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What was life like for people under the Five Year Plans? Pg 125-125 Chap 14
What was life like for people under the Five Year Plans? Pg 125-125 Chap 14
What was life like for managers?
They had to ensure the output targets set by regional administrators were met. E.g filling quotas, while having limited control over their own resources, prices and wages
Manager received 40% bonus if he did better than expected
High salaries and status as part of industrial elite. Falsification of statistics
They were expected to apply state regulations in the workplace
It was difficult for managers to earn the good will of his labour force
'Work norms' were raised in 1936, by between 10% and 50%
It became even harder for managers to deal with protesting workers. Stakhanovites were a particular problem - too much effort could lad to factory targets being revised upwards.
Managers faced labour shortages as conditions on collective farms improved. Military demands also made worse shortages of raw materials at a time when consumer demand was growing
What was life like for workers?
7 day working week, longer hours.Arriving late or missing work meant dismissal or eviction from housing/loss of benefits. Damaging machinery/ leaving a job was a criminal offence and strikes were illegal
From 1931 wage differentials were introduced to reward those who had stayed in their jobs and worked hard - proletariat became more diverse in its experience
Purges in 1930s created plenty of vacancies 'at the top'
Numbers pouring into the industrial cities left workers living in cramped conditions. Public transport overcrowded
Rationing phased out in 1935 but market prices were high
Prison camp inmates forced to labour for Stalins fulfilment of projects
EXAMPLE: BELOMOR CANAL
300,000 workers on it
Death rate 700 a day
Average survival time = 2 years
How did Women's lives change throughout the Five Year Plans?
Before the 5 year plans women (29% of workforce) were largely concentrated in the lowest paid jobs requiring the least skills (textiles/light industry)
No immediate change, but by 1935 women made up 42% of industrial workers
Urban working class women flooded into industry and also found jobs in education, healthcare and administration
Factory managers employed their wives, widows and daughters. They were valuable in the labour source and more and were reliable
During second five year plan party took note of value of female workers and sent orders for more to be employed
On factory floors, women could be harassed, both physically and sexually by male workers - no institution to fight inequality as Zhenotdel had been abolished
1936 - the party made more effort to enrol women in technical training programmes
Increased numbers of women in well paid skilled positions
There were state nurseries and creches enabling women to cope with family and work
On average women still earned 40% less than men. A little over 43% of the industrial workforce was female by 1940