How significant were policies towards women amongst the social changes in Stalin’s Russia after 1928?
Level
O LEVEL
Year Examined
2021
Topic
RUSSIA, 1905–41
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How significant were policies towards women amongst the social changes in Stalin’s Russia after 1928?
How significant were policies towards women amongst the social changes in Stalin’s Russia after 1928?
Following the introduction of the First Five Year Plan in 1928, the Soviet Union underwent a period of intense social and economic upheaval. Whilst all aspects of Soviet life were impacted by Stalin’s reforms, the extent to which changes to the lives of women were the most significant is debatable. Arguably, other factors such as the drive towards industrialization and the impact of collectivization had a more profound impact on Soviet society.
There is no doubt that Soviet women experienced significant change after 1928. The Bolsheviks had always been ideologically committed to female emancipation, enshrined in the 1918 Family Code which introduced divorce on demand and legalised abortion. Under Stalin, these ambitions were pursued further. The state actively encouraged women into the workforce to make up for labour shortages caused by rapid industrialization. By 1935, women constituted 42% of industrial workers, with many training in skilled roles and taking on management positions, driving and repairing tractors, and setting targets in factories and on collective farms. This new-found economic power was facilitated by the provision of widespread childcare in the form of crèches and kindergartens.
However, the reality for many women was that they were expected to juggle these demanding new roles with their traditional responsibilities within the home. Furthermore, whilst women made up a substantial part of the Communist Party at the lower levels, they continued to be largely excluded from positions of real power. The apparent liberalisations of the early 1930s were also reversed with the introduction of the 1936 Family Law, which made divorce more difficult and sought to reassert traditional family values. It is therefore clear that whilst women experienced significant change during this period, much of this was borne out of economic necessity, and their progress in terms of achieving true equality remained limited.
Arguably, Stalin’s attack on religion was an even more significant social change. The regime’s commitment to atheism had a devastating effect on religious observance across the Soviet Union. Thousands of churches, mosques, and synagogues were closed or destroyed, and religious leaders were persecuted. By 1939, only one in forty churches remained open, and the number of functioning mosques stood at a mere 1300. This assault on traditional religious belief had a profound impact on the lives of millions and marked a fundamental shift in the relationship between the state and organized religion.
Furthermore, the social impact of collectivization was immense. The brutal ‘de-kulakisation’ programme, which sought to eliminate the wealthy peasant class, led to widespread suffering and the deaths of millions through execution, exile, or starvation. The forced collectivization of agriculture, intended to modernize and increase agricultural output, resulted in chaos and plummeting production. In Ukraine, the policy led to the Holodomor, a man-made famine between 1932-33 that killed millions. The social upheaval was immense, as traditional peasant life was destroyed and replaced with a brutal and inefficient system of state control.
In conclusion, whilst the changing role of women under Stalin was undoubtedly significant, it was just one facet of a much broader program of social engineering. The impact of the regime's assault on religion, coupled with the horrors of collectivization, had far-reaching consequences that arguably overshadowed the changes experienced by women. The Soviet Union under Stalin was a society in constant flux, and all aspects of life were impacted by the dictator’s policies. However, the destruction of traditional ways of life, epitomized by the attack on religion and the brutality of collectivization, arguably constitute the most significant social change of the era.
Sources:
Figes, O. (1997). A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891–1924. London: Jonathan Cape.
Service, R. (2005). Stalin: A Biography. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Fitzpatrick, S. (2008). Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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YES – Women received equal opportunities in education, employment, and access to the Communist Party.
YES – Women held junior positions in the Communist Party and wielded political power.
YES – By 1935, 42% of industrial workers were women.
YES – Women were crucial to the success of the Second and Third Five-Year Plans.
YES – Women trained as skilled workers and gained management positions in industry and collective farms.
YES – Creches and kindergartens enabled women to work.
YES – Divorce was initially made easier, and abortion on demand was allowed.
NO – Women's rights were later restricted by the 1936 Family Law.
NO – Women continued traditional roles, particularly in rural areas.
NO – Women often earned less than men.
NO – Women did not hold senior positions in the Communist Party or government.
NO – Stalin's policies towards religion, education, and the arts were more significant.
NO – Atheism was enforced as official policy, and churches were closed.
NO – Other religions, including Islam and Judaism, were persecuted.
NO – Music and arts were censored and controlled.
NO – Education was controlled by the state, and youth groups were indoctrinated with Marxism.
NO – Homosexuality was criminalized.
NO – A new nomenklatura emerged as the elite in Soviet society.
NO – Collectivization and dekulakization, which led to famine, were more impactful.
Extracts from Mark Schemes
How significant were policies towards women amongst the social changes in Stalin’s Russia after 1928? Explain your answer.
YES – Women were given equal opportunities in education, employment, and access to the Communist Party; many women occupied junior positions in the Communist Party and wielded some political power; by 1935 – 42% of industrial workers were women; hugely important to the success of the Second and Third Five-Year Plans and militarization increased; many women trained as skilled workers and gained management positions in industry and in collective farms – driving and repairing tractors, setting targets; creches and kindergartens allowed women to work; divorce made easier at first and abortion on demand; divorced fathers had to pay maintenance for their children etc.
NO – Women had many rights removed later in Stalin's rule; 1936 Family Law made divorce more difficult; women still kept many traditional roles, especially in the countryside and often had lower pay than men; women did not occupy senior positions in the Communist Party or government; more significant – Stalin's policies towards religion – only one in forty churches still held services due to atheism as official policy; persecution of other religions such as Islam and Judaism – only 1300 mosques in the USSR by 1939; music and arts heavily monitored and censored – socialist realism in art and sculpture; education controlled by the state and youth groups indoctrinated by Marxism – Young Pioneers; homosexuality made illegal; new nomenklatura became elite in Soviet society; managers and supervisors got access to better housing and other benefits; nationalities forced to ‘Russify’; allow collectivization and dekulakization – led to famine etc.