“In the USSR vodka could be bought for three rubles sixty-two cents!” We’re going from Veliky Novgorod to Moscow by car Sergei, a trip which is booked through a search service for travel. Sergey 29 years old, and he’s already half an hour says, “how good life was in Soviet Union”. Obviously, not burdened by intellect and knowledge of the head Serezha price for a bottle of vodka is quoted in Russian rubles. He sees: pulls out his three metal Russian ruble, adds a lot of money — and voila, a bottle of vodka in his pocket. For a daily wage of 2,000 rubles, you can not a box but a whole car of vodka to buy. You have to explain to this uneducated half-wit, that in those days, about which Sergei so “appetizing” said his father, when vodka cost 3 rubles 62 kopecks, the average wage was 80 rubles a month! If divided by 22 working days — just for a day on a bottle of vodka can be earned.
But that’s not all! Here’s a quote about “blessed times”.
“— what’s the line? he wanted to know.
Vodka without coupons give.
— And how much does it cost without the coupons?
— You fell from the sky? turned into a woman. — Oh, sorry, you probably recently in Moscow, thirty rubles a bottle.
— Cheap! — Volodya was amazed. — I’m in the village for moonshine five hundred paid.
— So in the market we have the same take. We are, I think, is to drink? No. Well, men, are, of course, will pour in, and we women, look at the market…”
This is an excerpt from the novel by Vyacheslav Kondratyev “Leave to injury”.
the question Arises: if in the market for a bottle of vodka need to pay as much as 500 (five hundred!) rubles, how much time people earn in a month?
” Mom, Volodya climbed in my shirt’s pocket, — here’s the money. Lot of three my Lieutenant’s salary.
— what is this?
— a Lot. About two thousand”.
note: in 1942, we are talking about the salary of a Lieutenant in an effective fighting army, at the forefront. Ie people and risking their lives, blood shed, and for that, — less than 700 rubles a month! Disability pension at the moment — 350 rubles per month. The salary of a person in the workplace, in the rear — 500 rubles a month, exactly the price of a bottle of vodka on the market. The price in the state store benchmarks is not because of vodka freely available there.
And this situation with the vodka was for 74 years the Communist regime so many times.
there were long periods when the vodka was a deficit and the free market it was not. It and is clear: food-grade ethyl alcohol is then produced from food — wheat, potatoes, sugar beets. Will not be mistaken if I say that about two-thirds, i.e. approximately 50 years of 74 years of Communist rule in the Soviet Union there was a shortage of food. ACCestwenno if was not enough food and they were in short supply, and the alcohol was the same.
If you take roughly the approximate quantity necessary for the production of vodka, their prices will be as follows: producing a liter of vodka will take three pounds of wheat! How much bread gave out a day in the besieged Leningrad, recall?
So, as you know, if people lacked bread they did not eat their fill, how it can be spent on vodka production?
And drink people want. Yes because life, then what was? Take the Great Patriotic war. In the story “Sasha” in the same Vyacheslav Kondratyev is an episode: the wounded soldiers are in the rear of the hospital on their own. Lieutenant shrapnel or bullet damage to the nerve in the hand, and he suffers from unbearable pain. He needs to drink to dull the pain.
“Lieutenant, after a while took from his pocket a pack of trecator, counted, and nothing Sasha not to mention, disappeared. You see, in a village brew to get.
the dinner came and cheered a little when the food began to pass, pulled from his pocket a bottle of turbid yellowish brew and one onion for a snack.
— Know how much you guys pay?
How many?
‘ Five hundred!
— the Money-what a peaceful time! — surprised Sasha. The conscience they don’t?
And then just begged for money. If kerosinchika, say, or grain, or of the clothes, then we would be happy”.
Clearly? Of course. It was! Writer he took it all, and his novels are almost documentary in nature.
And this situation was not only during the war.
as far as I can remember in our working ghetto on the outskirts of Tashkent, a bottle of vodka always was a measure of mutual settlements. As a rule, for the performance of any work asked for money, but for the bottle. Or two — if there was a lot. But it’s the 1970-1980-ies. And the vodka was in the free market — like. You can and money for the work to take. But! The money could take away the beloved wife — that is not propyl. And if, instead of five to from the “bubble” — what more could you want?
In the late 1980s, the vodka is officially in store, it cost 10 rubles per bottle. That is, state the price was growing all the time — along with the average salary. The alcohol trade was entirely public. The money from the sale of alcohol was given to 40% of revenues. Nevertheless, vodka has become a deficit. Even at the price of 10 rubles per bottle! We have, in Tashkent, you could still get it. I suspect that the local underground producers have established production and distribution through the state trading network. After all, if there were tax stamps, any security labels, special bottles. Therefore, in the national republics tsehoviki the gift of time is not lost. But in the regions of the RSFSR of vodka was all the seams! In 1990, in Magadan for a bottle of vodka gave 80 rubles! ��the patch cleaners for a whole month. Young specialist with higher medical education received not much more than 100 rubles per month. Interestingly, in Magadan was distributed barter: coming on a business trip to Magadan brought vodka and changed it from a local for caviar and received a liter of red caviar fresh Ambassador for one bottle of vodka. Whatever you say, but the Soviet economy was well, completely idiotic!
So those who had access to the production, distribution and sale of vodka was in the chocolate. Interestingly, in Latvia, in Riga, in 1990 vodka at state prices was not to buy. In the “commercial” stores in abundance then appeared, it cost 25 rubles for a bottle. It, consider the week of the young professional.
Some might argue: “Well why do we need to measure in the vodka?”
Well, if not vodka — and a favorite of all fans of the Soviet doctor’s sausage, it was necessary to graft all day for the stick of the sausage. The stick weighed 2.5 kilograms, at a price of 2 rubles 20 kopecks per kg cost 5 rubles 50 kopecks. This is the daily earnings at the average wage of 110 rubles.
shovels Usual remark in such cases: “now that is better?”
Answer: Yes, 100 times better! And it is “100 times” — not a figure of speech, a mathematical calculation!
the food 40 to 50 times — and for the price, and assortment, quality and availability. And the rest? But in what ratio would you rate freedom of movement? And not only the freedom to travel abroad, but also the freedom of movement in their country! After the Soviet Union’s freedom of movement was not! The peasants did not have passports until 1976 (!) year. More than 50 million collective farmers obtained a passport in the period from 1976 to 1981 — see the corresponding decree of the USSR Council of Ministers from 1974. That is, farmers were essentially serfs. And what others? The other was somewhat easier, but without registration you never could live and work. That is, you could not wish to come to Moscow and get a job. First, it was necessary to obtain registration at the place of residence. And for registration needed housing in which you will register. Such housing could be apartment close relative. Another option for housing. That is, if you state as a particularly valuable specialist guides to work in the capital and provides housing, i.e., the exceptional case. The third option — to become “limits”. So disdainfully called those who were recruited in low-prestige, heavy and not very well paid job in industrial enterprises, working on conveyors of car factories, builders or simply the janitor in Zheke. Today’s opportunities to travel for paid work throughout the Russian Federation, and even around the world — this was not even close.
today, When some whine that “no workss” they want to say that Putin did not bring work home delivery. Work in all regions, and not only work, but also a normal salary. But you want all the ass to tear off the couch to make this work to find and obtain. No you are fifty meters from the entrance to your work to provide not have to. Look around: all over Russia — from Krasnodar to Yakutia, from Kaliningrad to Nakhodka — everywhere you can see migrant workers from Central (Central) Asia. They know that Russia — a great country.
