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It's fascinating to see the difference in consumer goods. Soviet Union seemed to build things to last forever, vs. the planned obsolescence for American stuff
by jhallenworld 6y ago
It's fascinating to see the difference in consumer goods. Soviet Union seemed to build things to last forever, vs. the planned obsolescence for American stuff (although this is really only true after the outsourcing began).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG3PiVm9DvQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG3PiVm9DvQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMjPzXLC5k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMjPzXLC5k
You can still get Soviet germanium transistors since they were in use a few decades longer than in the west- handy for repair of old electronics.
- skolos 6y agoThings in Soviet Union lasted forever not because they were purposely built that way, but because you either fix things or don't have them - it was almost impossible to get a new replacements. For example you would need to wait more than 10 years in a queue to get new car. Very few domestic made things were considered more desirable than foreign, and usually reliability was terrible.
- Gravityloss 6y agoOld cars after the war were terrible and only lasted for short distances, no matter if they were from the east bloc or west. But longevity rapidly improved in western cars, while eastern ones didn't really develop that much. Early Japanese cars were also bad but got better. Soviet and eastern block technology just developed much more slowly than western Europe or Japan, and the difference grew larger every year. Things that happened in cars in the eighties: electronic ignition (no distributor), fuel injection (no carburetor), full body zinc coating (much less rust).