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peacetraveler22) wrote2015-09-19 10:34 pm
Do you now live a thousand times better than during Soviet times?
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?
Let's start from the very beginning.
Soviet Union started in exceptionally bad situation: Civil war ended in 1924; originally quite poor Russian industry (in 1915 we had no riffles to supply army!) was almost destroyed, locomotives, cars and rails were devastated. The only help was the Depression: American and European engineers went to Soviet Union to earn money; companies were happy to sell the equipment. Illiterate workers learned machinery. And from such a starting point; Soviet scientists discovered spontaneous fission; after the devastating war they developed nuclear weapons second to US only. They were able to conquer space; to synthesize trans-U elements; to build Tokamaks. Trying to compare Soviet achievements to the West (Japan and Korea in this sense are Western countries) one has to remember difference in starting position, in people force (US alone was more populated than Soviet Union), in war damages.
One interesting thing: do you know Maksutov? Every amateur astronomer knows his name. During the war he received an order for a school telescope! So in the toughest battle ever Soviet government worked on school education spending valuable time of the prominent optical physicist.
In USSR all the people had access to education. I know guys who work on educational projects in Texas: you know, schools for colored people there are no match to Plano Senior :) You know how many Soviet engineers and scientist were welcomed around the world after the USSR collapse. They were so welcome because they were so educated.
If I were to recommend the best way even in modern technical education I would recommend to get BS in top Russian university and then shift to MS or PhD program in US (US always had beautiful grad education - but it required brain-drain system to supply talented people: BS programs and especially high schools were unable to prepare enough students).
2. Soviet medicine strength is its coverage: everybody has access to medicine. They tried to build comprehensive prophylaxis system but poor compliance prevented it to achieve extreme results. Nevertheless, the system itself was quite effective considering the resources consumed. And when people compare Soviet medicine to capitalistic - they take the richest capitalistic countries to compare!
There were plenty of bad things in Soviet medicine. There were plenty on bad things in any other medicine. There are plenty of bad things in any medicine.
Addon
Most people had access to free housing through their jobs. Formally it wasn't free: it was rented for a cheap price. Since the fall of Soviet Union people were entitled for FREE privatization of their previously rented housing (but no more than one unit per person - quite a reasonable limit). Generally units were pretty small compared to the American ones but the situation improved consistently. When Soviet Union started many families lived not even in the rooms but in the "corners": rooms were divided by fabric "walls". Cooperatives were pretty cheap considering possible 0% financing but many people preferred "rented" housing.
Generally, I would expect any middle class American to be terrified with typical Soviet apartment (like 450 sq ft for family with two children - it was considered pretty standard) but Russian people remembered much worse conditions :)
4. Everyone who wanted to earn much had a chance: all the time they hired people to work on the North or the East. If average salary was about 150-300 rubles per month (depending on year: the later, the higher); people in harsh conditions were able to earn several thousands. Surely it was a damn hell - but you know, oil guys in Alaska earned their big money no easier. Generally salaries were pretty adequate for modest live (I don't understand how Americans can survive on $11/hr - and it's not the lowest wage!). Most people preferred better climate, easier work and much less money :)
5. All the Western "armies" would be crushed like a bug in case of conflict provided the United States are abstain :) There were no Western "armies" besides the United States. And the war between USSR and US was almost impossible: there is no victor in full scale nuclear war. Both countries admired opponent's power and had to fight through the third countries or to negotiate.
6. I never heard such a myth :) Many Soviet people dreamed about authentic American jeans :) Food was generally reasonable: no Kobe meat, no junk food. We lacked precooked food but there were special stores of precooked food and restaurants. Women had to be able to cook :) Some traditional stuff was prepared by men (like Uzbeks cooked pilaf). There were no dystrophy nor obesity :)
- Children, which country has the best toys?
- Soviet Union!
- Children, which country has the best cakes?
- Soviet Union!
- Children, in which country there are the best playgrounds?
- In Soviet Union!
- Vovochka, why do you cry?
- A want to the Soviet Union!!!
Re: Addon