SOCIAL
POPULATION
In 1858 there were 74 million inhabitants of the Russian empire and by 1960 the
population of the USSR was 212 million
Between 1929-41 18.5 million moved to the cities
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
By 1900, 80% of the population was reliant on agriculture
By 1914, around 2 million people were in the middle class bracket
In the 1870s the gentry owned 200 million acres of land but this fell to 140 million
acres by 1914
By the early 1930s there were 1.5 promotions of ordinary workers to managers
EDUCATION
Alex II
Elementary education was put under the zemstvos and the number of primary schools
rose from 23,000 in 1880 to 81,000 in 1914
In 1877 the Ministry of Education took control of primary school provision and
inspectors were introduced
Introduced a ‘new code’ for secondary schools and doubled the number attending
institutions by 1865
Alex III
Reversed Alex II’s secondary school policy and banned lower-class children from
attending secondary school
Took away a much of the autonomy of universities
Nicolas II
Under Stolypin all non-academic meetings at universities were made illegal
Stalin:
Primary
o In 1930 primary school attendance was made compulsory to the age of 12
o By 1930 there were 18 million children attending primary schools up from 8
million in 1929
o By 1931 2.5 million attended secondary school, by 1932 it was 6.9 million
o By 1939 all children had to spend 7 years in primary school = increase in
literacy rates (only 4% of men were illiterate and 18% of women)
o Outside school children joined the Young Pioneers and the Komosol (Young
Communist League) set up in 1918 its members were 14 to 28 and by 1927 it
had 2 million members
Secondary
o Schools were replaced by ‘polytechnic’ (vocational) schools – exams were
scrapped and a drive against intelligentsia
o By 1932 there were 6.9 million attending secondary schools which had tripled
from 1931
o By 1935 the drive against intellectuals slowed – exams and some subjects were
reintroduced
1
POPULATION
In 1858 there were 74 million inhabitants of the Russian empire and by 1960 the
population of the USSR was 212 million
Between 1929-41 18.5 million moved to the cities
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
By 1900, 80% of the population was reliant on agriculture
By 1914, around 2 million people were in the middle class bracket
In the 1870s the gentry owned 200 million acres of land but this fell to 140 million
acres by 1914
By the early 1930s there were 1.5 promotions of ordinary workers to managers
EDUCATION
Alex II
Elementary education was put under the zemstvos and the number of primary schools
rose from 23,000 in 1880 to 81,000 in 1914
In 1877 the Ministry of Education took control of primary school provision and
inspectors were introduced
Introduced a ‘new code’ for secondary schools and doubled the number attending
institutions by 1865
Alex III
Reversed Alex II’s secondary school policy and banned lower-class children from
attending secondary school
Took away a much of the autonomy of universities
Nicolas II
Under Stolypin all non-academic meetings at universities were made illegal
Stalin:
Primary
o In 1930 primary school attendance was made compulsory to the age of 12
o By 1930 there were 18 million children attending primary schools up from 8
million in 1929
o By 1931 2.5 million attended secondary school, by 1932 it was 6.9 million
o By 1939 all children had to spend 7 years in primary school = increase in
literacy rates (only 4% of men were illiterate and 18% of women)
o Outside school children joined the Young Pioneers and the Komosol (Young
Communist League) set up in 1918 its members were 14 to 28 and by 1927 it
had 2 million members
Secondary
o Schools were replaced by ‘polytechnic’ (vocational) schools – exams were
scrapped and a drive against intelligentsia
o By 1932 there were 6.9 million attending secondary schools which had tripled
from 1931
o By 1935 the drive against intellectuals slowed – exams and some subjects were
reintroduced
1
