Life in Soviet Union

Please understand that I am school student who has just learnt about USSR's policies. I wanted to know what modern day citizens of former-Soviet states think about USSR. Also, what they feel about Stalin today. Did they share the principle of unity against the West during cold war?

Please do not misunderstand me and help me realize the Soviet-era correctly. I am highly impressed by the innovative strength developed in the USSR. I need the ideas of the modern citizens of these states to understand the other side of the puzzle. Thanks!

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I wanted to know what modern day citizens of former-Soviet states think about USSR.

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Many different ideas. :) This is our past and it is not so simple so there is no way to express everything in one sentence. Be more specific if you want exact answers.

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Also, what they feel about Stalin today.

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Again many different ideas.

I think it will be useful for you to understand that Stalin's USSR was very-very different from USSR-after-Stalin.

I think that now nobody wants to live in the Stalin's USSR and only some old people want to live in the USSR-after-Stalin.

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Did they share the principle of unity against the West during cold war?

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At the time of 1970s-1980s (last two decades of USSR which contemporary people still remember) the communist ideology in USSR was a kind of formality. And the "unity against the West" was more the object of irony than the "principle to share". People mostly did not care about it.

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Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

Also, what they feel about Stalin today.

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He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.
Имя

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He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.

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"The most prominent and symbolic person of Russian history." And what exactly does it mean? Does it imply "he was good"? "I want to be like him"? "Most known all over the world"? "Most influenced the history and fate of Russia and the world"? If two first, he should be the last. If two last, he should be the first. His third place is a senseless compromise. Like an "average temperature over the hospital including morgue and infection department". Everybody who votes has in mind his own criteria no matter of what authors of poll say.

I always thought this kind of polls is made for political speculations only. It is not an answer to "what they feel about" question.

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Originally Posted by sperk

He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.
Имя

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Strange results!
I always thought Pushkin must take first place in any such polls. Here, Alexander Nevsky is first. OK, fine. Then there's this guy I've never heard of. Then comes You-Know-Who. And only then Pushkin! What???
Stalin was not Russian. Why is he even included in the list? And if the argument is that we're just talking about the most prominent personality of the Russian history, then here's the deal for you: had Hitler succeeded in doing what he wanted to do with Russia, he would've become a very prominent figure of the entire history of Russia. See where it's going?
Here's my humble suggestion for a revised list: kick out Lenin and Stalin. Bring in Chaykovsky and, well, Lev Yashin!
I sincerely hope I'm not offending anybody here...

Can the credit of rapid industrialization go to Stalin's dictatorship? How would things be different if a democratic government was installed in 1917? I expected the vast diversity in answers. It should certainly help if you say what you think about it. :)

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Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

Can the credit of rapid industrialization go to Stalin's dictatorship?

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Yep.

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Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

How would things be different if a democratic government was installed in 1917?

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It was, in February 1917. And the things were like they are.

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Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

I expected the vast diversity in answers. It should certainly help if you say what you think about it. :)

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Pay attention to the "Location" line of users in this thread. There is no one Russian.

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Originally Posted by it-ogo

Pay attention to the "Location" line of users in this thread. There is no one Russian.

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Come on, it-ogo, stop playing an Ukrainian-nationalist-wannabe. If we are speaking about the relation to USSR and Stalin you are no less Russian than myself.

Back to the topic question. In my opinion Stalin - is a typical criminal in power. Former bank robber who used the chaos of Revolution to grab the power. He trusted no one and built the entire state mechanism to serve his paranoidal policy. I really think that the harm he caused to my country is comparable with the harm caused by nazi invasion.

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Originally Posted by Misha Tal

Strange results!
...Here's my humble suggestion for a revised list: kick out Lenin and Stalin. Bring in Chaykovsky and, well, Lev Yashin!
I sincerely hope I'm not offending anybody here...

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I know it's a bit offtop,
Why not make a new thread with people's choices of famous Russians and inhabitants from country (and previous Russias) of Russia?

I agree about Tchaikovsky, and would add Rimsky-Korsakov, Gogol, Bulgakov and others. Like Mikhail Tsvet. No one now-a-days knows anything about Tsvet, but all the advances of modern sciences in chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, and many others use his invention or some variant of his invention, chromatography. Truly a great invention. One of the most important inventions of all time. Only scientists know about it. Sorry about offtop.

Ralph! How's it going?

I think it would help the group here if:

1. You told us if you are in College or High School or what?
2. Your current location (as it's not listed)
3. Are any of these questions for your class or are they just thoughts you have and want to learn more about USSR?

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Originally Posted by Basil77

Come on, it-ogo, stop playing an Ukrainian-nationalist-wannabe.

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I am no more than loyal citizen of my country and representative of my society. :D

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Originally Posted by Basil77

If we are speaking about the relation to USSR and Stalin you are no less Russian than myself.

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Still political and social processes in our countries are someway different and the difference in average viewpoint is growing. Sometimes I feel it clearly.

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Originally Posted by it-ogo

Still political and social processes in our countries are someway different and the difference in average viewpoint is growing. Sometimes I feel it clearly.

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And what this have to do with Stalin and USSR? :eek:

Для Сталина еще рано...а лет через 20 кто знает?
Первый канал. Новости. Памятник вождю мирового пролетариата Владимиру Ленину вызвал горячие споры на французском курорте

French town builds monument to Lenin. The sculptor wanted Stalin but said his time hasn't come yet, maybe in 20 yrs.
Lenin immortalised in Montpellier | RFI

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Originally Posted by rockzmom

Ralph! How's it going?

I think it would help the group here if:

1. You told us if you are in College or High School or what?
2. Your current location (as it's not listed)
3. Are any of these questions for your class or are they just thoughts you have and want to learn more about USSR?

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• I'm in High School.
• I live in Mumbai, India
• Generally because I want to learn more about Soviet era.

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Originally Posted by sperk

He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.
Имя

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Yeah, the greatest Russian executioner.

That project should be called "Фальшивое Имя России", actually.

"Our authorities claim that their goal is building a contemporarorary, mature developed society, but this requires other symbols. Under the banner of Stalin only a concentration camp can be built."
(V. Voinovich)

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.

Вопрос был про Сталина. Раз был, можно высказаться.

А про хорошее и плохое в СССР, где-то уже что-то было на форуме. Надо только поискать - я не помню точно когда. Я еще смеялся над тем, что некоторые писали, якобы дефицита не видели. А кто-то даже мне ответил, что я жил в другом СССР.

Хорошие вещи - многое было бесплатным или дешевым. И город не был так сильно уничтожен. Цены были стабильные.
Плохие вещи - дефицит, цензура, невозможность выехать за границу, невозможность потратить деньги.

The absolutely best thing about the Soviet Union is I was young. After the USSR fell apart, I keep getting older every year! I bet Chubais and Yavlinsky are to blame. Maybe Berezovsky too, but I am not sure. :biggrin: :-o

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Originally Posted by translationsnmru

The absolutely best thing about the Soviet Union is I was young. After the USSR fell apart, I keep getting older every year! I bet Chubais and Yavlinsky are to blame. Maybe Berezovsky too, but I am not sure. :biggrin: :-o

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Это точно! Эх, старый добрый совок, романтика! Первая сигарета, первый стакан, первая любовь, первая дискотека, первые поездки на картошку в деревенскую хлябь, первый сухой закон. Чубайса и Явлинского - на картошку и пусть срочно пройдут флюорографию! :)

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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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by mishau_

..и пусть срочно пройдут флюорографию! :)

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Меня на работе только на прошлой неделе заставили срочно пройти флюрографию. :) Вся и разница только в том что снимок сделали цифровой.

Я бы сам сейчас с удовольствием прошел. Аппарата нет, а без этого меня в больницу не кладут, и в клинике не хотят лечить. Благо страховая медицина выручит.

Вспомнил еще одну ложку дегтя в СССР - уголовная статься за тунеядство. Скажем писатель (или певец), кто заработал 100 000 рублей мог бы выйти из Союза писателей (или из Филармонии) и жить на на эти деньги не работая, много лет. Однако это было запрещено законом.

В этом случае это была бы простая формальность. Ни один идиот не захотел бы выходить из союза писателей (разве что уж сильно идейный диссидент, но там ситуация другая, и, скорее всего, применялась бы совсем другая статья). А вот тунеядствовать там можно было сколько хочешь. )))

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Originally Posted by mishau_

Вспомнил еще одну ложку дегтя в СССР - уголовная статься за тунеядство.

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Вообще-то, о покойниках или хорошо или никак. Ну, уж раз пошёл такой коленкор, то вспомнить есть что. Ну, например, отсутствие бомжей было обусловлено не экономическим процветанием, а уголовной ответственностью:

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Originally Posted by http://bse.sci-lib.com/article001405.html

В СССР действующее законодательство предусматривает при определённых условиях уголовную ответственность за Бродяжничество и попрошайничество. Под Бродяжничество понимается периодическая перемена места пребывания с целью уклонения от общественно полезного труда, а под попрошайничеством (которое нередко сочетается с Бродяжничество)- более или менее длительное существование за счёт выпрашивания у окружающих денег или других материальных ценностей в целях паразитического обогащения. К уголовной ответственности за Бродяжничество и попрошайничество привлекаются трудоспособные граждане, достигшие 18-летнего возраста. Подростков 16-18 лет, вовлечённых в Бродяжничество и попрошайничество, трудоустраивают либо помещают в детские учреждения [...]

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Originally Posted by Ramil

Ни один идиот не захотел бы выходить из союза писателей.

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Некоторых выходили.

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А вот тунеядствовать там можно было сколько хочешь. )))

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Там нормативы были. От одной до четырех книг в год, определенным тиражом. Тираж спускался сверху или утверждался, кажется, так что бестселлер без указания ПАРТИИ ни один член не написал бы.

Все-таки удивляет, Магомаев, обрел такую популярность, что давал по три концерта в день, собирая стадионы. В Минкульте посчитали, что слишком много денег для молодого певца, и запретили ему выступать в Москве. Потом уже на какой-то брежневской тусовке Сам о нем вспомнил, и его вернули.