Thread: Life in Soviet Union

Enough about Stalin! I doubt anyone here remembers his time.

Maybe the people who have personal experience can make a list about the "Top 5 Good things about the USSR" and the "Top 5 Bad things about about USSR"

That would be very interesting.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Maybe the people who have personal experience can make a list about the "Top 5 Good things about the USSR" and the "Top 5 Bad things about about USSR"

That would be very interesting.

Well, I was only fourteen when USSR collapsed but I still remember something.

Good things about it (in comparison to present time):

1. Really free medical care.
2. Really free education.
2. Employees' rights were well protected. It was very hard for employer to fire one.
3. There was no abyss between reach and poor. The average lowest income was only 5-6 times less than the highest one (nowdays the difference is probably more than 100 times).
4. The real estate problem. Well, it existed as well, but it was a million times easier for an average family to get a flat than today.
5. People were much less cynical. Money spoil people for sure.
6. The crime level was noticably lower than today.
7. Much less tensions between ethnic groups.

Bad things.

1. The lack of manufactured goods and some delicacy food in stores. (Until the beginning of nineties the situation with common food was ok).
2. Stupid ideology (Grandpa Lenin bla,bla)&the monopoly of communist party. It sticked it's nose in almost every single part of people's life.
3. Iron curtain and censorship (but they ended several years earlier than USSR stopped to exist.

That's all I can think of for now.