USSR

The Stalinist System

 A personal dictatorship in which loyalty is to one person only, Stalin in this case.
 A pervasive, restrictive system with forced labor, police control and violent
repression.
 Forced modernization
 A foreign policy that protects the Soviet border

Women in Stalinism
 During the Soviet Famine, women suffered from food shortages which threatened
their traditional role as family providers.
 Rapid industrialization and urbanization resulted in housing shortages, lack of
services etc.
 Women’s employment was more demanding and had more requirements.
 Large amounts of women were killed and imprisoned.
 They had to deal with the burden of losing fathers, husbands or sons.
 As a result of urbanization, women found new opportunities for work, study and
leisure but the ones left in the villages had to share the labor burden with fewer
resources.
 Women continued to encounter harassment, prejudice and exploitation.

Women in the U.S.

 350,000 women joined the armed forces

 7 million joined the work force

U.S. Women Similarities U.S.S.R Women

Had the right to vote in the They were both in the Started getting jobs in the
1920s workforce 1920s

During the Great Both made weapons Communism valued women

Depression in the 1930s, during the war. and considered them as an
men were still considered important part of the workforce
the breadwinners while and had an active role in
women were housewives politics

In the 1930s, federal
programs gave women
minimum wages compared
to men. (Capitalist
country=company decides
salary)
Both faced the double Women were paid equally to
burden. men for the same roles
(Communist
country=government decides
equal salary)

Same security benefits were
based on the traditional
family (it was harder for
widows or divorced women
to get these security
benefits)
Both were subjects of All women were strictly
propaganda campaigns. protected by the law and given
their rights (childcare, healthy
etc.)
 Propaganda campaign Both economies rose due Propaganda campaign targeted
targeted women as to women’s contribution women as figures of power with
consumers. to society respective roles.

It was difficult for women
to engage with education,
they would work as
operators or do public
service work or other
simple jobs.
During WW2, both Women and men were given
women in the USSR and equal educational opportunities
US were persuaded to and studied in fields like
support the war medicine and engineering.
(American women weren't
allowed to join as soldiers
but as transporting war
vehicles)

Women were not exposed Greater job opportunities for

to greater job opportunities women due to rapid
as men took more industrialization thus society
dominant roles. was being forced to incorporate
and utilize the productivity of
women.

Women in the U.S. weren't really welcomed as part of the workforce. Men accused them of
stealing their jobs.

USSR > war front-line

US> rationing, female jobs, scrimping

Or wearing red dresses, symbolizing their heroic stature under communism.