Tiffany Chow, Chung Ning Tong, Louisa Luk

Living standards and wages during the Five Year Plans

First Five Year PlanLiving standards during the First Five year plan

didn’t improveOver crowing became was a big problem in cities

Organisation and materials to build and improve conditions was diverted else where, for example, the building of more factories

Rural towns were still very backwardSome towns were transformed into industrial sitesTown transport was overworked and packedShops lacked basic commodities

There was also food rationing (un co-operation the peasants)

Very little control, crime rates were high

First Five Year Plan

“strained housing situation into an appalling … chronically overcrowded lodgings… strained family life… courts dealt with an incredible mass of cases… lines outside stores” – M. Lewin (1976)

“sanitary work was non-existent … no kitchens or dining halls… women practically live on the street... fully justified dissatisfaction and bitterness” – M. Fainsod (1958) on living conditions for unskilled workers

Second Five Year PlanSome expansion There were still long queuesShops still lacked basic commodities Some enterprises were setting up their own

shops and bringing in food from their private plots

Some people were benefiting from the five year plan

Wages during the Five Year PlansLack of skilled workers. Most people would 'flit' from

job to job.Wages rose

Higher wages and ‘packets’ were given to skilled workers Rewarding people for staying at a single job long enough

to learn new skillsIn many cases managers earned 5x more than their

workersHowever, even though workers were paid more, because

of inflation, the money wasn’t worth muchPiece Works - payment according to how much a

person has done.Left-wing opponents claimed that this inequality in pay is

completely contradictory of the communist systemIt created a class system in the Soviet Union

Awarding honors to outstandingThe highest Honors given were called Stakhanovite

Second Five Year Plan“Russian people were working their way up to a higher standard … learned to read and write … Russia’s rapidly expanding economy was crying for professional skill… Higher schools were paid stipends to their students… Living conditions were improving” – J. Scott (1942) an American journalist who worked in Russia