Impact of Industrial Growth in

Russia on Industrial Workers

Ong Xin Jie (20) 3i2Home – Based Learning 2011

Pay of workers was lowWages fell between 1928 and 1937

Consumer goods were high in demand due to emphasis on heavy industriesClothing and household items were unavailable to

commoners

Insufficient medical facilities, houses and schoolsDue to huge influx of people going into cities from

countryside100, 000 workers died in the construction of the

Belomar Canal

Living Conditions

5-Year-Plans stipulated unreasonable figures250% in total industrial output, 350% in heavy

industries

Workers were not given any leaveAbsenteeism regarded as treason and

punishable by lawMany workers had to work for 11 hours a day

Salary paid through rationsIf workers did not meet quotas, they would not

get to eat

Unrealistic Targets

Government exercised tight control over labour forcePolicies had immense power over populace

Heavy industries given high priority in 5-Year-PlanMillions of peasants were directed into towns

and cities to work in factories and mines

Ordinary workers were harshly disciplinedPerpetuated by poor workmanship and absence

of guidance

Central-Planned Economy

Brochures, pamphlets and posters were distributed to boost the morale of the workersOne man was said to be working at a rate 500%

more productive than the average worker

Most figures were grossly exaggeratedNamed individuals were killed by jealous workers

Some aimed to convince workers to go to the most inhospitable regions of the USSR to help build an urban Communist societyAid provided by the Capitalist West

Extensive Use of Propaganda

Failure to meet stipulated targets would mean that workers and manages would be humiliated, deported and fined

Workers which made mistakes were found to be guilty of sabotageWere subsequently imprisoned

Lateness or absence would result in one losing one’s jobAlso often meant loss of one’s flat/home

Harsh Punishments

Arose due to collectivizationGrain production fell from 1928 to 1932Livestock took till 1953 to regain its level at

1928

Government hoarded grain to sell to other countries to earn foreign currency to be used for investment in industryDone despite the death of 7 million peasants

Greatly reduced standard of living of workers in Russia

Famines

Increased connectivity in RussiaTrans-Siberian railway built with double tracks

and improved infrastructure

Collectivization allowed for machinery to increase work ratesFarming integrated into agricultural industry

Greater available supply of energy Dneiper Dam constructed, providing hydro-

electric power

Improvement of Technology

5-Year-Plans allowed for greater employment of populaceMany Soviet workers acquired well-paid jobs with

unemployment almost non-existentBy 1940, Russia had more doctors per head of

population than Britain

Successful workers were given special privileges and titlesAlexei Stakhanov found a way to increase produce by 14

times in one night; ‘Stakhanovites’ named in his honour ‘Stakhanovites’ were allowed to go for holidays and had

preferential working hours

Better Employment

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