How the Balts lived during the "Soviet occupation"

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Today in the Baltic countries the years in the USSR are often called the occupation, but was life so bad in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia at that time? The Baltic states were called the "showcase" of the Soviet Union and the standard of living there was much higher than the national average.

Showcase of the Soviet Union

The Baltic States were called "the showcase of the Soviet Union." It was a kind of an island of Europe on the territory of the Soviet Union. Going there emotionally was like going abroad. It is no coincidence that, therefore, foreign films in Soviet films were filmed in the Baltics.

The appearance of the Soviet intelligence officer on Tsvetochnaya Street in the film "17 Moments of Spring" was on Jauniela Street in Riga. Sherlock Holmes' house on Baker Street was also filmed here. The plans for the films "Three Fat Men" and "City of Masters" were filmed in Tallinn. In the Baltics, many scenes were filmed in The Three Musketeers.

They also turned a blind eye to those things that were banned in the RSFSR. For example, rock and punk culture were actively developing here. Estonian punk bands Propeller and Para Trust appeared in 1979, in the 1980s the End of Capitalism group was created in Latvia, in 1986 in Estonia - the J. M. K. E. group. It still exists today.

Favored conditions

Such expanse in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia was caused by a number of factors. First of all, by special conditions that were provided to the Baltic countries after the war.

On May 21, 1947, by a closed resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), it was ordered to take into account the historical and economic traditions of this region and slow down the pace of collectivization in it. This preference in the Baltics continued until the collapse of the USSR. By the end of the 1980s, more than 70% of agricultural products in the Baltics were produced and sold by individual farms (“individual farmers”).

It should also be noted that in the 1940s-1960s, passports were not confiscated from the Baltic collective farmers (as in most republics of the USSR, except for the regions of Transcaucasia).

The level of wages in the Baltics also differed from the average for the Union. From the end of the 1940s to the 1990s, the salaries of Baltic workers, collective farmers and engineers were 2-3 times higher than in most republics and on average throughout the Union, and prices, rent and electricity tariffs were lower.

According to statistics, in 1988 Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians consumed 84, 85 and 90 kg of meat and meat products per year, respectively. On average in the USSR, this figure was no more than 64 kg.

Consumption of milk and dairy products: Lithuania - 438 kg / person per year, Latvia - 471 kg / person per year, Estonia - 481 kg / person per year. The average for the USSR is 341 kg / person per year.

Roads

Not Kaliningrad, but Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian ports were the main western sea gates of the Soviet Union. Until now, their share in the foreign trade traffic of Russia exceeds 25%, the ports built in the Soviet years continue to bring income to the Baltic countries.

In the 70s and 80s, oil pipelines were laid to these ports. Highways in the Baltics were also excellent. In terms of quality, they ranked first in the USSR. The second place was occupied by Western Ukraine, the third - by Transcaucasia. The RSFSR was in 12-13th place.

Brands

The Baltics of the USSR times were famous for their brands. Such, for example, as "VEF", "Radiotekhnika", cars "RAF", "Riga balsam", "Riga bread", Riga cosmetics "Gintars", "Riga sprats". The Riga Carriage Works produced electric trains ER-1 and ER-2.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fate of these brands turned out to be sad.

"VEF", which during the Union years was one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronics, radios, telephones, machine tools, provided jobs for more than 14,000 people at a plant in Riga and another 6,000 in the rest of Latvia, giving a profit of $ 580 million a year, in the mid-90s. x filed for bankruptcy. Today there is a shopping center on the site of the plant.

The same fate befell the RAF. In 1997, production at the plant was stopped. In a bitter twist of fate, the hearse was the last model to roll off the assembly line of the once-thriving factory. As of 2010, most of the buildings of the plant were destroyed, and in their place are shopping areas.

The former giant, the Riga Carriage Works, barely survived the nineties. In 1998, the plant was declared insolvent. The volume of production has been significantly reduced. By 2001, there were less than one and a half hundred employees at the plant (there were 6,000 in the USSR). Now the plant is divided: half went to private entrepreneurs, the other half continues to work, but in volumes that cannot be compared with Soviet times.

Sport

The Baltic States were a real experimental forge of personnel for Soviet and world sports. Hockey, football, basketball, and sailing were actively developing there. The Lithuanian football club "Zalgiris" played at the 1987 Universiade as the USSR national football team and confidently took first place.

At the Riga "Dynamo" the great Viktor Tikhonov worked out his famous schemes and training system.

It was during the years of his work in Riga that Tikhonov came up with his know-how: playing in four links, and brought his team from the second league to fourth place in the USSR championship.

Alexander Gomelsky forged his coaching skills in SKA Riga. His team three times became the champion of the USSR and three times - the owner of the European Champions Cup. Tallinn hosted sailing competitions at the 1980 Olympic Games. The USSR national sailing team at that Olympics took the honorable second place, losing to the Brazilians.

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