Housing & Social Benefits

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Housing and Health Care Under Stalin

Overall, living conditions and health was poor in the Soviet Union. But there were initiatives to improve this.

Transferring houses

1920s: the government took away existing property from the rich and gave it to poor families.

Building houses

There were some successes in new house building. These included the Narkomfin Apartment House in Moscow, but were rare projects.
Urban housing consisted of communal apartments, known as kommunalka.
Families lived in single rooms of 4 to 5.5 square metres.
Barrack-style buildings were used to house factory workers.
Many were forced to share beds with others because of shortages.

Health and welfare

Poor diets in the 1920s-30s led to a decline in public health.
Food shortages meant that rotten food and animal feed were often found in work canteens.
Peasants were not entitled to rations like the urban workers had been.
There was poor sanitation in the workplace. Outbreaks of diseases were common.
Infant mortality rose.
Free medical care was a huge positive.
The number of doctors had increased fourfold by 1940.

Living Standards in the 1930s

Living standards were poor in the Soviet Union. As a result, many turned to the black market. Stalin tried to clamp down on this.

Historical assessment of wages

Historians mostly agree that the value of real wages fell during the 1930s.
Shapiro argued that in the decade from 1928, wage value halved.
Barber has argued that there was a decline prior to 1933, then wages stabilised until 1936, before a period of further decline. Moonlighting (working several jobs) was very common. This suggests that most members of the family were working harder than before just to survive.

Shortages

A lack of focus on consumer goods led to shortages.
- This led to the ‘blat’ (black market) flourishing. Fake ration cards were common.
- Outside the party membership, people needed to create a network of people to help them find the food and goods they needed.

Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy increased, which made it even more difficult for people to get what they needed. As a result, many supported the anti-corruption trials by the government.

Western observers

Western observers seemed to see Soviet citizens as optimistic about their future job prospects.

1Communist Government in the USSR, 1917-85

1.1Establishing Communist Party Control, 1917-24

1.1.1The Creation of a One-Party State

1.1.2Government under Lenin

1.1.3Centralisation of Power

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Establishing Control

1.1.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Establishing Control

1.2Stalin in Power, 1928-53

1.2.1The Elimination of Opponents

1.2.2The Purges of the 1930s

1.2.3End of Topic Test - The Elimination of Opponents

1.2.4Stalin's Power Over the Communist Party

1.2.5Stalin's Power During & After the Communist Party

1.2.6End of Topic Test - Power Over the Communist Party

1.2.7A-A* (AO3/4) - Stalin in Power

1.3Government, 1953-85

1.3.1Changes in Leaders' Control of the State

1.3.2Khrushchev's Attempts to Reform Government

1.3.3End of Topic Test - Government 1953-85

1.3.4Stability & Stagnation, 1964-85

1.3.5End of Topic Test - Stability & Stagnation

1.3.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Government 1953 - 85

2Industrial & Agricultural Changes

2.1Towards a Command Economy

2.1.1Nationalisation of Industry, Communism & the NEP

2.1.2End of Topic Test - Towards a Command Economy

2.2Industry & Agriculture in the Stalin Era

2.2.1Five Year Plans & Industrial Change

2.2.2Five Year Plans & Industrial Change 2

2.2.3End of Topic Test - Five Year Plans

2.2.4Agricultural Collectivisation & its Impact

2.2.5Recovery from War after 1945

2.2.6End of Topic Test - Collectivisation & Recovery

2.3Changes in Industry & Agriculture, 1953-85

2.3.1Light Industry, Chemicals & Consumer Goods

2.3.2Investment in Agriculture & Virgin Lands

2.3.3Attempts at Reform after 1964

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Industry & Agriculture

2.3.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Industry & Agriculture

3Control of the People, 1917-85

3.1Media, Propaganda & Religion

3.1.1State Control of Mass Media & Propaganda

3.1.2Attacks on Religious Beliefs & Practices

3.1.3Attacks on Religious Beliefs & Practices 2

3.1.4End of Topic Test - Media, Propaganda & Religion

3.1.5Cults: Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev

3.1.6A-A*/ - Media, Propaganda & Religion

3.2The Secret Police

3.2.1Attacks on Opponents of the Government

3.2.2The Roles of Yagoda, Yezhov & Beria

3.2.3Andropov & Late Opposition to Soviet Rule

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Secret Police

3.3The State & Cultural Change

3.3.1Proletkult, Avant-Garde & Socialist Realism

3.3.2Nonconformity from the 1950s

3.3.3End of Topic Test - State & Cultural Change

3.3.4A-A* (AO3/4) - Control of the People

4Social Developments, 1917-35

4.1Social Security

4.1.1Full Employment Benefits

4.1.2Housing & Social Benefits

4.1.3Khrushchev, Brezhnev & Stable Society

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Social Security

4.2Women & Family

4.2.1Changing Status of Different Groups

4.2.2Changing Attitudes to Family

4.2.3Changing Attitudes to Family 2

4.2.4End of Topic Test - Women & Family

4.3Education & Young People

4.3.1Growth of Primary, Secondary & Higher Education

4.3.2Reduction of Illiteracy

4.3.3State Control of the Curriculum

4.3.4End of Topic Test - Education & Young People

4.3.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Social Developments

5Historical Interpretations

5.1What Explains the Fall of the USSR, 1985-91?

5.1.1Economic Weakness

5.1.2Attempts at Economic Reform

5.1.3Failure To Reform The Communist Party & Soviet Gov

5.1.4Impact of Reforms

5.1.5End of Topic Test - Economic Reform

5.1.6Impact of the Nationalist Resurgence

5.1.7Impact of the Nationalist Resurgence 2

5.1.8End of the USSR

5.1.9Gorbachev & Yeltsin's Responsibility

5.1.10End of Topic Test - Nationalist Resurgence

5.1.11A-A* (AO3/4) - Explaining the Fall of the USSR

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