Do you now live a thousand times better than during Soviet times?

[peacetraveler22]

If time travel ever becomes possible, I would transport myself back to Moscow or the province in the 1970's or 80's to better understand the realities of life in Soviet times. Looking at old photos in books or online, I can hardly envision such a system of life where everything is so structured and predestined. This is the eternal debate amongst my older Russian friends and readers - the pros and cons of life in the USSR vs. modern day Russia. Tonight I read an article written by a man who was only nine years old when the Soviet Union collapsed. However, he claims this was long enough to form a strong enough opinion about life in the USSR to know that he never wishes to return. His observations seem a bit shallow and naive on the surface. He takes a few of the most commonly expressed strengths of the Soviet system, and explains why they are misconceptions. Please remember these are not my personal views, but the opinions of a former resident in the Soviet Union. Let's begin with education...

Myth 1: The Soviet education was the best in the world



There's a common belief that education in the Soviet system was good, perhaps even the best in the world.  However, this was largely a result of propaganda, and it's important to ask the primary question of how a "great" education should be measured?  It's clear that scientific progress in the West was no less than in the USSR.  Moreover, if everyone was so smart in the USSR, why couldn't they make good cars and VCRs? Something is wrong here, and doesn't add up.

Myth 2: Soviet medicine was better

Obviously, the quality of medical care was worse in Soviet times.  It has always been worse when compared to decaying capitalist countries. Life expectancy in the USSR was lower than the "enemy" at all times.

Reasons for lower life expectancy are simple - lack of modern medicines and treatments. While every effort was being made to create the next warheads, citizens died without having access to advanced diagnostics or care.

Myth 3: Free housing

A common misconception about the USSR is that everyone lived for free. In fact, there was no free housing but cooperatives, which cost an average sum, payable through reasonable installments for 25 years. Everyone in the USSR had a roof over their head, but the quality of housing was horrible and inferior in quality. After the collapse of the USSR, the owners of these apartments were faced with the need to privatize for big money, otherwise the housing became the property of the city. What, in general, makes housing better during Soviet times? Nothing.



Myth 4: In the Soviet Union, there was no unemployment or homeless

The main problem here was the equalization of labor in low wages, where many people lived paycheck to paycheck, creating a low standard of living for the majority. It's better to provide economic incentives for high quality work, rather than simply handing people wages. The latter creates lazy and entitled workers. Side note from me: I dont' understand employment during Soviet times? How were people hired? They picked their own jobs, or the choice was made by the government?

Myth 5: The most powerful army in the world!

Classic point of discussion for lovers of the USSR! Yes, the Union had a strong army, to the "defense industry" money was never spared. The Soviet forces were greatly feared abroad, but there are two important points. (1) A strong army has no effect on the lives of ordinary people, except in the negative direction (when all power goes to the creation of tanks, there remains no funds for infrastructure and other improvements); and (2) the Armies of Western countries were no less strong.

Myth 6: Products and clothes were better in the USSR


This is complete nonsense according to the author. In Soviet times, everything was worse with clothing and consumer choice. People wore shoes for ten years, and it was the same with all other clothes which were of poor quality. Remember how everyone was so desperate for Levis and other American jeans?

In his opinion, the absolute worst part of life in the USSR was the lack of choice in everything - education, work, food, clothing. Soviet citizens couldn't leave the country or really choose the accommodations which best fit their own personality, goals or comfort.  Individuality was suffocated. The government planned human life from birth to death. In general, it completely ruined the country and strangled motivation.

The author's final words - "God forbid that we all go back. Now we live a thousand times better." Do you agree?

P.S. - is the term "совок" offensive and derogatory, or it's okay to use?

Comments

[buddhistmind.livejournal.com]

pretty much, but I have to disagree about the medical system. Doctors were paid well, were quite nice and attentive to the needs of patients usually. I'm sorry about your and your mother's bad experience. I've never heard of doctor's yelling or "bullying" the kids (!). Most people miss the good medical care of the U.S.S.R. It wasn't the best, but decent. It was decent even compared to the MODERN U.S. and Europe's systems. And one more thing: most doctors in the U.S.S.R. would choose the health care because of their longing, the wish to help people, not like in the U.S. now, where people choose medicine just to earn a lot of money , and, as a result, they usually have got straight A's, score high, know a lot etc,, but are NOT good doctors and "diagnosticians", because they don't really _connect_ to the people being treated. Health care is more than just a profession, it's a spiritual path...

[morreth.livejournal.com]

Don't you ever, EVER tell of decent payment in Soviet medicine.

http://22-91.ru/statya/zarplaty-v-sssr-srednjaja-zarplata-sovetskogo-cheloveka-165-rublejj-75-kopeek-v-mesjac/08.08.2011

My aunt was a nurse. She could make a living only taking extra shifts and patronage patients. Surgeons and dentists were paid better because they took bribes. When not bribed, they did their cut-and-stitch as they did it to my mothers.

And most drugs were out of date and of terrible quality.

[buddhistmind.livejournal.com]

because you're from Ukraine. In the Russian Soviet State doctors were paid OK. I've got quite a few relatives, who were (some still are) doctors.

Some drugs were more or less outdated , the quality was slightly worse than in the rest of developed world. But overall medical service was BETTER than in the West.

[morreth.livejournal.com]

Don't try to feed this shit to Shannon. The charge scale was the one all over the Union, Ukraine or Uzbekistan, no matter. People who worked in far North and some specific sites could have extra payment, but it all was in accordance with wages scale. Your relatives either worked in far North or took extra shifts and worked themselves unconscious, or took bribes.

[buddhistmind.livejournal.com]

Watch your mouth. You will speak like this with your friends.

In Ukraine and many other peripheral areas people were much poorer. Actual pay was different everywhere. If you don't know even this thing, stop pulling this crap, you'll fool no one.

[morreth.livejournal.com]

Go stuff yourself, payed putinbot. You were but a larva in Soviet time, what could you possibly know?

[iamschik.livejournal.com]

I think, you are right, and your opponent is either paid bot, or simply dellusuional.

[saccovanzetti.livejournal.com]

"Most people miss the good medical care of the U.S.S.R."

That was funny to read...
You obviously did not get sick much in those days...

It started right at birth: staph infection was rampant at birthing hospitals; there was no anesthesia; Caesarian sections were extremely rare and may babies died or had severe trauma due to inability of women to give birth quickly.

Wait times for most basic visits at local clinics were very long: people could wait several hours in line to see a doctor. There was not enough modern advanced cancer fighting medicines, modern prosthetics, physical rehabilitation after major surgeries was poor in most cases. Dental care was horrible. I was surprised how well educated average American doctors and especially nurses were compared to Soviet ones. I had an abdominal surgery when I was 10, at a leading Moscow hospital for children - and I had to spend three weeks there because they did not sew me up cleanly, I had surgical wound infection and ugly wide scars for the rest of my life (which were treated at the hospital with full bathing in tap water bath, with industrial disinfectant in it). There was no nurse around when I woke up after general anesthesia in the middle of the night (it was done with ether) and I was in so much pain that it was impossible to get up and go to bathroom (and where would I find a bathroom - I was never told in advance?!) Other kids who slept all the way 'till the next morning, had to be woken up by nurses slapping them on the face rather hard (they could slip into coma otherwise). We had good care afterwards - caring doctors, games to play, snacks, TV - but it was rare, I think, and did not make up for how poorly the surgeries were prepared. Psychiatric care hospitals were horrible too but I can't compare them to American ones of that time since I don't know what they looked like.