Why did the Soviet Calendar fail? (Short Animated Documentary)

Summary

The video explores attempts to reform calendars throughout history, focusing on the USSR's lesser-known experiment with a reformed Gregorian calendar in 1929. The Soviets introduced a five-day workweek, later modified to six days, to boost productivity and reduce religious influences like Sunday rest. However, the new system faced issues, including misaligned days off for workers and disruptions in machinery maintenance. Despite changes, the calendar reform was abandoned in 1940, returning to the traditional seven-day week. Stalin's idea ultimately failed due to inefficiencies and resistance from various industries.

Takeaways

• 📅 The Soviet Union reformed the Gregorian calendar in 1929, moving to a five-day week and later a six-day week.
• 🔨 The reform aimed to increase productivity by ensuring more workers were available at any given time.
• ⛪ A key reason for the reform was to eliminate religious influence, particularly Sundays' significance.
• 👷‍♂️ Workers would have different days off, with 1/5 of the workforce having a day off each day under the five-day week system.
• ⚙️ The new system faced issues: Sundays, previously used for maintenance, could no longer serve this purpose.
• 👪 Families and friends were frustrated because their days off didn’t align, causing discontent.
• 🔄 In response, the government introduced a six-day week, giving everyone specific days off each month, like the 6th, 12th, 18th, and 30th.
• 💼 Many industries didn’t fully adopt the new calendar system, contributing to its failure.
• 📉 The reform was abandoned in 1940, returning to a seven-day workweek with flexible employer control over days off.
• 🚫 Stalin’s calendar reform failed due to a mix of practical challenges and insufficient adoption across industries.

Q & A

What was the main reason behind the Soviet Union's attempt to reform the calendar?

The Soviet Union reformed the calendar to reduce religious influence, increase productivity, and ensure workers were more rested. They sought to break the traditional seven-day week, which included Sundays, considered a religious day.

How did the Soviet five-day week work in terms of worker schedules?

In the five-day week, workers were divided into five groups, with each group having a different day off. This allowed for continuous work throughout the week, ensuring that 80% of the workforce was always active.

What was the issue with machinery maintenance under the five-day workweek?

Previously, Sundays were used to repair machinery and catch up on unfinished tasks. Under the five-day workweek, the lack of a unified day off made it difficult to perform necessary maintenance, causing operational issues.

How did the public react to the new calendar system?

Many workers were disgruntled because their days off didn’t align with those of their friends and family, which caused dissatisfaction and social disruption.

What was the next reform after the five-day workweek, and why was it implemented?

The six-day workweek was implemented to resolve the problems of the five-day system. Workers had fixed days off on the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, and 30th of each month. However, this system also failed to fully solve the issues.

Why did Stalin abandon the reformed Soviet calendar by 1940?

Stalin abandoned the reformed calendar because many industries did not fully adopt it, and it caused more operational issues than benefits. The traditional seven-day week was reintroduced to improve efficiency.

Did the Soviet calendar replace the Gregorian calendar completely?

No, the Soviet calendar was used alongside the Gregorian calendar. It was specifically used for scheduling work shifts, while the Gregorian calendar remained in use for regular activities.

What were the national holidays in the Soviet reformed calendar?

In the Soviet reformed calendar, there were five national holidays that all workers could take off, regardless of their shift patterns.

What were the drawbacks of the six-day workweek reform?

The six-day workweek did not fix the issues with machine maintenance or social discontent, as workers still found it hard to synchronize days off with others. This, combined with partial industrial adoption, led to its abandonment.

Why was removing religious significance from Sundays important for Soviet leaders?

Soviet leaders, especially under Stalin, wanted to reduce religious influence in society. By reforming the calendar and eliminating the traditional Sunday rest day, they sought to diminish the religious significance associated with the day.