Who fed whom in the USSR

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

The former Soviet republics believed they were feeding "bottomless Russia." And when the Union collapsed, everyone realized that it was exactly the opposite.

DECOMPOSITION AS AN INEVITABILITY?

Every August after 1991, we remember the State Emergency Committee, the failed "putsch", Mikhail Gorbachev, the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, and we ask ourselves: was there an alternative to the collapse of the great country?

Not so long ago I came across a Soviet book of fairy tales of the peoples of the USSR with a remarkable picture on the cover. A Russian boy plays the accordion, and children of different nations began to dance. We can say that all nationalities dance to the Russian accordion. And you can look at it differently, while everyone is having fun, the Russian is working.

"Lenin's national policy" built political, cultural and economic relations in the USSR in such a way that they most of all began to resemble the proverb "one with a bipod, and seven with a spoon."

Moreover, it was not about an accidental mistake, not about a bias, but about the deliberate policy of the Bolsheviks, who believed that it was necessary to humiliate the Russian people in order to elevate others at the expense of their hated "great power". Even the head of the Soviet government, Rykov, was dismissed from his post after declaring that "he considers it unacceptable that other peoples live off the Russian muzhik."

THIRTEEN WITH SPOON

By 1990, a situation had developed in the USSR with the distribution of the contribution to production and the distribution of income across the republics, which was reflected in the published table. Only two republics, the RSFSR and Belarus, were "with a bipod" and produced more than they consumed. The other thirteen "sisters" walked around with a spoon.

Someone had a small spoon - Ukraine, and we understand that the east of Ukraine produced, and even in excess, but the west consumed, and, at the same time, was eager for independence.

The Central Asian republics produced very little, but also consumed relatively little, although only in Kyrgyzstan the level of consumption was slightly lower than in the RSFSR.

The Baltic republics produced a lot, but consumed much more; in fact, the Soviet leaders tried to bribe them with an extremely high standard of living for the USSR.

But Transcaucasia found itself in the most striking position. With a relatively modest production - a huge volume of consumption, which was striking also visually for those who had to visit Georgia - private houses, cars, carpets, feasts with barbecue and endless toasts …

At the same time, in all these republics they liked to speculate that it was they who were feeding “bottomless Russia” and the rest of the parasites of a large Soviet collective farm. And as soon as they separate, they will heal even richer.

LAST IN LINE TO FEEDER

In fact, this entire magnificent banquet was paid for by a Russian peasant, worker and engineer. Each of the 147 million residents of the RSFSR actually gave 6 thousand dollars annually to cover the difference between production and consumption of residents of other republics. Since there were many Russians, there was enough for everyone, although for a truly cheerful life the republic had to be small, proud and passionately hate "drunken and lazy Russian invaders" so that the comrades from the Politburo had reason to pour money on the fire.

There was another problem with the huge population of the Central Asian republics. It was not particularly luxurious, but it grew continuously. At the same time, labor productivity in these republics practically did not increase. Inside the USSR, its own Third World was swelling.

The Russians (and by "Russians" I, of course, mean all the peoples inhabiting Russia), who were the largest, most educated, the most professionally developed part of the population of the USSR, felt a dull discontent, although they did not fully understand its source. But constantly faced with the fact that places in restaurants, all the first places in line for the Volga, are occupied by representatives of other nations, and if you are Russian, then additional privileges from the party and the government are required to access the cherished feeding trough, Russians felt from the Soviet system all the growing discomfort. There was a feeling that you were plowing and plowing, but not for yourself. But on who? In theory, for the state, for the common good, for the coming socialism. In practice, it turned out that the cunning guildmen from Batumi and the arrogant descendants of SS men from Jurmala.

Photo: Dmitry POLUKHIN

Lament for Parmesan and the Soviet era

The Soviet system was arranged in such a way that it was impossible to carry out a national revolution within its framework, giving the Russian people more power, opportunities and material benefits. It was already unthinkable to abolish the republics in the 1970s and 1980s. This means that the USSR was doomed, because to stagger without any gratitude and with jabs in the back (and who did not live in 1989-91, he cannot imagine what kind of hatred Russians often faced in Georgia or Estonia, or in Western Ukraine) Russians were agree not infinitely.

The collapse of the Union was framed and it was extremely despicable and not to our advantage. According to the mind, it was necessary to create a political and economic union of Russia, Belarus, Eastern Ukraine and Kazakhstan, sending the rest to seek happiness in a free voyage. Instead, the country was split along the Soviet administrative boundaries, with the result that the Russian people were cut into pieces. Crimea, the industrial centers of Donbass, Nikolaev's shipyards, and much more were cut off from us …

But let's look at the selfish consumer outcome that came out of this catastrophe. For the first time in their history in tens, maybe hundreds of years, the Russians began to work for themselves. And with the advent of the Putin era, a real consumer boom began. As a result, today we scold the government, sitting at brand new MacBooks, curse Moscow traffic jams by creating them with expensive foreign cars, and some cry bitterly over burnt parmesan for a second without doubting their ability to buy it.

Yes, this consumerism was lopsided, because while some lived in luxurious mansions on Rublevka, others barely scraped together for a mortgage, but everyone got it from the common table. Without feeding the "seven with a spoon," the Russians were able to afford, if not a luxurious life, then certainly a more prosperous one than in the fallen outskirts.

And those, for the most part, fell into economic, social and political hell. Even the Baltics, where a relatively decent life is now provided by EU subsidies, and most importantly - by a rapid population decline, feels that it has seriously lost in comparison with the Soviet era. For the most part, the former republics are entirely dependent on handouts from Russia in the form of purchases of goods or money sent from our Muscovites by guest workers.

BECAUSE AND THE CRIMEA IS BACK

Whether someone likes it or not, the collapse of the USSR ultimately revealed the leadership of Russia and the Russian people. It turned out that without us - nowhere. It turned out that we can not only easily, but also much more pleasant to live without others, but try to live without us? If the peoples who once entered our country want to live well, then they must live together with the Russians. And, already, on our terms.

Today it is already obvious that more difficult times are coming for Russia. The fat years of general consumerism and bureaucratic theft seem to be coming to an end. But the atmosphere in Russia has also changed. Over the years, we have understood a lot, learned the real price for both our neighbors and more distant "respected partners", and most importantly - for ourselves.

This is largely why we were able to return Crimea. If the standard of living in Russia was not twice or three times higher than in Ukraine, perhaps the Crimeans would not have voted so massively for their return to their historical homeland.

The former Soviet republics also clearly understood everything. But the leadership of some of them continues to behave like a Bolshevik by inertia. Feeding themselves from the bounty of Russia, while at the same time instilling in their peoples that the Russians are the main enemies. And thereby leading their countries into ever greater devastation and an ever more explosive political dead end.