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A Full-Value Ruble - The Promise of Prosperity in the Postwar Soviet Union (Hardcover)
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A Full-Value Ruble - The Promise of Prosperity in the Postwar Soviet Union (Hardcover)
Series: Harvard Historical Studies
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A new history shows that, despite Marxism's rejection of money, the
ruble was critical to the Soviet Union's promise of shared
prosperity for its citizens. In spite of Karl Marx's proclamation
that money would become obsolete under Communism, the ruble
remained a key feature of Soviet life. In fact, although Western
economists typically concluded that money ultimately played a
limited role in the Soviet Union, Kristy Ironside argues that money
was both more important and more powerful than most histories have
recognized. After the Second World War, money was resurrected as an
essential tool of Soviet governance. Certainly, its importance was
not lost on Soviet leaders, despite official Communist Party dogma.
Money, Ironside demonstrates, mediated the relationship between the
Soviet state and its citizens and was at the center of both the
government's and the people's visions for the maturing Communist
project. A strong ruble-one that held real value in workers' hands
and served as an effective labor incentive-was seen as essential to
the economic growth that would rebuild society and realize
Communism's promised future of abundance. Ironside shows how Soviet
citizens turned to the state to remedy the damage that the ravages
of the Second World War had inflicted upon their household
economies. From the late 1940s through the early 1960s, progress
toward Communism was increasingly measured by the health of its
citizens' personal finances, such as greater purchasing power,
higher wages, better pensions, and growing savings. However, the
increasing importance of money in Soviet life did not necessarily
correlate to improved living standards for Soviet citizens. The
Soviet government's achievements in "raising the people's material
welfare" continued to lag behind the West's advances during a
period of unprecedented affluence. These factors combined to
undermine popular support for Soviet power and confidence in the
Communist project.
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