Social Developments under Lenin.

Labour Market Under Lenin

• During the Civil War, the industrial production collapsed resulting to a drift of factory workers to the countryside, where food supplies were more reliable.
• A DEcree was introduced to force unemployed individuals to take any work due to factories not having sufficient workers.
• Labour Exchanges was established to supervise the hiring workers, but many did not register because they did not want to be forced into jobs which they did not want to do.
• After the Civil War, additional pressures were placed on the Labour Market because the deomobilisation of the REd Army, returning millions of soldiers.
• Labour Law in 1922- promised union rights and medical help.
• Free travel in Petrograd- Improved public transport.
• Social clubs- Zuyeu Workers Clubs.

Housing

• In 1917, the Bolesheviks began a programme of confiscating the large houses of the rich, renting them to the families of workers. THere was still not enough housing.

• Not enough factories to give employment because Russia was damaged by the war.
• Short rations led to thriving black market.
• NEP allowed wage differences.
• Private profits led to the return of unemployment.

• Lenin wrote a book called 'the Bourgeois of nature of marriage.'
• A women's role as a housewife was percieved as suppression into the life of drudgery.
• In 1917, the Bolesheviks established a women's branch of Central Committee, Zhenotdel, to promote the status of women within socialist notions of equality.
• The measure aimed at improving the position of women were driven by ideological considerations, communist ideas of equality between sexes. 
• Decrees created gave women freedom within the marriage: divorce was made easier and abortion was made legal.
• Laws that made women obey the husbands orders were abolished.
• In 1917, the principle of equal pay for men and women was passed into law.
• In 1918, the Soviet Constitution declared men and women were equal, the legal status of women had been put on an equal footing to that of men.

The Impact of the Civil War

• Increased the women in the workforce was driven mostly by the need of more workers than the ideological notions of equality.
• Over 70,000 women fought in the Red Army.
• Women were likely to be unskilled, so most lost their jobs after the soldiers came back from the war.

• The Bolesheviks wanted to change the status of Islamic women. They attempted to breakdown these traditional attitudes by using female activists who encouraged unveiling. Some success happened, opportunities for Islamic women increased, however traditional Islamic attitudes wer slow to change and resistance were often violent.

Family Code of 1918.

Women wre given a range of new rights and freedoms, including rights within marriage. The Bolesheviks family code made divorce easier. Abortion was made legal.

By the mid 1920s, the divorce rate was high. Birtn rate remained low at 3:1. However, the break up of families led to many children becoming orphans.

• Lenin wanted equality for Islamic women, however it was mainly due to opposition against the religion.
• Women used in posters were steorotypical.
• Pragmation- Prostitutes to support the Red Army.
• A rise of prostitution increased due to the subsequent famine of 1921 and 1922 left many women homeless and unemployed.
• The legalisation of divorce did little to help women support children: few recieved financial support from the father of their children. 70% of divorces were initated by men.

Education in Tsarist Russia was limited, may did not know how to read or write.

The expansion of complusory education.

• In 1917, control of education was given to the commissariat of education and the Bolesheviks launched an ambitious programme to provide free complusory education for all children aged between 7 to 17. In 1918, existing church schools wre taken over by the govenment. All children recieved the same education.

Obstacles to expansion.

• In the 1920s, lack of resources were due to the Civil War. 
• Low wages discouraged many people from entering the teaching profession, this impacted the rural schools because of the low number of teachers.

Adult Education.

• THe Bolesheviks wre aware that most adults did not recieve secondary education. Therefore, the government created short courses were they were taught basic literacy and numeracy.

The expansion of higher education.

• Under the Tsarist, higher education was the perserved of the rich and the numbers of attending university was small. Narkompros declared that universities should be open to all. The govenment took control of higher education and ensured equality of access to higher education.

The reduction of illiteracy.

• Elimination of illiteracy.
• Tsarist government- 65% of illitracy.
• Bolesheviks emphasised visual propaganda since msot citizens could not read.
• In 1919, the Bolesheviks launched a campaign to bring about 'the liquidation of illitaracy.' The aim was to amke Soviet Citizens aged between 8 to 50 ilierate. Illitracy would also help to loosen the hold of religion and superstition over the rural population.

• Shortages of teachers.
• Civil War hugly disruptive.
• Low wages in families meant that they sent their children to work.
• NEP attracted children to work not school.