Life after Masha They are not elected as saints, they are not appointed as martyrs. The life of Maria Dobrolyubova is already extraordinary, and other people's exploits or, on the contrary, crimes are of no use to her. Those who knew her intimately changed, many - strongly and forever.

Despite the fact that the USSR suffered very heavy losses during the war years, it entered the international arena not only not weakened, but became even stronger than before. In 1946-1948. in states of Eastern Europe and in Asia, communist governments came to power, embarking on a course of building socialism on the Soviet model.

However, the leading Western powers pursued a policy of force in relation to the USSR and the socialist states. One of the main means of restraining them was atomic weapon, the monopoly of which was used by the United States. Therefore, the creation of the atomic bomb became one of the main goals of the USSR. These works were headed by a physicist I. V. Kurchatov. The Institute of Atomic Energy and the Institute of Nuclear Problems of the USSR Academy of Sciences were created. In 1948 the first atomic reactor was launched, and in 1949 the first atomic bomb was tested at the test site near Semipalatinsk. In the work on it, the USSR secretly helped some Western scientists. Thus, a second nuclear power appeared in the world, the US monopoly on nuclear weapon ended. Since that time, the confrontation between the USA and the USSR has largely determined the international situation.

Economic recovery.

Material losses in the war were very high. The USSR lost a third of its national wealth in the war. Agriculture was in deep crisis. The majority of the population was in distress and was supplied with the help of the rationing system.

In 1946, the Law on a five-year plan for the restoration and development of the national economy was adopted. It was necessary to accelerate technical progress, to strengthen the country's defensive power. Postwar five-year plan marked by large construction projects (hydroelectric power station, state district power station) and the development of road transport construction. The technical re-equipment of the industry of the Soviet Union was facilitated by the export of equipment from German and Japanese enterprises. The highest rates of development were achieved in such industries as ferrous metallurgy, oil and coal mining, construction of machines and machine tools.

After the war, the village found itself in a more difficult situation than the city. On the collective farms, tough measures were taken to procure grain. If earlier collective farmers gave only part of the grain “to the common barn”, now they were often forced to give all the grain. Discontent in the countryside grew. The sown area has been greatly reduced. Due to the deterioration of equipment and a lack of workers, field work was carried out with a delay, which negatively affected the harvest.

The main features of post-war life.

A significant part of the housing stock was destroyed. The problem of labor resources was acute: right after the war, many demobilized people returned to the city, but the enterprises still lacked workers. I had to recruit workers in the countryside, among the students of vocational schools.

Even before the war, decrees were adopted, and after it, the decrees continued to operate, according to which workers were prohibited from leaving their enterprises without permission on pain of criminal punishment.

To stabilize the financial system in 1947, the Soviet government carried out a monetary reform. Old money changed for new money in a ratio of 10: 1. After the exchange, the amount of money in the population sharply decreased. At the same time, the government has cut prices for consumer products many times. The rationing system was abolished, food and industrial goods appeared in the open sale at retail prices. In most cases, these prices were higher than ration prices, but significantly lower than commercial ones. The abolition of the cards has improved the situation of the urban population.

One of the main features of post-war life was the legalization of the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church. In July 1948, the church celebrated the 500th anniversary of self-government, and in honor of this a meeting of representatives of local Orthodox churches was held in Moscow.

Power after the war.

With the transition to peaceful construction, structural changes took place in the government. In September 1945, the GKO was abolished. On March 15, 1946, the Council of People's Commissars and the People's Commissariats were renamed the Council of Ministers and Ministries.

In March 1946, the Bureau of the Council of Ministers was created, the chairman of which was L. P. Beria . He was also entrusted with supervising the work of the internal affairs and state security bodies. He held a fairly strong position in the leadership A.A. Zhdanov, combined the duties of a member of the Politburo, Orgburo and party secretary, but in 1948 he died. At the same time, the positions of G.M. Malenkov, who previously held a very modest position in the governing bodies.

Changes in party structures were reflected in the program of the 19th Party Congress. At this congress, the party received a new and not - instead of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) it began to be called Communist Party Council and the 1st Union (CPSU).

USSR in the 50s-early 60s. XX century.

Changes after Stalin's death and XX Congress of the CPSU.

Stalin died on March 5, 1953. The leader's closest associates proclaimed a course towards the establishment of collective leadership, but in fact a struggle for leadership unfolded between them. Interior Minister Marshal L.P. Beria initiated an amnesty for prisoners whose term was no more than five years. He put his supporters at the head of several republics. Beria also proposed to soften the policy towards collective farms and spoke in favor of easing international tension and improving relations with Western countries.

However, in the summer of 1953, other members of the top party leadership, with the support of the military, organized a conspiracy and overthrew Beria. He was shot. The struggle did not end there. Gradually Malenkov, Kaganovich and Molotov were removed from power, G.K. Zhukov was removed from the post of Minister of Defense. Almost all of this was done on the initiative NS. Khrushchev, which since 1958 began to combine party and government posts.

In February 1956, the XX Congress of the CPSU was held, the agenda of which included an analysis of the international and domestic situation, summing up the results of the fifth five-year plan. At the congress, the question of exposing the personality cult of Stalin was raised. N.S. Khrushchev. He spoke about Stalin's numerous violations of Lenin's policies, about "illegal methods of investigation" and purges that killed many innocent people. Stalin's mistakes were spoken of as statesman(for example, a miscalculation in determining the date of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War). Khrushchev's report after the congress was read throughout the country at party and Komsomol meetings. Its content shocked the Soviet people, many began to doubt the correctness of the path that the country had followed since the October revolution .

The process of de-Stalinization of society took place gradually. On the initiative of Khrushchev, cultural figures were given the opportunity to create their works without total control of censorship and harsh party dictatorship. This policy received the name "thaw" after the name of the then popular novel by the writer I. Ehrenburg.

During the period of the "thaw", significant changes took place in culture. Works of literature and art have become deeper and more sincere.

Economic reforms. Development of the national economy.

Reforms carried out in the 50s - early 60s. XX century, were controversial. At one time, Stalin outlined the economic frontiers that the country was supposed to reach in the near future. Under Khrushchev, the USSR reached these frontiers, but in the changed conditions, their achievement did not give such a significant effect.

The strengthening of the national economy of the USSR began with changes in the sector as well. It was decided to establish acceptable prices for agricultural products, change the tax policy so that collective farmers were materially interested in marketing their products. In the future, it was planned to increase the cash income of collective farms, pension provision, and a softening of the passport regime.

In 1954, on the initiative of Khrushchev, development of virgin lands. Later they began to reorganize the economic structure of the collective farmers. Khrushchev proposed to build urban-type buildings for rural residents and take other measures to improve their life. The relaxation of the passport regime opened the gateways for the migration of the rural population to the city. Various programs were adopted to improve the efficiency of agriculture, and Khrushchev often saw a panacea in the cultivation of any one crop. The most famous was his attempt to turn corn into the "queen of the fields". The desire to grow it, regardless of the climate, caused damage to agriculture, while among the people Khrushchev received the nickname "maize".

50s XX century. characterized by great success in the industry. The production of heavy industry has grown especially. Much attention was paid to those industries that ensured the development of technology. The program of continuous electrification of the country was of paramount importance. New hydroelectric and state district power plants were put into operation.

The impressive successes of the economy made the leadership headed by Khrushchev confident in the possibility of further accelerating the pace of development of the country. The thesis was put forward about the complete and final construction of socialism in the USSR, and in the early 60s. XX century. set course for construction communism , that is, a society where everyone can satisfy all their needs. According to the new party program adopted in 1962 by the 22nd Congress of the CPSU, the party's new program was supposed to complete the construction of communism by 1980. However, the serious difficulties in the economy that began at the same time clearly demonstrated to the citizens of the USSR that Khrushchev's ideas were utopian and adventurous.

Difficulties in the development of industry were largely associated with ill-conceived reorganizations recent years board of Khrushchev. Thus, most of the central industrial ministries were liquidated, and the leadership of the economy passed into the hands of economic councils, created in certain regions of the country. This innovation led to the severing of ties between the regions, slowing down the introduction of new technologies.

Social sphere.

The government has taken a number of measures to improve the well-being of the people. The law on state pensions was introduced. In secondary and higher educational institutions, tuition fees have been canceled. Heavy industry workers were transferred to a shorter working day, without any reduction in wages. The population received various cash benefits. The material incomes of the working people have grown. Simultaneously with the increase in wages, a decrease in prices for consumer goods was carried out: certain types of fabrics, clothes, goods for children, watches, medicines, etc.

Many public funds who paid various preferential benefits. Due to these funds, many were able to study at school or university. The working day was reduced to 6-7 hours, and on the pre-holiday and holidays the working day lasted even less. The working week has become shorter by 2 hours. On October 1, 1962, all taxes on the wages of workers and employees were abolished. Since the end of the 50s. XX century. the sale of durable goods on credit began.

Undoubted successes in social sphere in the early 60s. XX century. were accompanied by negative phenomena, especially painful for the population: products of the first necessity, including bread, disappeared from store shelves. There were several demonstrations of workers, the most famous of which was the demonstration in Novocherkassk, during the suppression of which the troops used weapons, which led to many casualties.

Foreign policy of the USSR in 1953-1964.

Foreign policy was characterized by a struggle to strengthen the position of the USSR and international security.

The settlement of the Austrian question was of great international importance. In 1955, on the initiative of the USSR, the State Treaty with Austria was signed in Vienna. Diplomatic relations with the FRG and Japan were also established.

Soviet diplomacy actively sought to establish the most diverse ties with all states. A severe test was the Hungarian uprising of 1956, which was suppressed Soviet troops... Almost simultaneously with the Hungarian events in 1956, a Suez Crisis .

On August 5, 1963 in Moscow, an Agreement was signed between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain on the nuclear tests on land, air and water.

Relations with most of the socialist countries have long been streamlined - they clearly obeyed Moscow's instructions. In May 1953, the USSR restored relations with Yugoslavia. The Soviet-Yugoslav declaration was signed, which proclaimed the principle of the indivisibility of the world, non-interference in internal affairs, etc.

The main foreign policy theses of the CPSU were criticized by the Chinese communists. They also challenged the political assessment of Stalin's activities. In 1963-1965. The PRC made claims to a number of border territories of the USSR, and an open struggle unfolded between the two powers.

The USSR actively cooperated with the countries of Asia and Africa, which won their independence. Moscow helped developing countries create national economies. In February 1955, a Soviet-Indian agreement was signed on the construction of a metallurgical plant in India with the help of the USSR. The USSR provided assistance to the United Arab Republic, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Syria and other countries of Asia and Africa.

USSR in the second half of the 60s - early 80s. XX century.

The overthrow of Nikita Khrushchev and the search for a political course.

Development of science, technology and education.

In the USSR, the number of scientific institutions and scientists. Each Union republic had its own Academy of Sciences, which was subordinate to a whole system of scientific institutions. Significant successes have been achieved in the development of science. On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was launched, then the spacecraft reached the Moon. On April 12, 1961, the first ever manned space flight took place. The first ascent of the UCM of space became Yu.L. Gagarin.

New ones were built more and more powerful power plants... Aircraft building, nuclear physics, astrophysics and other sciences developed successfully. Many cities created scientific centers... For example, in 1957 Akademgorodok was built near Novosibirsk.

After the war, the number of schools dropped dramatically; one of the government's tasks was to create new secondary schools. educational institutions... The increase in the number of secondary school graduates has led to an increase in the number of university students.

1954, the coeducation of boys and girls was restored in schools. Tuition fees for senior pupils and students were also abolished. Students began to receive stipends. In 1958, a compulsory eight-year education was introduced, and a ten-year school was transferred to an 11-year education. Work in the workplace was soon included in the school curriculum.

Spiritual life and culture of "developed socialism".

The ideologists of the CPSU tried to quickly forget the idea of ​​Khrushchev to build communism by 1980. This idea was replaced by the slogan of "developed socialism". It was believed that under "developed socialism" nations and nationalities are drawing closer together, a single community has developed - Soviet people. They talked about the rapid development of the country's productive forces, about blurring the lines between town and country, about the distribution of wealth on the principles "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his work." Finally, they proclaimed the transformation of the state of the dictatorship of the proletariat into a state of the whole people of workers, peasants and the people's intelligentsia, between which the lines are also constantly blurring.

In the 60s and 70s. XX century. culture has ceased to be synonymous with ideology, its uniformity has lost. The ideological component of culture receded into the background, giving way to simplicity and sincerity. The works created in the provinces - in Irkutsk, Kursk, Voronezh, Omsk, etc., gained popularity. A special status was recognized for the culture.

Nevertheless, the ideological tendencies in culture were still very strong. Militant atheism played a negative role. The persecution of the Russian has intensified Orthodox Church... Churches were closed in the country, priests were removed and defrocked. Militant atheists created special organizations to preach atheism.

Reading about historical disputes on various Internet sites, I discovered that people do not know the history of the USSR, even in its basic features. This is especially true of the pre-war years. So I have collected, as it seems to me, the most common myths and presented it in the manner of "stories for dummies" ...

1. The Bolsheviks overthrew the tsar and unleashed a civil war?
The tsar was overthrown by the liberals during February revolution 1917, not the Bolsheviks. Civil war in Russia unleashed western countries led by Great Britain, giving a direct order to the Czechoslovak corps to revolt and start hostilities. All the anti-Bolshevik forces that participated in the civil war in Russia, with the possible exception of some anarchist groups, obeyed orders from Berlin and London.

2. At Soviet power the population lived worse than under the autocracy?
The first years of Soviet power, after the long years of the First World War and the Civil War, were indeed difficult for the population. However, already in the second half of the 30s of the last century, the bulk of the population ate better, dressed better, and had more comfortable living conditions than under capitalism. The leisure of citizens has especially improved. There appeared public sanatoriums, rest houses, pioneer camps for children ... And most importantly, citizens had time for study, recreation, and sports. The builder of communism lasted only 7 hours a day. Whereas under the autocracy the workers worked for 9-11 hours, that is, on average, as much as Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. Collective farmers in the 30s were required to work only 60-80 workdays a year. The rest of the time was disposed of at their own discretion. Under the tsar priest, the labor of agricultural laborers was not rationed at all.

3. Was there (was not) a dictatorship under Stalin?
Both the one and the other answer are correct, depending on what period of time we are talking about. Until 1936, the USSR was the dictatorship of the proletariat, after - the people's democracy. Sly Ilya Ehrenburg, even before the civil war in Spain, comparing the order in this country and in the USSR, wrote that here and there a dictatorship, but in fact what a difference!

4. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, had the country been living under socialism for more than 20 years (did not live)?
In fact, before the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union managed to live under socialism for only a little over four years, since the construction of socialism in the USSR was announced only in 1936.

5. Was the USSR a militarized state?
Universal military service in the USSR was introduced only in 1939. Prior to that, in order to save money, the army was built mainly on a territorial basis, when young people underwent only short-term military training, appearing at the collection points with their straw for mattresses. On Far East there were even "collective farm divisions". An army of a militia type is conditionally suitable for defensive operations and practically unsuitable for offensive operations.

6. Was the USSR a superpower on the eve of World War II?
The USSR became a superpower following the results of the Great Patriotic War. Before the outbreak of World War II, the largest, most populous, militarily most powerful state was not the USSR, not the United States, and, of course, not Japan and Germany, but Great Britain.

7. Was the standard of living of the population in the pre-war USSR lower than in Europe?
The standard of living of the population in the pre-war USSR was significantly higher than in most capitalist states of the world of that period, including European ones. This primarily concerns the states of Southern Europe: Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia. As well as Eastern Europe: Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, etc. The standard of living in the USSR was higher than in some states of Western and Northern Europe: Ireland, Finland, Spain, Portugal. The state with the most high level life in Europe was Great Britain. After Germany conquered continental Europe, Great Britain moved to second place, letting the Third Reich go ahead.

8. During the years of collectivization, were the individual peasants completely destroyed?
In 1940, there were 3 million 600 thousand individual peasant farms in the USSR. This is 16 times more than in modern capitalist Russia.

9. Soviet soldiers and officers in 1944, liberating Europe, were shocked by the high standard of living of the Europeans?
This statement could be true only in relation to Germany (see paragraph 7) - the state with the highest standard of living in Europe in the period from 1939 to 1944. In the rest of the capitalist states Soviet soldiers saw the screaming poverty.

The Great Patriotic War, which became a difficult test and shock for the Soviet people, for a long time changed the entire way of life and the course of life of the majority of the country's population. Huge difficulties and material hardships were perceived as temporarily inevitable problems as a consequence of the war.

The post-war years began with the pathos of restoration and hopes for change. The main thing is that the war was behind us, people were happy that they survived, everything else, including living conditions, was not so important.

All the difficulties of everyday life fell mainly on the shoulders of women. Among the ruins of destroyed cities, they planted vegetable gardens, removed rubble and cleared places for new construction, at the same time raised children and provided for their families. People lived in the hope that very soon a new, freer and more secure life would come, that is why the Soviet society of those years was called the “society of hopes”.

"Second bread"

The main reality of everyday life of that time, trailing like a train from the war era, was the constant lack of food, a half-starved existence. The most important thing was missing - bread. Potatoes became the "second bread", its consumption doubled, it saved, first of all, the villagers from hunger.

Cakes were baked from grated raw potatoes, boneless in flour or breadcrumbs. They even used frozen potatoes, which were left in the field for the winter. It was taken out of the ground, the peel was removed and a little flour, grass, salt (if there was one) was added to this starchy mass and cakes were fried. Here is what the collective farmer Nikiforova from the village of Chernushki wrote in December 1948:

“The food is potato, sometimes with milk. In the village of Kopytova, bread is baked like this: they will wipe off a bucket of potatoes, put a handful of flour for gluing. This bread is almost without protein, which is necessary for the body. It is imperative to establish a minimum amount of bread that must be left intact, at least 300 grams of flour per person per day. Potatoes are a deceptive food, more flavorful than nourishing. "

People of the post-war generation still remember how they waited for spring, when the first grass would appear: you can cook empty sorrel and nettle cabbage soup. They also ate "pestysh" - shoots of young field horsetail, "columns" - sorrel peduncles. Even vegetable peelings were pounded in a mortar, then boiled and used for food.

Here is an excerpt from an anonymous letter to JV Stalin dated February 24, 1947: “Collective farmers mainly eat potatoes, and many do not even have potatoes, they eat food waste and hope for spring, when the green grass grows, then they will eat grass. But there are still some who will have dried potato peels and pumpkin rinds, who will bold and cook tortillas that pigs would not eat on a good farm. Children preschool age do not know the color and taste of sugar, sweets, biscuits and other confectionery products, but eat on a par with grown-up potatoes and grass. "

A real boon for the villagers was the ripening of berries and mushrooms in the summer, which were collected mainly by teenagers for their families.

One workday (the unit of labor accounting on a collective farm) earned by a collective farmer brought him less food than the average citizen received on a food card. The collective farmer had to work and save all the money whole year so that he can buy the cheapest suit.

Empty cabbage soup and porridge

Things were no better in the cities. The country lived in an acute deficit, and in 1946-1947. the country was gripped by a real food crisis. In ordinary stores, food was often absent, they looked wretched, often cardboard dummies of food were displayed in the windows.

Prices on collective farm markets were high: for example, 1 kg of bread cost 150 rubles, which was more than a week's wages. They stood in queues for flour for several days, the queue number was written on the hand with a chemical pencil, in the morning and in the evening they made a roll call.

At the same time, commercial stores began to open, where even delicacies and sweets were sold, but they were "beyond the means" of ordinary workers. This is how the American J. Steinbeck, who visited Moscow in 1947, described such a commercial store: “Grocery stores in Moscow are very large, like restaurants, they are divided into two types: those in which products can be purchased by cards, and commercial stores , also run by the state, where you can buy almost basic food, but at very high prices. Canned food is piled up in mountains, champagne and Georgian wines are in pyramids. We've seen products that might be American. There were jars of crabs with Japanese brands on them. There were German products. And here were the luxurious products of the Soviet Union: large cans of caviar, mountains of sausages from Ukraine, cheeses, fish and even game. And various smoked meats. But they were all delicacies. For a simple Russian, the main thing was how much bread cost and how much it was given, as well as the prices of cabbage and potatoes. "

Regular supplies and commercial trade services could not relieve people of food difficulties. Most of the townspeople lived from hand to mouth.

Bread and once a month two bottles (0.5 liters) of vodka were given on ration cards. People took her to suburban villages and exchanged for potatoes. The dream of a man of that time was sauerkraut with potatoes and bread and porridge (mainly pearl barley, millet and oats). Soviet people at that time practically did not see sugar and real tea, not to mention confectionery. Instead of sugar, they used slices of boiled beets, which were dried in the oven. They also drank carrot tea (made from dried carrots).

Post-war workers' letters testify to the same thing: city dwellers were content empty cabbage soup and porridge with an acute shortage of bread. Here is what they wrote in 1945-1946: “If it were not for bread, I would have ended its existence. I live on the same water. In the dining room, except for rotten cabbage and the same fish, you see nothing, portions are given such that you eat and you won't notice whether you had dinner or not ”(worker of the metallurgical plant IG Savenkov);

“The food has become worse than during the war - a bowl of gourd and two tablespoons of oatmeal porridge, and that for a day for an adult” (worker of the automobile plant M. Pugin).

Monetary reform and card abolition

The post-war period was marked by two major events in a country that could not help but affect the daily life of people: currency reform and the abolition of cards in 1947

There were two points of view on the abolition of cards. Some believed that this would lead to a flourishing of speculative trade and an aggravation of the food crisis. Others believed that abolishing rationing and allowing commercial trade in bread and cereals would stabilize the food problem.

The card system has been canceled. The queues in stores continued to stand, despite the significant increase in prices. The price for 1 kg of black bread increased from 1 rub. up to 3 rubles. 40 kopecks, 1 kg of sugar - from 5 rubles. up to 15 rubles. 50 kopecks. To survive in these conditions, people began to sell things acquired before the war.

The markets were in the hands of speculators who sold essential commodities: bread, sugar, butter, matches and soap. They were supplied by "dishonest" workers of warehouses, bases, shops, canteens, who were in charge of food and supplies. To suppress speculation, the Council of Ministers of the USSR in December 1947 issued a decree "On the norms for the sale of industrial and food products in one hand."

They released into one hand: bread - 2 kg, cereals and pasta - 1 kg, meat and meat products - 1 kg, sausages and smoked meats - 0.5 kg, sour cream - 0.5 kg, milk - 1 liter, sugar - 0.5 kg, cotton fabrics - 6 m, threads on spools - 1 piece, stockings or socks - 2 pairs, leather, textile or rubber shoes - 1 pair, household soap - 1 piece, matches - 2 boxes, kerosene - 2 liters.

The meaning of the monetary reform was explained in his memoirs by the then Minister of Finance A.G. Zverev: “Since December 16, 1947, new money has been put into circulation and money has been exchanged for it, with the exception of a bargaining chip, within a week (in remote areas - within two weeks) at a ratio of 1 to 10. Deposits and current accounts in savings banks were revalued at a ratio of 1 for 1 to 3 thousand rubles, 2 for 3 from 3 thousand to 10 thousand rubles, 1 for 2 over 10 thousand rubles, 4 for 5 for cooperatives and collective farms. All ordinary old bonds, except for the loans of 1947, were exchanged for bonds of the new loan at 1 for 3 of the previous ones, and the 3% winning bonds - at the rate of 1 for 5. "

The monetary reform was carried out at the expense of the people. The money "in the box" suddenly depreciated, the tiny savings of the population were seized. If we consider that 15% of savings were kept in savings banks, and 85% in hands, it is clear who suffered from the reform. In addition, the reform did not affect the wages of workers and employees, which were kept at the same level.