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You couldn't just go and sell stuff in the west. The USSR had exit visas. You had to prove you had a genuine need to leave, would be searched and treated very c
by mike_hearn 6mo ago
You couldn't just go and sell stuff in the west. The USSR had exit visas. You had to prove you had a genuine need to leave, would be searched and treated very carefully. And proving a need to leave was difficult. Merely wanting to go on holiday or see relatives wasn't close to enough. There were very few exit visas available, which is why stories about defectors are often about elite athletes or sports champions.
https://www.rbth.com/history/334094-athletes-fled-ussr-how https://www.rbth.com/history/334094-athletes-fled-ussr-how
Also the Soviets manufactured very little of anything valuable to the west. Their primary exports were commodities.
- gambiting 6mo ago>>Also the Soviets manufactured very little of anything valuable to the west. Their primary exports were commodities. Time to mention the story of how Pepsi Co briefly had one of the largest navies in the world, because CCCP couldn't settle its debt to Pepsi with cash, so they accepted several warships instead. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/soviet-union-pepsi-ships https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/soviet-union-pepsi-shi...
- mike_hearn 6mo agoLol, that's an amazing story. Thanks for sharing, I'd never heard of it!