Soviet Society and Culture

A set of flashcards based on key vocabulary and concepts from the history of Soviet society and culture.

Totalitarian paradigm

An interpretation of Soviet social and cultural history emphasizing total control of society and culture by the state.

Engineers of human souls

A term used to describe writers and intellectuals in the Soviet Union who were seen as shaping public consciousness.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

A temporary economic policy implemented by Lenin in the 1920s that allowed for some private ownership and market mechanisms.

Proletarianization

The process of converting peasants and other classes into the working class (proletariat).

Kulaks

Wealthier peasants in the Soviet Union who were often targeted during collectivization.

Kolkhoz

A collective farm in the Soviet Union, managed collectively and controlled by the state.

Smychka

The term referring to the bond or alliance between the proletariat and the peasantry in Soviet ideology.

Vydvizhentsy

A term for promoted workers who moved upwards in the Soviet social hierarchy.

Komsomol

The youth organization of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for members aged 14 to 28.

Zhenotdel

The Women's Section of the Communist Party created in the early Soviet era to address women's issues.

Bolsheviks

The faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party that led the October Revolution in 1917.

Collectivization

The policy of consolidating individual landholdings and labor into collective farms.

Five-Year Plans

Centralized economic goals set by the Soviet government to accelerate industrialization.

Cultural Revolution

A period in the Soviet Union aimed at promoting communist ideology through cultural and artistic expression.

Great Retreat

The shift in Soviet policy in the 1930s towards more conservative social norms and centralized control.

Motherhood Medal

An award given in the Soviet Union to women who bore multiple children, promoting population growth.

Religious tolerance

The allowance of some religious practices in the Soviet Union, particularly after World War II.

Nomenklatura

A category of classified publications in the Soviet system, identifying a privileged class within the Communist Party.

Historicity

The emphasis on historical narratives that articulate class struggles and progressive actions in the Soviet Union.

Hujum

The 1927 campaign in Central Asia aimed at unveiling and modernizing women, seen as a challenge to traditional practices.

Censorship

The control of information and dissemination of literature by the Soviet government to suppress dissent.

Social engineering

The use of state policy to influence social structures and individual behaviors in the USSR.