(continued from part 2)
The standard of living of the Soviet people in the 50’s can be evaluated using meticulously documented federal studies that were conducted by the Central Statistics Administration of the USSR. Research took place between the years of 1935 to 1958, its results were deemed classified at the time, and are now accessible by the general public on istmat.info.
Information was compiled on the following nine groups: collective-farm workers, workers of government agricultural holdings, industry workers, engineers and technology specialists, industry clerks, elementary school teachers, secondary and high school teachers, doctors, and nurses.
Unfortunately, the most wealthy population segment represented by workers of the defense industry, construction planning and design institutions, institutes of science and research, university professors, private enterprises and cooperatives, and the military was not included in the study.
Doctors were in the highest income category with 800 rubles per family member per month. The least payed among city dwellers were industry clerks with 525 rubles per each family member per month. People in rural areas had 350 rubles per family member each month. Continue reading “USSR: Stalin’s Economy, a Personal Story. Part 3 of 4”
