33 Photos of the "Wonderful Soviet Past" (34 photos)

Photos taken not by newspaper correspondents, but by ordinary citizens with ordinary cameras, show much more truth than the popular Soviet newspaper Pravda.







Decent Soviet society.





The grocery section of a small store in 1959 is the embodiment of poverty and hopelessness.



A line for apples in 1965. This is a very good indicator of the standard of living in the USSR and the "product supply of citizens" – a line forms on the street in winter for some crappy apples.



The grocery department of a grocery store, 1972. The impression of an "abundance of goods" is an illusion. On the shelves are only two or three types of canned goods and 0.7-liter bottles of some dark liquid—either unrefined oil or alcohol.



A store in a rural area, the so-called "selpo"—this abbreviation was used to describe stores belonging to the rural consumer society.



Photo from the sausage department, 1980. Elderly women lined up for sausage, of which there were a maximum of two varieties at the time.



The essence of trade in the USSR: goods are sold through a small window, which can be quickly closed to prevent a huge crowd from entering and leaving. While the kiosk is open, people are graciously allowed access to this valuable resource.



If a photojournalist had been assigned to photograph a store in Pravda newspaper, he would have taken a picture of a smiling saleswoman with merchandise in the background. But in reality, things were different – ​​no one smiled, and they wouldn't even talk to anyone without ID.



A line for alcohol, early 1980s.



A line at a glass container collection point.



Queue at the liquor store (N66).



A determined Soviet citizen sleeping on the street, who probably stood in line at the liquor store.



And this citizen probably liked beer.



It's worth noting that women (Soviet people educated and raised on communist ideals) were also present.



Ordinary patrons of an ordinary Soviet pub.



And some, afraid of missing out on the life-giving drink, staged veritable massacres.



A model of equality in the USSR. Women also had the right to choose – they could dig with a shovel or a shovel.



Soviet fast food: milk and a loaf of bread. That was until the opening of the harmful capitalist McDonald's.



These are the first days after the opening of the first McDonald's – 30,000 people gathered on Pushkin Square.



Soviet saleswomen invented the first merchandising techniques – how to display two types of canned goods as if they were in abundance.



1987. Then, the press first showed what store shelves actually looked like.



As we can see, there were no Pioneer uniforms either. But there were attempts to sell them.



1990, the last months of the USSR, and the logical outcome of the "Soviet-style planned economy" – empty shelves and new taxes.



And fights broke out in lines not just for alcohol, but for absolutely everything.



Today's fashionistas would be horrified if they found themselves in a store in the late 80s or early 90s.



TSUM isn't what it used to be.



Lines also formed at exhibitions. This photo was taken in 1986.



And this is the line at the Armory on Borovitskaya Street (Kremlin).



Having satisfied their thirst for spectacle, people would once again line up for "bread" – this is the line for cucumbers, which were always in short supply at the beginning of summer, in 1979.



After the May 7, 1985, decree of the USSR Council of Ministers "On measures to overcome drunkenness and alcoholism and eradicate moonshining," port wine was brought in tankers. And people drank it.



1990, a line for vodka.



Line for water, Oryol, 1991.



Line at the Detsky Mir store, 1990.