Social History of the Soviet Union Quiz

Answer: Stalin

After Lenin's death in 1924 there was a power struggle in the leadership of the Soviet Union. Stalin became the dictator of the USSR by 1927-28. Brezhnev and Krushchev were not on the political scene at that point. Trotsky was exiled to Kazakhstan in 1928 and expelled from the Soviet Union in 1929 by Stalin. By 1928 Stalin was firmly in control and at the very beginning of 1929 he ordered that the five-year plan was to be completed one year early.

Answer: Malenkov

Stalin died in 1953, leaving a sort of power vacuum. The group close to the center of power began by having Lavrenti Beria, the much feared head of the secret police since 1939 and would-be successor, shot. Georgi M. Malenkov became the leader for a period, while Krushchev was the leader of the Communist Party. Krushchev actually became premier following Bulganin. So the proper order is Stalin, Malenkov, Bulganin, then Krushchev in 1958.

Answer: True

Alcoholism is cited by many historians as being the main factor behind the high rate of absenteeism and truancy in the U.S.S.R. (Some larger factories even had drying-out rooms where workers who arrived for work drunk could rest). The effect of widespead alcoholism on work discipline was devastating.

It was so rampant that in late 1980s, Gorbachev went so far as to try to limit consumption to two bottles of vodka per week per family.

Answer: True

Even until the late 1980s and early 1990s, communal housing (families having some private rooms but shared livings spaces, kitchens, and bathrooms) was a major problem in most of Soviet cities. (Source: "The Supreme Soviet Session--IV; Discussion of Plan and Budget Reports; in the Council of the Union." Izvestia, October 22, 1987.

The Current Digest of the Soviet Press, December 9, 1987.)

Answer: False

The state did not of course allow personal ownership of investment property, such as shops, apartment blocks or factories, but allowed for personal property. The general principle was that people were allowed to own things that they *used*, so individuals were able to buy cars and even to own country homes.

(Of course, under Stalin's rule poor work discipline was not tolerated, but by the Brezhnev era this had changed).

Answer: Submit a working script different from the final version

Film directors were known to submit an idea that they knew would be approved and then change the script subtely, or maybe not so subtely, as they went through the filming process. As a result, Soviet films in the late 1970s and 1980s were quite bold in their statements.

Answer: 1991

On February 7, 1990 the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agreed to give up its monopoly of power. Throughout the rest of 1990 various republics pulled out of the Union (Estonia and Lithuania). On August 20, 1991, the republics of the Soviet Union were to sign a new union treaty, making them independent republics in a federation with a common president, foreign policy and military.

In November of 1991, Yeltsin banned the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. On December 9, 1991, the leaders of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian republics declared that the Soviet Union was dissolved and replaced by the "Commonwealth of Independent States".

Answer: Gorbachev

Due to his efforts to recreate the USSR, Gorbachev was recognized by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer: False

If it was at all possible, Soviet citizens would buy foreign-made products and merchandise.

Answer: Putin

In Soviet times, Putin had been a member of the KGB, and his election was seen by some as a retrograde step.