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Soviet Union [USSR] Mobilization of Society
Concomitant with industrialization and collectivization,
society also experienced wide-ranging regimentation. Collective
enterprises replaced individualistic efforts across the board: not
only did the regime abolish private farms and businesses, but it
collectivized scientific and literary endeavors as well. As the
1930s progressed, the revolutionary experimentation that had
characterized many facets of cultural and social life gave way to
conservative norms.
Considerations of order and discipline dominated social policy,
which became an instrument for the modernization effort. Workers
came under strict labor codes demanding punctuality and discipline,
and labor unions served as extensions of the industrial ministries.
At the same time, higher pay and privileges accrued to productive
workers and labor brigades. To provide greater social stability,
the state aimed to strengthen the family by restricting divorce and
abolishing abortion.
Literature and the arts came under direct party control during
the 1930s as mandatory membership in unions of writers, musicians,
and other artists entailed adherence to established standards.
After 1934, the party dictated that creative works had to express
socialistic spirit through traditional forms. This officially
sanctioned doctrine, called
socialist realism (see Glossary),
applied to all fields of artistic endeavor. The state repressed
works that were stylistically innovative or lacked appropriate
content.
The party also subjected science and the liberal arts to its
scrutiny. Development of scientific theory in a number of fields
had to be based upon the party's understanding of the Marxist
dialectic, which derailed serious research in certain disciplines.
The party took a more active role in directing work in the social
sciences. In the writing of history, the orthodox Marxist
interpretation employed in the late 1920s was modified to include
nationalistic themes and to stress the role of great leaders to
foster legitimacy for Stalin's dictatorship.
Education returned to traditional forms as the party discarded
the experimental programs of Lunacharskii after 1929. Admission
procedures underwent modification: candidates for higher education
now were selected by their academic records, rather than by class
origins.
Religion suffered from a state policy of increased repression,
starting with the closure of numerous churches in 1929. Persecution
of clergy was particularly severe during the purges of the late
1930s, when many of the faithful went underground.
Data as of May 1989
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