3 ms·

Almost free apartment... I think you mean almost free room for a family of four, inside a three bedroom apartment with two other families. It’s easy to look ba

by dimes 5y ago

Almost free apartment... I think you mean almost free room for a family of four, inside a three bedroom apartment with two other families. It’s easy to look back now and say: “They had free health care, everything was great!” But that doesn’t explain why they had to build a wall and use exit visas to keep people in.

hansor 5y ago
>I think you mean almost free room for a family of four, inside a three bedroom apartment with two other families. You must be ironic and for sure NOT from post soviet block. I meant normal 2 bedroom apartment in newly build, modern building for family of 2+2 for free(you revived one after working for around 10 years[including studies!], at age of around 28. It was not really "free" as you had to pay around ~4% of your income for those 10 years. (Another perk: in communism you did NOT pay any from of income tax as ordinary worker). In my country government made and gave away few few millions(!) of such apartments. In matter of fact - I'm still living in one of it, and apart from asthetics, they are warmer, strudier and quiter(!) than modern apartments. >But that doesn’t explain why they had to build a wall and use exit visas to keep people in. There is simple explanation: GREED and wish for political freedom. Greed: As soon as all population had jobs, healthcare, free apartments, free education and insane levels disposable income (no taxes, no mortages): they got greedier, and wanted to have all stuff from socialist state but lifestyle seen western movies. Millions belived that west is like in Hollywood. Political freedom - during the communist era people did not have any political freedom, as in modern China. Many could not stand it so they wanted to escape.
- avmich 5y ago
  Very skewed picture.
- minipci1321 5y ago
  > Another perk: in communism you did NOT pay any from of income tax as ordinary worker Income tax was of course collected: https://aif.ru/money/mymoney/kakoy_podohodnyy_nalog_byl_v_sssr https://aif.ru/money/mymoney/kakoy_podohodnyy_nalog_byl_v_ss... of which workers might have been not fully aware (as it was deduced before wiring/handing-out the cash). But there was also such a thing as "childlessness" tax on income, and concerned workers were well aware of it. I feel and sympathize your nostalgia of the past, but it doesn't seem proper to extrapolate your personal experience to the "millions" of other USSR inhabitants. Western republics of the USSR were the proverbial land of milk and honey, out of reach for the vast majority of them.

by dimes 5y ago

hansor 5y ago

>I think you mean almost free room for a family of four, inside a three bedroom apartment with two other families. You must be ironic and for sure NOT from post soviet block. I meant normal 2 bedroom apartment in newly build, modern building for family of 2+2 for free(you revived one after working for around 10 years[including studies!], at age of around 28. It was not really "free" as you had to pay around ~4% of your income for those 10 years. (Another perk: in communism you did NOT pay any from of income tax as ordinary worker). In my country government made and gave away few few millions(!) of such apartments. In matter of fact - I'm still living in one of it, and apart from asthetics, they are warmer, strudier and quiter(!) than modern apartments. >But that doesn’t explain why they had to build a wall and use exit visas to keep people in. There is simple explanation: GREED and wish for political freedom. Greed: As soon as all population had jobs, healthcare, free apartments, free education and insane levels disposable income (no taxes, no mortages): they got greedier, and wanted to have all stuff from socialist state but lifestyle seen western movies. Millions belived that west is like in Hollywood. Political freedom - during the communist era people did not have any political freedom, as in modern China. Many could not stand it so they wanted to escape.

avmich 5y ago
Very skewed picture.
minipci1321 5y ago
> Another perk: in communism you did NOT pay any from of income tax as ordinary worker Income tax was of course collected: https://aif.ru/money/mymoney/kakoy_podohodnyy_nalog_byl_v_sssr https://aif.ru/money/mymoney/kakoy_podohodnyy_nalog_byl_v_ss... of which workers might have been not fully aware (as it was deduced before wiring/handing-out the cash). But there was also such a thing as "childlessness" tax on income, and concerned workers were well aware of it. I feel and sympathize your nostalgia of the past, but it doesn't seem proper to extrapolate your personal experience to the "millions" of other USSR inhabitants. Western republics of the USSR were the proverbial land of milk and honey, out of reach for the vast majority of them.