A Level History - Russia chapter 19

What was religious life like under Lenin?

allowed freedom of religious worship while destroying a lot of the 'earthly' power of the Russian church

What was the agreement with the Patriarch of the Church in 1927?

promised to stay out of politics in return for state recognition of the orthodox church

When did the Patriarch of the Church promise to stay out of politics in return for state recognition of the orthodox church?

1927

What were Stalin's restrictions on the Orthodox church before the terror? (4)

religious schools closed down, teaching of religious creeds forbidden, many churches physically destroyed or deconsecrated, holy day of Sunday abolished

Between which years was the holy day of Sunday abolished?

1929 - 1940

How was the working week arranged between 1929 and 1940?

workers were employed for 6 days of the week and a sixth of workers had each day off

When was there a brief relaxation of the anti-religious campaign?

1935

How did the Stalin constitution attack religion?

criminalised publication and organisation of religious propaganda

When was the Stalin constitution?

1936

How did Orthodox congregations survive during the purges?

voluntary donations

How did Muslims suffer during the purges? (5)

property and institutions were seized, pilgrimages to Mecca forbidden, frequency of prayers fasts and feasts reduced, wearing the veil forbidden, many Muslim priests were imprisoned or executed

From when were pilgrimages to Mecca forbidden?

1935

How did Jews suffer during the purges?

Jewish schools and synagogues were closed down

As well as Christians, Muslims and Jews, which other types of religions were attacked during the anti-religious drive? (3)

Buddhist institutions, Armenian churches and Georgian churches were attacked

By 1941, how many Christian churches had been closed down?

nearly 40,000

By 1941, how many Muslim mosques had been closed down?

25,000

What were churches and mosques converted into after they were closed down? (6)

schools, cinemas, clubs, warehouses, museums, grain stores

What was life for women like under Lenin? (4)

much more liberated, sex discrimination was outlawed, divorce and abortion was easier, women took jobs alongside men

In the 1937 census, how many Soviet citizens described themselves as religious believers?

over half a million

Why did Stalin revert to more traditional policies regarding women? (3)

fall in population growth, disruption caused by family break-ups, disruption caused by fears of war

What was Stalin's reversion to traditional policies regarding women called?

the 'Great Retreat'

What were the values of Stalin's reversion to tradition regarding women? (4)

importance of marriage emphasised, divorce and abortion attacked, wedding rings reintroduced, women portrayed as more feminine and in the domestic sphere in art and film

When did Stalin put forward a new 'family code'?

May 1936

When was the 'family code' made law?

June 1936

What were the policies of the 'family code'? (8)

abortion was illegal, harder to get a divorce, contraception banned, mothers with six or more children received bonuses, child support payments by fathers were fixed at 60% of income, children committing violent crimes were treated the same as adults from the age of 12, adultery criminalised, new decrees to be enforced against prostitution and homosexuality

What was the impact of the ban on abortion ('family code')?

increased the birth rate in the late 1930s

How was it made harder to get a divorce ('family code')? (2)

large fees introduced, both parties had to attend proceedings

When was the only time contraception was permitted ('family code')?

on medical grounds

What were the benefits for mothers with 6 or more children ('family code')? (2)

tax exemptions and bonus payments for every additional child under 10 in the family

What was the child support payment by fathers fixed at ('family code')?

60%

From what age were children who committed violent crimes to be treated in the same way as adults ('family code')?

12

Why were the decrees against prostitution and homosexuality not really carried through ('family code')?

authorities saw them as 'capitalist vices' and didn't want to acknowledge their existence or extent

What was the divorce rate in Moscow in 1934?

37%

Despite the Stalin constitution, what was the proportion of abortions to live births?

150,000 abortions to every 57,000 live births

In 1937, what percentage of women in their 30s were married?

82%

In 1937, what percentage of men in their 30s were married?

91%

When did female participation in high party politics decline?

1930s

What was the attitude to education in the 1920s?

free education was offered at all levels in co-educational schools

Why did Stalin want to change the system regarding education?

wanted a better-educated and skilled workforce so education should be geared towards industrialisation

What were Stalin's policy changes regarding education?

more organised school structure and reversion to traditional methods of teaching and discipline

What institution provided education?

Narkompros

What institution was put in charge of universities?

Veshenka

What replaced the quota system for secondary education in 1935?

selection

When was the quota system in secondary education replaced with selection?

1935

If students failed to do well, what could happen to teachers? (2)

blamed and purged

What percentage of the population had been literate before the revolution?

65%

What percentage of the urban population ages 9 to 49 was literate by 1941?

94%

What percentage of the rural population ages 9 to 49 was literate by 1941?

86%

Why was it good for the communists that the literacy rate was increasing?

a literate population could absorb propaganda

When was Komsomol set up?

1926

Which ages did Komsomol care for?

10 to 28

What was discouraged in komsomol? (3)

smoking, drinking and religion

What was organised in komsomol to promote communist values? (3)

volunteer work, sports, political clubs, drama clubs

When did komsomol become directly affiliated with the party?

1939

What was in the oath komsomol members took once it had been directly affiliated with the party?

oath to live, study and fight for the fatherland

What was the komsomol newspaper called?

komsomolskaia pravda

What was the message of the komsomolskaia pravda?

encouraging people to respect their parents

How did members of komsomol actively help the party? (5)

helped carry out party campaigns, helped the red army, helped the police, joined activist groups and worked on prestige projects

What were the benefits of being in komsomol?

chance for social and educational advancement

What were some youths interested in despite communist criticisms?

western culture (eg cinema, fashion, jazz)

Why were urban working men generally enthusiastic about the policy of rapid industrialisation? (2)

hoped it would bring more jobs and raise living standards

Which types of workers did best out of Stalinist policies?

skilled workers

When were wage differentials introduced?

1931

What new policies were chances for skilled workers to improve themselves? (2)

introduction of wage differentials and stakhanovite movement

What was the price for acquiring expertise and becoming a skilled worker?

had to conform to harsh labour laws

What were living conditions like for the mass of unskilled working men? (6)

overcrowding, lots of petty crime, lots of hard drinking, could be deprived of everything for the slightest misdemeanour, cities were without sewage, street lighting and public transport, water was rationed

What were the working habits of the mass of unskilled working men?

weren't used to harsh labour laws and were likely to move around from job to job as they didn't want to acquire a bad working record

Were there more changes for the rural or urban population?

rural

Which core values of rural society were challenged in Stalinist society? (2)

openness and cooperation

What were the basic 'certainties' of rural society which were questioned and changed under Stalin? (3)

religion, friendship, traditions

What were the benefits of collectivisation? (2)

benefitted from having access to machinery, villages often had schools and clinics for the first time

What was the problem with the rationing system in the cities?

often broke down

When did rationing end?

1935

When was overall food consumption in cities worse than in 1900?

1933

What percentage of 1928 figure for meat consumption was eaten in 1933?

33%

What was the worst year for living standards?

1933

What was the best year for living standards?

1937

Which trades were allowed to operate privately from 1937? (3)

shoe repair, hairdressing, plumbing

Why were some trades allowed to operate privately from 1937?

state could not resolve shortages

What type of citizen was the regime committed to creating?

new socialist man and woman

What were the ideals of socialist man and woman? (5)

dedicated to the party, lived and worked for the community, well-educated, not independent thinkers, willingly accepted what the state said

Who was Trofim Lysenko?

a scientist who studied how the ideal citizen could be made

What did Lysenko believe about creating the new socialist man and woman?

believed that if humans acquired the right characteristics, they'd be acquired to the next generation

What undermined Lysenko's beliefs about acquiring characteristics from previous generations? (2)

widely discredited by reputable scientists outside the USSR and undermined by Stalin's own warnings that the state needed to redouble its vigilance over the population

Which group was more enthusiastic about creating the new socialist man?

komsomol members

How did komsomol members help with Stalin's attack on bourgeois values? (5)

criticised and burned non-socialist books and artworks, heckled actors, mocked religion, participated in 'shock brigades' to spread proletarian culture, worked on literary schemes

By 1941, how many churches in 40 were still working as a church?

1 in 40

By 1941, how many bishops placed in 1930 had been killed or incarcerated?

152 out of 168

What did Gorky say about writers' rights under Stalin?

that they had "lost nothing but the right to be bad writers"

Why were some writers send to work on agricultural or industrial sites?

trying to ensure they were fully imbued with socialist values (not necessarily punishment)

When was pravda extremely critical of Shostakovich's opera, 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtensk District'?

1936

What was the headline of the newspaper article criticising Shostakovich's opera?

'Chaos instead of Music'

What happened to a theatre director who defended Shostakovich after Pravda's criticism? (4)

seized, brutally tortured by NKVD, shot, wife was stabbed to death

What was the most popular cultural activity among the Russian people?

visiting the cinema

Why was it problematic that Russians enjoyed visiting the cinema?

Hollywood movies were much more popular than Soviet propagandist films

What percentage of workers wholeheartedly supported the Stalinist regime according to John Barber?

20%

What do many historians think about Stalin's attitude to Leninist work and policies?

that he undermined Lenin's work rather than continuing it

What was the attitude of Stalin's enemies towards his policies?

Stalin turned the USSR into a perversion of what was meant to be the first workers' state

Which methods did Stalin use that had been established under Lenin? (2)

internal security services and emphasis on class warfare

What was Stalin's hold on the party based on? (2)

terror and individuals' hopes of achievement