Mid 1980s. Image courtesy of Life magazine.

Whenever there is a heated argument whether things were better during the USSR times, this statement invariably pops up as a mighty ace: At least they had free medical care in the Soviet Union! This is supposed to bring the opponent to the knees and make them beg mercy and forgiveness for betraying the Great October achievements.

Well well well. Let’s have a close look at what really was free then.

After the events of October 1917, the Bolsheviks chose to nationalise all hospitals and medical practices previously founded by various state and charitable organisations. This would have been a feasible plan, had they not chosen to class all doctors as “rotten bourgeois” which meant that they had to emigrate from the “Red Terror” or face death.

Even Vladimir Lenin in a letter dated of Nov 1918 wrote to an acquaintance: Please go abroad to see a doctor – they have wonderful specialists in Switzerland and Vienna… Our so-called doctors are fools.

In early 1920s various medical experiments became popular and acquired great support of the state: without much of a theoretical base or substantial research, a lot of time and money was poured into genetical experiments to breed a new type of person – of a Socialist kind.

Al in all, the years in which the Bolsheviks were starting off were very tough: the country was in a run-down state after the WWI; there was a severe famine; pandemics of cholera, typhoid, malaria; as well rising numbers of people dying of various infections and malnutrition. From a health perspective, the state of many medical practices and hospitals was borderline catastrophic. The buildings were getting old without any hopes for repair; central heating often failed; medical supplies were insufficient and irregular. The food supplies were often short, and the burial of the dead was an issue as well.

The state spending on medicine was low to start with, and it was gradually declining: it was 3.9% of the total budget in 1927; 3.6% in 1928; 3.5% in 1929 and 3% only in 1930. The severe skill shortages in the health industry were imminent, and there was a strong urban focus in health providers’ locations – given that the supply was already short, the villages were even worse off.

In the late 1920s industrialisation, as per Stalin’s orders, aimed at developing the heavier industrial machinery production – so the times which what was already bad was turning even more foul. Bureaucracy was starting to settle in, while the budget cuts continued (2.5% of the total budget in 1932, 2.7% in 1933). On paper, as often in the USSR, things looked if not rosy but at least decent: the attention was drawn to preventative measures and the importance of the population’s health; whereas in reality it was very ugly.In our old post about the life in the 1920s, the images of those time were indeed scary, if you remember.

During the Second World War, the main beneficiary of medical help was, understandably, the army – the rest of the population, fair to say, was abandoned. Various types of typhoid, TB, dysentery, malaria, cholera and even plague were not uncommon– the diseases were spreading very rapidly due to the poor supply of drugs and increasing numbers of migrants.

When the war was over, the main efforts (as well as financial means) were generated towards rebuilding the towns and getting the economy back up – and as always, there was no room for medicine research and development. The health industry salary bands were among the lowest in the country. In 1940 the doctors were earning 255 roubles per month, as compared with 399 roubles average. In 1955 it was 521 roubles against 711 average. In August 1945 a group of doctors sent an open letter to Stalin describing the abhorrent situation in the health industry. It mentioned the factory workers with high-school qualifications were earning 1300–1400 roubles per month, whereas the hospital manager, a doctor with 8 years of education and years of experience would be fortunate enough to earn 800 roubles.

A paramedic on call.

The change was brought upon by Nikita Khrushchev, who was slowly setting new goals and getting his government to redevelop many facets of Soviet life. But the late fifties were also the times when the famous free Soviet medical care system stopped being free. The doctors became less covert in taking cash from patients in exchange for medical services, for medical supplies, for drugs. The less-qualified medical staff (nurses and caregivers) were making some extra cash by providing extra-nice services to patients – for 10 roubles per night you could have a nurse by your bed taking care of you – obviously, all other patients would have been neglected. Midwives in birthcare institutions were bribing the fathers – one would pay a one off 25 roubles for the girl and twice as much for the boy as to “take them home”.

Among the key problems were:

• Alcoholism and drug use – extremely widespread.
• Bad ecology – due to heavily exploited plants and factories, many towns were below par – the Southern republics, Moldavia, some parts of Ukraine, industrial central Russia and Siberia.
• Food shortages – especially in the rural areas and small towns with the population of less than 100,000 people; as well as the appalling quality of food.
• Extremely high rates of abortions (100 for every 1000 women in the age of 15–49; or 200 abortions for every 100 of births). Also, the actual procedure was a very primitive one which lead to the death of a woman in almost 25–30% of cases.
• Health and Safety in employment – extremely high industrial accident rates
• Road death tolls

Also, in early 1980s the widespread of sexually transmitted diseases started to take its toll. In 1970 more than 12% of women of reproductive age were diagnosed and treated from STD, many of whom suffered from syphilis. In 1987 the first case of HIV was registered, after which the disease had escalated to the point of people panicking.

The Soviet doctors had all the pressure to catch up with their Western counterparts, and they did their best, given the circumstances. The first successful heart transplant attempt did not happen until March 1987, which was almost 20 years after the American debut. Such a significant delay was not just due to the budget cuts and low financing – the appropriate legislative framework was missing, and so was the concept of organ donors.

This is how the free Soviet medicine had met the death of the Soviet state. It almost seems like the 70 years of the 20^th century did not provide any move forward – despite the antibiotics, vaccination and hundreds of thousands of graduate doctors, the overall state of the health industry was just ever so slightly better than at the end of the Tsar times. And then, of course, the typically Soviet traits of doing things: bureaucracy, corruption, the notoriously abhorrent levels of customer service and the low priority that the state would give the health industry.

This does not deny the Soviet doctors their achievements – over the course of 70 years, there would have been plenty – but nothing was easy and nothing was certainly free.

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After the war there was a special development plan of getting the country to the top of the world wine leaders — which was a success. By 1969 the USSR was on the fourth place in Europe by the amount of wine produced (right after France, Italy and Spain). The vast territories of the country’s South allowed for almost 10% of the total amount of wine produced in the world around that time. This was the Golden Era of the Soviet viticulture: the assortment of wines went up to 700, with about 37 types of sparkling wines and 88 of cognac-type drinks. Many wines were of excellent, prize-winning quality.

Sadly, starting from the 1970s, the quality was to be sacrificed for quantity: the priority to grow was given to higher-yielding sorts of grapes and not the rare, more valuable ones. The production lines were gradually being switched to cheaper, stronger, more generic ranges of wines made from low in sugar but more enduring sorts of grape varieties. The Prohibition bylaw of 1985 aiming at eliminating the drinking problem was the last straw: the grapes and raisins were to be used for making juices, which led to a eventual skill shortage and overall industry recession.

Noetheless, we have found a few old commercial posters picturing the range of wines of 1950s. Despite the plain bottles, this is a neat collection of vintage posters for you to enjoy. Click on the picture to see it in detail. Let us know how you like it — we value your feedback. Thanks!

Starting from the right: Soviet Champagne, a trademark for many years and an iconic drink; table Georgian wine (batch 19, whatever that means for the Soviet winemakers); two bottles of whine port.

The Wines of the USSR. Unfortunately, year unknown.

Pinot Gris. 1955.

Aligote grape variety. 1954.

Madeira. Crimean wine, harvest of 1954.

Tokaj, Crimean winemaker Massandra, Ukraine.

Muscat. Was probably a dessert grape variety.

Red Muscat.

The Sun valley, vintage of 1954. No grape variety on the label.

Muscat Rose. A favourite wine of my babushka. 1953.

Port. 1954.

Bastardo, by Magarach wines — a winemaker still active. Possibly 1933.

The liquors Benedictine (left) and Chartreuse. Were very rare and almost impossible to buy –were probably sold in Moscow only.

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Here is a twee collection of paintings by various Russian artists picturing breakfast time in Russia of different periods, from 1918 throughout to late 1970s. It provides some insights into an everyday life of simple people and their meals on the go, before work, very low key and casual.

Still life: Morning. By Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, 1918. Just like anywhere else in the world, eggs are popular and the dog is hungry.

Just like many, Russians liked their eggs, bread and sausages — a hearty start of the day.  The brass item pictured is samovar — a metal water boiler which has been around for centuries. These samovars have always been popular as part of tea  making process — even nowadays you can find a moderninsed version of one in almost every house. It is also a popular wedding gift and a traditional Russian souvenir, as it symbolises hospitality and qulaity family time.

Apparently there is a concept of Russian Tea that exists in the West: strongly brewed black tea with a wheel of lemon and generous amounts of sugar. This sweet and sour concoction is indeed popular in Russia, however, nobody calls it “Russian tea”.  Just tea with lemon.

Tea party; by Popova. 1966.

A cup of coffee; by Elena Shumakova.Can’t go wrong with cheese and pastries!

In summer there were healthier alternatives available: freshly picked strawberries and cream in a jug would be enjoyed just like anywhere else in the world. Please note the fine lace of the tablecloth — very popular in Russia of all times.

Berries and Cream; by Elena Shumakova, 1983

Another country life illustration; please note a slighly different shape of the samovar. Also — bagels, extremely popular Russian wheat snack. Sugar cubes, a frequent substitute for regular sugar, which was hard to buy at times. A traditional tea glass, with an iron glass holder, an icon of those times and a well sought after collectable item now.

Still Life: Samovar; by Elena Shumakova.

On the terrace; by Zhukovsky.Neat!

Naturemort: five eyed fried eggs; by Osmerkin, 1950.

Another model of samovar and a more common breakfast altogether: eggs, butter, bread.

Morning Tea and Flowers; by Grabar; 1939.

To finish off, a few paintings which do not exactly picture breakfast times, but still appear very Russian and full of ambience.

February; by A. Laktionov, 1956.

Alcohol-inspired paintings tend to have lots of zest for life, too.

Still life: a Teapot on the Table; by P. Konchalovsky. 1946.

Still life, name and year unknown, by Elena Shumakova.

Country Life (name of paper), by Bobrov. 1983.

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The every day Soviet life was far from luxurious, however, the government had its ways of making people believe that life was good and constantly getting better. An interesting means of achieving it was a notable culinary book published in the USSR – The Book On Tasty and Healthy Foods. This book, a few inches thick, turned out to be more than a collection of recipes – it is considered to be an encyclopaedia of the Soviet epoch, an insight into the ordinary life of the Soviets.

The most famous image behind the Russian food, caviar was literally impossible to buy (let alone exorbitantly expensive!)

Originally it was created as a way to deliver information on the culture of dining, the values of home cooked meals and good eating habits. Written by prominent chefs and dieticians of the time, the book was approved by the minister of health and then by Stalin himself (the first edition dating 1939). Everything that went into it was carefully chosen and selected. Apart from the recipes, it contained information on how to plan a weekly menu for a family, what is healthy eating, how to serve the tables nicely, as well as basic principles of  food handling and kitchen hygiene.

Dairy products: most likely, this is the whole range of dairy foods available in the USSR. Milk, cream, plain youghurt, eggs, cheese, canned coffee cream and skim milk. That was it.

Nowadays this style of cuisine would be called fusion, as it contained recipes from all over the Union: borscht was followed by lamb pilaf with the Soviet style black forest gateau for the dessert. Usually the recipes were simple and would not demand fancy ingredients or time/labour investments. The food shortages were still on and the book could only stretch as far. A few easy meat recipes, a sauce or two, simple salads – surprisingly, “meat and three veggies” recipes were universal across the globe.

Meat and three veggies Soviet Style. Yum.

The images in the book were not considered to be an advertising material – they were merely a way to form the demand for the foods produced by the food factories – as everything, it was planned in the Soviet economy.

Unappetisingly looking preserves: green capsicums, meat in cabbage parcels, eggplant chutney.

Interestingly, in some later edition, fish was a recommended dietary element at least once a week – that was dictated by the shortages of meat: the protein levels had to stay up in order to keep the nation nourished and thus maintain the medical costs at bay.

Dinner on the stove: tinned beef garnished with green peas. No, it was not called spam.

Cooking was not considered to be art or indulgence; rather, it had a technological focus — typical for the Soviet era of industrialisation. Here a very important point was made about who would do the cooking: the traditional, western-style family, where the man is the breadwinner and the woman is the pretty homemaker would go against the Soviet ideology, in which women were equal partners and comrades. Therefore the image of a wife was being shifted from a stove towards the factory production line, and a husband would eat something simple, something cooked for the entire family in the weekend, for instance.

Extended family hand-making meat dumplings — later to be frozen.

Noteworthy, until the 1980s, the book contained no actual photographs — only drawings. However, it does not justify the sad-looking foods pictured in it. Some of it looks just inedible.

Green peas soup with croutons, wheat porrige well-buttered and jelly for dessert, anyone?

Desserts are always nice, though. Timeless, too.

Chocolate cake, served with tea.

Because restaurants were scarce and the whole concept of dining out was simply non-existent, dinner parties played a very important part in every person’s life. Labour Day on the May, 1st; Victory Day on May, 9th; November 7th (the Revolution Day) and New Year’s Eve were to be celebrated in style and in abundance — regardless of the food supplies.

Soviet alcohol selection: sparkling wine, white wine from Georgia, white port, Georgian port.

Such dinners required a lot of leg work as hunting for the necessary ingredients was required and queuing for as long as hours was unavoidable. However, the outcomes were remembered for long and treasured with all hearts. Family time together, what could be nicer, really.

Circa 1970s. At a table.

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