What was the life in the USSR like

Michael Kuznetsov · **Posted:** Mon May 19, 2008 1:06 pm

Hi Folks,

This thread is a kind of continuation of another one on this Forum, entitled I was sent this link today, which was started on 14th May 2008.

I would like to give here a short sketch of how we lived in the USSR.

First of all, I deem it wise to emphasize the following three points.

First, all what I write on this Forum is my personal feelings and views, although I am convinced that the similar feelings and views have been shared by millions of my compatriots.
Second, it is important to remember that I personally have never been a member of the Communist Party.
Third, I am not going either to promote whichever political ideals, or to defend, praise or detract whatever political system.
I DO ONLY PROVIDE YOU WITH AN INSIGHT.

Some 20 years ago, when the Iron Curtain was still hindering personal contacts and the free exchange of information was hampered, we common people in the Soviet Union had constructed -- of course! -- our own set of stereotypes about the West. Since one of the conspicuous traits of our ethnic Russian character has been a tendency to romanticize the foreigners – especially the Europeans – so our stereotypes about the West were very ''rosy''.
Excessively rosy, I would say.

We Russians (or the Soviets, if you wish to call us this way) used to consider Western Europe to be almost a paradise, while the United States to be a complete paradise on the Earth.

At the same time, our ''red commissars'' used to teach us about the following:
1. That, allegedly, there is unemployment in the West – We common Soviet citizens would laugh at that silly idea: What unemployment could ever exist in a paradise (the West)? So, we did not believe in that, especially because since 1932 in our country we had had no unemployment at all.
2. That, allegedly, there are homeless and poor people in the West – We did not believe in that, either, because by the mid-1950s we have already re-built almost all of the 1700 (one thousand and seven hundred) cities and towns, as well as 70000 (seventy thousand) villages entirely devastated by the German invaders during the Great Patriotic War. Indeed, if we Russians had no homeless people here, how could those wretched persons exist in the rich and affluent West? Unthinkable!
3. That, allegedly, there are a lot of people in the West who cannot afford the proper medical care – We laughed especially loudly at this commies’ assertion, because all of us Russians (pardon: Soviets

) had always free medical care, including complicated surgical operations. Free of charge, I repeat!
4. That, allegedly, the Higher Education in the West is very expensive – Since we in the Soviet Union had FREE Higher Education, so we did not believe that anything in the rich western ''paradise” might be anyhow worse than that with us here.
And so on, and so forth.

Since the Iron Curtain has fallen and we have got free access to the immediate information from abroad, we have changed dramatically our stereotypes about the West.
Now we can clearly see that there is no paradise there …
It was a great disappointment, alas.

Now, a few words about the word Communism. Strictly speaking, that ''Communism'' which was proclaimed by Karl Marx, has never existed on the Earth. What we had in the Soviet Union was Socialism.

Walter Duranty -- a British-born American correspondent who had lived and worked in the USSR in the 1930s -- wrote in his book I Write As I Please (ed. N.Y., 1936, page 339): ''... Socialist system is the abolition of the power of money and the profit motive and of the possibility for any individual or group of individuals to gain surplus value from the work of others. This and this alone is the true foundation of Socialism''.

In fact, what we had in the Soviet Union I would rather call a ''State Capitalism with elements of Socialism'' than ''pure Socialism''. The notion of social equity has always been very close and dear to the Russian people's Orthodox Christian mentality. Which is why most of our people accepted Socialism in their heart.

Well, let's compare some figures.
Today, in the USA the top managers of great companies have been getting an income which is 600 times bigger than that of an average worker. Imagine!
While in the USSR there existed the following scale of incomes (approximately):
Let's take the lower-paid worker's income for 100 percent. Then, an ordinary engineer received 200 percent, a very skilled worker received 300 percent, a manager (boss) of a factory received 400 percent, a very big ''industrial boss'' received 500 percent, and finally a State Minister received 600 percent.
So, the ratio between the lowest and the highest salary was 1 : 6, not 1 : 600 as in America. Feel the difference.

In the USSR the most acute was THE HOUSING PROBLEM

No wonder!
When the Great Patriotic War ended in 1945, there were in the Soviet Union 25 million absolutely homeless people who had to take shelter in dug-outs.

Literally in dug-outs, because 1,700 cities and towns, as well as 70,000 villages were burnt to the ground by the two-legged animals -- the German invaders!
The whole of Belorussia, the Ukraine, and the western part of Russia were reduced to ashes . . .

Another problem, connected to the first one, was also the harsh Russian climate. While, say, in England you can build a house with its walls of only one-brick-layer thickness, at the very same time in Russia the walls MUST be made of, at least, three brick layers.

Plus the intense heating, which has been absolutely necessary during six of each twelve months a year.
Plus doubled window framing, doubled doors, etc.

Simply put, this means that a common average house in Russia has always been about three times more expensive than a common average house in England.

It is self-evident that in the USSR the common people's income could not be big enough as to buy a house, the more so that no mortgage existed.

But the Soviet Authorities used to allocate cosy and warm DWELLINGS , flats or apartments with all affordable amenities, to the Soviet citizens FREE OF CHARGE, the monthly rent for a state-owned flat not exceeding 5 or 7 percent of the average worker's monthly salary.

NO HOMELESS PEOPLE EXISTED IN THE USSR.

NO UNEMPLOYMENT.

NO STARVING PEOPLE.

NO BEGGARS IN THE STREETS.

A 28-DAY FULLY PAID HOLIDAY (VACATION) A YEAR.

NO MORTGAGE EXISTED -- HENCE NO FINANCIAL BONDAGE.

FREE EDUCATION, INCLUDING THE HIGHER.

FREE MEDICAL CARE, INCLUDING COMPLICATED SURGERY OPERATIONS.

FREE SANATORIUM VOUCHERS, BED & FOOD INCLUDED, UP TO 14 DAYS A YEAR.

NO DRUG ADDICTION (NARCOMANIA).

SPORADIC, MINIMAL STREET CRIME.

Almost forgot: VODKA.
Yes, it is true, we Russians can drink much more of vodka than the Westerners, who prefer to sip alcohol beverages deluted with something. Perhaps, it is because we have a stronger stomach

, a better health :roll:

, and a more severe climate :!:

.
We have an old saying: ''What is good for a Russian, is frequently lethal for a German''. But in general, the story of ''Russian alcoholism'' is greatly exaggerated. The ''drunkards'' could have never managed to launch the first Cosmonaut in Space, it is evident.
I myself do not drink vodka.

So, to conclude the first part of my recollections, I would say that the life of the common man (and woman, of course) in the USSR was quite normal and stable, frequently rather pleasant. At least, it was not similar to that nightmare which has been usually portrayed by the Hollywood movies.
What is most essential: We used to live quietly without any fear. Believe me!

Next time I am going to tell you about how we lived through the Cold War.