Category: USSR and Former Soviet Republics

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USSR: Stalin’s Economy, a Personal Story. Part 4 of 4

Image result for soviet people

(continued from part 3)

Life in the USSR: Stalin and beyond

As to rural areas, I can offer some personal experience in addition to the government statistics.

In the summers of 1951, 1956, and 1962, I vacationed on the beaches of the Black Sea (Northern Caucasus). My parents took me there in 1951, and I went on my own the other two times. Our trains stopped for a long time at multiple railway stations along the way. In the 1950s many locals brought food to sell to the passengers. There were boiled, fried, and smoked chickens; boiled eggs, home-made sausages, hot pastries with a multitude of fillings like fish, meat, liver, and mushrooms, and so forth. In 1962 their only offers were hot potatoes and pickles. Continue reading “USSR: Stalin’s Economy, a Personal Story. Part 4 of 4”

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USSR: Stalin’s Economy, a Personal Story. Part 1 of 4

Image result for ussr sport parade

By Prof. Valeriy Antonovich Torgashev

Foreword by Nikolay Starikov, who published prof. Torgashev’s letter on his blog:

I receive about a 100 letters every day. You, my dear reader, criticize or thank me, send me your reviews and articles. Some of them require further study, others deserve immediate publication.

Today I offer you something that is certainly worthy of your attention. The topic discussed is very important. Professor Valeriy Antonovich Torgashev tells us about the USSR of his childhood. Continue reading “USSR: Stalin’s Economy, a Personal Story. Part 1 of 4”

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Soviet Union through The Eyes of Common People

To common folk living in the Soviet Union times, the country is not remembered in terms of “$1=76 kopecks,” “the strongest military,” or “the all-mighty KGB.” I mean, we all knew we were well protected and could always count on our country’s military and its KGB, by we didn’t really see its might. A common person didn’t have a slightest idea of what a dollar looked like. We weren’t thinking about Soviet Union’s GDP, its grand industry, or its economic growth. We were thinking in different terms and looked at other things: Continue reading “Soviet Union through The Eyes of Common People”

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Why I Moved to Russia. Story 1 of 7

By Oleg Vereshyagin

Hans, 11 years old, German:  I don’t want to be “the German!”

Painting "Afternoon Tea"

If anyone remembers, there was a TV program in soviet times called They Chose USSR. It was about people from capitalist countries who for whatever reason moved to “the correct” side of the Iron Curtain. The program was most certainly buried with the beginning of perestroika [perestroika means restructure, rebuild in Russian – RV], for it became fashionable to talk about the Kramorovs and Nurievs, who went West in hopes of high praises of their enormous talents and were happily creative there. This was hard to grasp for the rest of us, miserable soviet red necks. Actually, the flow of people was mutual; more than that – after a while the “from there to here” flow was GREATER. This thought will seem strange and unusual for our counterparts, poisoned with Ogoneks [liberal, anti-patriotic periodicals – RV] and such, even those more patriotic.

Continue reading “Why I Moved to Russia. Story 1 of 7”

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Why I Moved to Russia. Story 2 of 7

(continued from part 1)

By Oleg Vereshyagin

Max, 13 years old:  A burglary of the neighbors’ cellar.

(not the first burglary on his list, but the first one in Russia)

Painting "Expecting a Baby"

The police officer who came to see us was very polite. It is a generally common feature with Russians: they treat foreigners from Europe in a shy-polite-alert sort of way, and it takes a long time for them to acknowledge someone as “one of their own.” What he had to say frightened us. It turns out, Max committed a CRIMINAL OFFENCE – BURGLARY! And we were lucky he hadn’t turned fourteen yet, otherwise there would be a case with real prison time of up to five years! It meant he was spared the full consequences by the three days that remained until his fourteenth birthday! We couldn’t believe our ears. It turns out, one can indeed be imprisoned at the age of fourteen in Russia! We were sorry we came here.

Continue reading “Why I Moved to Russia. Story 2 of 7”

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Why I Moved to Russia. Stories 3 & 4 of 7

(continue from part 2)

By Oleg Vereshyagin

Mikko, 10 years old, Finland:  The snitch.

Zorko, 13 years old, Serbia:  About Russian Carelessness.

Painting "Cottage by the River"

Mikko got beat up by four of his classmates. As far as we could tell – it really wasn’t too serious: he was knocked off his feet and hit a few times with backpacks. [Textbooks used in Russia are about 1/4 the size the ones we are used to see in the U.S.; consequently Russian children’s backpacks are not so bulky and weigh much less – RV] There was a reason for that. Mikko bumped into a couple of boys smoking in the orchard behind the school building; was offered a smoke, too, but refused it and immediately told his teacher about it. The teacher punished the little offenders by taking away their cigarettes and making them wash the floor of their classroom (that latter fact alone astonished us in this whole story) She never directly mentioned Mikko’s name, but it was really not that hard to figure out who ratted the boys out.

Continue reading “Why I Moved to Russia. Stories 3 & 4 of 7”

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Why I Moved to Russia. Stories 5, 6, & 7 of 7

(continued from part 3 & 4)

By Oleg Vereshyagin

Anne, 16; Bill, 12, Americans:  What is work?

Twins Charley and Sharleen, 9 years old, Americans:  Particulars of life in Russian rural area.

Adolf Bravik, 35 years old, Switzerland.  Father of three children.

Offers of babysitting services perplexed people or caused laughter. Anne was upset and rather surprised when I explained to her that Russians don’t seek babysitting services for children ages seven and up. Kids usually play, go outside, and do anything and everything – including school and after-school activities – on their own. Children younger than that usually stay home with their grandmothers or mothers; nannies are hired by wealthy families for babies and toddlers. High school girls are not invited for such jobs, only experienced women who make their living doing it.

Continue reading “Why I Moved to Russia. Stories 5, 6, & 7 of 7”