How did Stalin change life for women? To understand and evaluate the extent of changes made during the ‘Great Retreat’ Starter: what does this poster suggest about the position and role of women during the Revolution in the 1920s The caption reads: ‘Liberated woman – Build up socialism’

What do these Soviet era (1930s) painting suggest about: The role of women The role of women in relation to men? Woman metro builder ‘Higher and Higher’ https://historyrevision.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/was-life-better-or-worse-for-women-under-stalin.pdf

This topic has only featured once on an A Level paper! How far did Stalin’s social policies change the lives of children and women in the years to 1945? (Jan 10) But there is always a second time ………….  

In the 1930s the Women’s branch of the Communist Central Committee was closed down due to the fact that the Communist Party believed gender equality had been achieved Some historians have argued that actually, while Stalin promoted equality between the classes, inequality between the sexes (in terms of opportunities and exploitation) was still very obvious – and was even made worse under his rule.

What do you think? How were women treated in the workplace? Evidence that women and men had equal opportunities in the workplace Evidence that there was still inequality between men and women in the workplace Copy the table and use ‘making money’ on page 60 of the Red book to make notes.

Why kinds of policies did Stalin make that affected women and families? Copy each new law and write down what you think Stalin’s aim was. Read Making Babies p61 / Marriage p 62 / Sex and Divorce p63/4 Rewards for mothers who had large families Abortions were only legal where the life of the mother was at risk No contraception available Divorce became very expensive Wedding rings were no longer banned after 1936 Marriage certificates were printed on high quality paper Stalin ordered ‘medical virginity checks’ on young women in collective farms Incest, bigamy and adultery were all made illegal again

Why did Stalin make changes to women’s lives and family lifestyles? Shelia Fitzpatrick ‘Great Retreat’ – rolling back the freedoms of the revolution and Lenin’s rule e.g. Marxist rejection of marriage as a ‘bourgeois institution’; free love etc. Stalin’s policies on women and families were motivated by a number of key reasons: The rapid changes of industrialisation and collectivisation had led to a drastic fall in the birth rate Stalin wanted to re-emphasises traditional gender roles and sexual attitudes To reduce the number of family breakdowns and men leaving their wives without supporting them. As a result of ‘free love’ and family breakdown, by 1927 the divorce rate in Russia was 50%. This was creating a very large number of social problems by the 1930s.

What were women expected to do at home? Using page 61 and the paragraph ‘Making homes’ to make two short internet dating adverts explaining the kind of woman you want. Imagine you are: A man who lives on a collective farm A senior member of the Communist Party

Propaganda and official view of family p62 Sexual relations p63 Women’s place in the economy (work) p60-1 Marriage p62-3 Babies and contraception p61 Education p64-5 Divorce and family break up Making Homes p61-2 Conclusion p65

https://historyrevision. files. wordpress https://historyrevision.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/was-life-better-or-worse-for-women-under-stalin.pdf - Use this information pack to complete the following table. Use Lynch p122- 125 as well.

‘The Great Retreat’: Women, Family and Education in Stalinist Russia Learning Objectives: To understand how education and family life changed in Stalinist Russia Starter: Predict – what sorts of policies do you think Stalin would have had towards women, families and education?

Activity: Mini-Presentations (30 mins) 1) Women (p. 60-1), 2) Family (p. 62-3), 3) Education (p. 64-5) Read through your section Create on an A3 handout, with notes designed for EVERYONE to be able to use (these will be photocopied) Present your handout and findings to the group

Essay Writing (1 hour) ‘How accurate is it to describe Soviet social policy in the 1930s as a Great Retreat?’ p. 34 of your booklet

Women, family and education How far did the role of women change between 1928 and 1941? (Red p.60-62, Lynch p.122-125) To what extent was Communist ideology the main reason for Stalin’s ‘Great Retreat’? (Red p.62-64, Lynch p.122-125) How far was the education system transformed in Stalinist Russia? (Red p.64-65, Lynch p.113-116)

Increased equality Small change Big change Emphasised tradition Before: Policies on Women and families in Bolshevik Russia Following the revolution, the Bolsheviks promoted an era of ‘free love’ and ‘sexual freedom’. Previously, the Communists had denounced marriage as a ‘bourgeois institution’ – this was reflected in liberal divorce laws and the idea that a new Communist style living should replace the ‘old type of family’ The wedding ring was outlawed in 1928, while bigamy, incest, adultery and male homosexuality had all been legalised in 1930 Increased equality Small change Big change Emphasised tradition