Social developments, 1917–85 — Edexcel A-Level History
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Social developments, 1917–85 explained
Social developments, 1917–85 covers 3 specification points, including Full employment, housing and social benefits,… and The changing status of different groups of….
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Social security: full employment, housing and social benefits, 1917–53. Khrushchev, Brezhnev and the promotion of a stable society, 1953–85.
This topic covers Soviet social security from 1917 to 1985. In 1917–53, the state claimed to guarantee full employment, but housing was often cramped and social benefits were limited. After 1953, Khrushchev promoted a stable society through mass housing and welfare expansion, while Brezhnev emphasised stability and modest improvements. Students must assess how far these policies created security and how they changed over time. Key examples include the 1920s housing crisis, the 1930s labour policies, Khrushchev's housing programme, and Brezhnev's social contract.
Women and the family: the changing status of different groups of women in towns and countryside; changing government attitudes towards the family as a social unit.
This topic examines how the status of women in Soviet Russia changed between 1917 and 1985, distinguishing between different groups of women in towns and in the countryside, and how government attitudes towards the family as a social unit shifted over time. You need to compare the experiences of, for example, urban professional women, female industrial workers, and peasant women, and explain how policies such as the 1918 Family Code, the 1936 abortion ban, and post-war pronatalism affected them differently. You should also trace changing government attitudes: from early Bolshevik attempts to weaken the traditional family, through Stalinist reinforcement of the family, to later Soviet attempts to support working mothers. A strong answer uses specific evidence, such as the 1920 legalisation of abortion, the 1936 ban, and the 1944 Family Law, and explains continuity and change.
Education and young people: the growth of primary, secondary and higher education; the reduction of illiteracy; state control of the curriculum.
This topic examines the expansion of education in Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1985, focusing on the growth of primary, secondary and higher education, the reduction of illiteracy, and state control of the curriculum. You need to explain how the Bolsheviks inherited a largely illiterate population and launched mass literacy campaigns, such as likbez, and how schooling expanded at all levels. You should also analyse how the state controlled what was taught, using education to promote communist ideology and to support industrialisation. A strong answer uses evidence such as the 1919 decree on literacy, the introduction of compulsory primary education, the growth of technical and higher education, and the impact of Stalinist policies on curriculum content. You should also consider the experiences of young people, including organisations like the Komsomol and the Young Pioneers.
Your focus
- Describe the key features of full employment, housing and social benefits in 1917–53.
- Explain how Khrushchev and Brezhnev promoted a stable society after 1953.
- Assess the extent to which social security improved between 1917 and 1985.
Show all 9 objectives
- Compare the changing status of different groups of women in towns and countryside between 1917 and 1985.
- Explain how and why government attitudes towards the family as a social unit changed over the period.
- Evaluate the impact of key policies on women and the family, using specific evidence and showing awareness of different experiences.
- Explain the growth of primary, secondary and higher education in the Soviet Union between 1917 and 1985.
- Analyse the reduction of illiteracy and the methods used to achieve it.
- Evaluate the nature and impact of state control of the curriculum on education and young people.
Social developments, 1917–85 exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains the meaning and reality of full employment in the Soviet Union, including the role of state planning and labour direction.
- Describes housing conditions and policies from 1917 to 1953, such as communal apartments and the 1930s construction drives.
- Explains social benefits such as pensions, healthcare and education, and their limitations before 1953.
- Analyses Khrushchev's attempts to promote a stable society, including the 1956 housing programme and welfare reforms.
- Evaluates Brezhnev's promotion of stability, including the social contract, and the extent to which it improved social security.
- Explains how the status of women differed between towns and countryside, using examples such as literacy campaigns, access to education and employment, and the persistence of traditional peasant family structures.
- Analyses changing government attitudes towards the family, from the early Bolshevik view of the family as a bourgeois institution to Stalinist policies that reinforced marriage and motherhood.
- Uses specific legislation and policies as evidence, such as the 1918 Family Code, the 1920 legalisation of abortion, the 1936 ban on abortion, and the 1944 Family Law.
- Evaluates the impact of government policies on different groups of women, for example female industrial workers, party activists, and peasant women, showing how experiences diverged.
- Discusses the tension between ideology and practical needs, such as the need for female labour during industrialisation and war, and the pronatalist drive to increase birth rates.
- Shows awareness of change over time, including the post-Stalin period when divorce and abortion were legalised again and the state offered more support to working mothers.
- Explains the growth of primary education, including the introduction of compulsory schooling and the expansion of rural schools, and assesses the extent of success.
- Analyses the expansion of secondary and higher education, including the growth of technical institutes and universities, and the impact on social mobility.
- Explains the reduction of illiteracy through campaigns such as likbez, and evaluates their effectiveness in towns and countryside.
- Analyses state control of the curriculum, including the teaching of Marxist-Leninist ideology, the role of the Communist Party, and changes in subjects and textbooks.
- Discusses the role of youth organisations, such as the Komsomol and Young Pioneers, in political socialisation and education.
- Evaluates the extent to which education served the state's economic and political goals, and how this affected young people's opportunities.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use specific policies and statistics, such as the 1956 housing decree or pension reforms, to support your arguments.
- 💡Compare the periods 1917–53 and 1953–85 to show change and continuity in social security.
- 💡Consider both state aims and popular experiences when assessing the promotion of a stable society.
- 💡Plan your answer around the two strands in the statement: changing status of different groups of women, and changing government attitudes towards the family.
- 💡Use precise evidence, such as the 1920 legalisation of abortion and the 1936 ban, to support your arguments about government attitudes.
- 💡Compare the experiences of urban and rural women explicitly, and explain reasons for differences, such as economic policy, cultural norms, and state capacity.
- 💡When discussing government attitudes, link them to broader political and economic contexts, such as industrialisation, war, and the need for population growth.
- 💡Structure your answer around the three strands: growth of education, reduction of illiteracy, and state control of the curriculum.
- 💡Use specific evidence, such as the 1919 decree on literacy, the 1930 introduction of compulsory primary education, and the 1930s purges of teachers.
- 💡Explain how state control of the curriculum affected what was taught and how it was taught, and link this to political and economic aims.
- 💡Consider the experiences of young people, including both intended and unintended consequences of educational policies.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming full employment meant prosperity; correction: wages were low and shortages of consumer goods were common, so employment did not guarantee a high standard of living.
- Believing that housing improved steadily after 1917; correction: urban housing remained severely overcrowded until the mass construction programmes of the 1950s and 1960s.
- Confusing Khrushchev's and Brezhnev's approaches; correction: Khrushchev pursued ambitious reforms and targets, while Brezhnev prioritised stability and gradual improvement.
- Treating women as a single homogeneous group; instead, distinguish between urban and rural women, and between different social classes, and explain how policies affected them differently.
- Assuming that government attitudes were consistent; instead, identify shifts, such as the move from radical social experimentation in the 1920s to conservative pronatalism under Stalin, and later partial liberalisation.
- Ignoring the countryside; instead, include evidence about peasant women, such as the impact of collectivisation, the persistence of traditional gender roles, and lower access to education and healthcare.
- Confusing the chronology of key policies; instead, check dates such as the 1918 Family Code, 1920 legalisation of abortion, 1936 ban, and 1944 Family Law, and place them in the correct period.
- Assuming that education expanded evenly; instead, note regional and urban-rural disparities, and the impact of purges on teachers and students.
- Overlooking the reduction of illiteracy; instead, include specific evidence such as the 1919 decree and the scale of literacy campaigns, and assess their success.
- Treating state control of the curriculum as static; instead, show how it changed over time, for example from the experimental 1920s to the rigid Stalinist curriculum, and later reforms.
- Ignoring the experiences of young people; instead, include evidence about youth organisations and the impact of education on their lives and opportunities.