Women Under Stalins Russia example essay topic

Stalin ruled Russia from 1928 to 1953. He had some short-term impact on Russia but he was single-minded and not pragmatic- unlike Lenin- therefore his impact was mostly long-term. A significant belief of Lenins had been that everybody should be equal. Where women were concerned Stalin had other ideas. He reversed many laws from the 1920's relating to womens emancipation, in favour of strengthening the family.

For example, divorce and child support (if unmarried) became more difficult to obtain, abortion was made illegal, and women lost rights in the family. Reasons being that many children had been born out of marriage. By 1930 Moscow was awash with a high number of homeless children who had no family and were seen as a stain on the perfect communist society that Stalin aspired to. Women lost the rights they had received under Lenins rule, silently infuriating them.

Traditional Russians, tsar-like minded, were pleased to see women relegated to the second class again. It had mixed impact for different groups. Like the women under Stalins Russia, artists and freethinkers were oppressed and reverted to the Tsarist-like censorship. Individuality was forbidden under Stalin and writers and artists were forced to produce work that glorified workers, peasants and the revolution.

Likewise, newspapers were strictly censored and communist papers were exclusive. Education had been of great importance to both leaders and was strictly controlled under Stalin. The old Tsarist forms of education e.g. discipline and examinations were abolished. This produced a batch of poorly educated and unruly pupils.

In 1932 Stalin introduced a rigid programme of education i.e. exams were reintroduced and much more discipline. History wa a subject Stalin wanted children to mainly focus on, especially as he had textbooks rewritten to exaggerate his greatness and importance to historic events, pasting himself onto many photos and erasing people like Trotsky. This was tightly controlled by the government and acted as propaganda in favour of Stalin also. Outside of school time, Stalin ensured that children were encouraged to attend political youth groups (started by Lenin) such as the Octobrists, the Pioneers and the Komo sol. These youth groups were an ongoing concept by Lenin, tightly linked with education of the time and shaping the children into young Stalinist's. At the time these youth groups were a continuation of a positive programme, enabling mothers to have time to themselves and for children to socialise, interact and learn.

Stalin had a hugely positive impact on Russian peoples leisure time. Sport and fitness was encouraged to improve the general health of Russian men and women. Every worker was entitled to a holiday- something that was unheard of before the revolution. Trade unions and collective farms played a large part in providing clubs, sports facilities, film shows (propaganda of course), festivals and general entertainment. Children were given the Archimedes club for child inventors, hall of interesting occupations, table games club, toy pavilion and car games.

The biggest (and most positive) impact Stalin had, however, was to industrialism Russia and create a superpower from a destitute nation. This was a result of Stalins three five-year plans. This was a long-term impact, which later enabled Stalin to conquer the surrounding countries in Eastern Europe. Once Stalin had established dictatorship (after 4 years), he abolished the When Stalin put an end to the NEP so abruptly there was mixed feelings. The Bolsheviks and extreme communists were pleased to see the NEP go, as it did not conform to communist ideology. Conversely, the peasants and factory owners were not.

Even with the NEP in full flow 27 million people had been queuing up on the bread line, more people those who depended on the policy- were now to join them. There quickly followed mass famine across Russia, yet Stalin still made the decision to collectivism. Collectivisation was Stalins solution to the appalling state of Russias agriculture. He believed that Russia had to be self-sufficient.

Indeed his Five Year Plans were dependent upon the peasant farmers providing food for the workers in the factories. Such rapid industrialisation could only be achieved if agriculture was made more efficient, as sufficient food had to be produced to feed the workforce. Surplus food could then be sold for money to boost the industrial sector. This was where collectivisation came in.

Collectivisation was implemented in 1928 and was initially on a purely voluntary basis- at a moderate and achievable pace. In practice this wasnt the case. In a bid to increase collective membership, peasants were granted incentives to join the collectives in 1930. Stalin introduced the machine tractor station in Russia, where collectives could borrow machinery and increase their productivity in return for payment in the form of crops. 380.