Quote Originally Posted by Eric C. View Post
OK, when it was "national property", did your parents really own at least a small part of it? Did they draw any dividends from the state enterprises, and so on?
Actually, they did. They had free healthcare, they could spend 24 days a year on some resort (for free also), people who worked in the north could have even more free days. Children went to school for free, and students even received stipendiums. There was nearly 100% employment. A ride in public transport cost 3-5 kopecks (less than $0.01 by the black market rouble rate). I'd call this rather fair dividends. In fact they received even more than the state could afford in its latter years.