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The impact of the Five Year Plans
1) Living Conditions
A) Housing
I) could not build enough new houses for millions of peasants who moving to cities.
II) Most families lived in overcrowded conditions.
B) Food
I) Shortages led to rationing.
II) Mid 1930’s conditions improved.
C) Education - all workers children received free primary education.
D) Health - free health care schemes
E) Wages. Workers were poorly paid. Between 1928 and 1933 the value of wages fell by 50%
F) Shortage of goods such as clothes and shoes.
G) Crime, alcoholism increased.
2) To make Workers increase their output, the government used:
A) Encouragement.
I) heroes such as Stakhanov were used by the government to encourage workers.
II) Medals highest being the order of Lenin.
B) Discipline.
I) Fines were imposed for lateness and poor work.
II) if workers were absent for more than a day were sacked.
C) Terror
I) any failures were blamed on saboteurs rather than the system
II) Secret Police encouraged workers to inform on each other
III) Anyone blamed for obstructing work could be sent to a labour camp or be shot.
4) Women encouraged to work to help achieve the targets:
I) crèches built to enable them to work
II) encouraged to have more children to help raise the falling population.
5) A new elite:
A) Teachers, scientists, engineers and skilled workers were paid far higher wages than ordinary workers.
B) Also better benefits such as better housing or the right to buy scarce goods.
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