The Soviet government was not prepared for defense in the early stages of the war, and the Germans succeeded in raiding the Soviet Union for 600 kilometers in 10 days. When the war ended, about 26.6 million citizens of the Soviet Union were killed. In order to quickly restore the population, the SOVIETS DECIDED TO promulgate new population policies, which were humane?
All the countries that participated in World War II suffered heavy casualties. Although the battlefield was still dominated by male soldiers, the Soviet Union decided to let a small number of female soldiers participate in the war when there were no soldiers available at the end of the Great Patriotic War. However, this still did not change the serious imbalance between men and women in the Soviet Union, and even in the streets of the Soviet capital, it was difficult to see a young man.
In order to win the war, a large number of soldiers were sent to the battlefield after only a few months of training. The cumulative losses of the Red Army during World War II were as high as 11.5 million, and almost every family in the country had young adults forced to participate in the war. It can be said that by the end of the war, the Soviet Union had lost half of its population. However, the Soviet Union became one of the countries with the fastest population recovery at that time. So how did the Soviet Union do this?
First, in Lenin's time, abortion was legal for women. However, after the end of World War II, the Soviet government banned abortion except when a child had a genetic disease or if birth would endanger the mother's health. The decree was promulgated to solve the problem of insufficient troops in the Soviet Union for the next 20 years. Although the Nazis had been eliminated, the United States was trying to compete with the Soviet Union for hegemony. The Soviet Union must therefore expand its military to deal with the U.S. threat.
Although the Soviet Union, like the United States, was vast and sparsely populated. However, the United States lost little in World War II, and neither the German nor Japanese troops reached the United States. The United States only fought in the Pacific and the Western Front in Europe. Thus, the United States could quickly shake off the shadow of war, while the Soviet Union had to face the problem of a shrinking population.
Second, the Soviet government decided to increase the amount of child subsidies. Because the Postwar Soviet economy did not recover quickly, many families could only achieve food and clothing, so they were reluctant to have children. The Soviet government stipulated that every Soviet family with a fourth child would receive a monthly allowance. When the child reaches the age of 5, the government will no longer provide assistance.
Not only are married couples eligible for this subsidy, but unmarried mothers' first three children are also given a monthly sum of money until her children turn 12. The promulgation of this subsidy policy will undoubtedly reduce the burden of raising children on Soviet parents. It can increase fertility enthusiasm and alleviate the demographic pressure in the Soviet Union. But after a rapidly growing population, the overwhelmed Soviet government soon announced a cut in half of the subsidy amount.
The last policy was the most controversial, when the Soviet Union changed the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 16. Although only 2 years ahead, this policy is inhumane. First of all, the 16-year-old girl's mind is not yet fully mature. At the age when they were supposed to be in high school, they had to get married and have children, and it was hard to imagine whether these girls could become a qualified mother. Secondly, adolescence is ignorant, and it is likely that it will be privately determined for life because of a momentary impulse. When the passion fades and they find that they are not human, how do these girls spend the rest of their lives?
It is not unreasonable that the legal age is over 18 years old, because the younger the girl, the greater the risk at birth and the potential for adverse effects on the child. Underage women not only do not have fully developed bones and body organs, but they may also have difficulty giving birth during childbirth. Therefore, a 16-year-old girl is not suitable for being a mother, whether psychologically or physically.
However, in order to solve the problem of low fertility rate and small population base, the Soviet Union decided to raise the age of marriage for women by 2 years. Although this move can quickly restore the population in a short period of time, it will also cause many social problems. Doing so is suspected of harming the interests of the people. While it is true that the Soviet Union became one of the countries with the fastest population recovery after the war, this policy was really inhumane.