stakhanovite – relentless + exhausting. Between 1945-53, 12m to labour camps where they suffered
appalling conditions – lived in persecution.
Yes under Khrushchev – committed to improving – 7th yr plan 1959 but was 1961-65 promise 40hr week
& 40% wage rise by 1965. De-Stalinisation – more consumer goods; tax lowered 1958 – for peasants +
others compulsory voluntary subscriptions abolished – bachelors tax and that on childless couples
removed; pensions improved; wage equalisation saw increase in wages of lowest paid – helped social
equality + wage differentials lower than any other highly industrialised country. Wages improved so could
afford more consumer goods. Better healthcare + education
Accompanied by thaw – greater personal freedoms of foreign lit, radio, western values. Tried to rehabilitate
those under Zhdanovschina – ie. Solzhenitsyn who wrote one day in life of Ivan Denisovich. New housing
initiatives – prefabricated flats to alleviate overcrowding
K encouraged tourism ‘intourist’ where foreigners could visit the ussr and witness soviet achievements first
hand – not only did this improve economy but it meant the normal people’s lives were improved after
seeing western values and opened their horizons – excited by jazz, makeup etc
No under K – high ranking officials retained privileges; workers challenging communism banned – Dr
Zhivago – expelled; consumer goods improved + foreign goods sold out quickly but still less than other
industrialised countries. Atheism in schools; mass closure of monasteries, orthodox churches – latter from
22,000 in 1959 to under 8000 by 1965. Privileges non-wage payments ie. holidays, health care – unequal
society. Cars reserved for party officials despite being common in early 1960s. Peasants frustrated with
agriculture reforms – low prices state paid for products + led to reduced peasant output – officials kept
altering prices. Favoured other things like industry and modern industries like space race instead of
improving life for people at home
Ethnic minorities still targeted; restrictions on Jews maintained
Conclusion – living conditions improved to a very small extent from 1941-64; declined signf under stalin.
Not until Khrushchev where started to increase but any change was seen as amazing compared to Stalinist
years. Better wages + reduced working hours was key so workers being prioritised but overall still
extremely far behind west + limitations to quality of life; wage differentials
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller natashasmith0211. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £6.16. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
52510 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now