Table of contents:
- Where did Tbilisi get powerful state support?
- Successful Georgian economy, paid for by state subsidies and shadow income of "guilds"
- Natural rent and fashionable Soviet resorts
- "Khvanchkara" for Churchill and Georgian export tea
Video: How the richest republic of the USSR lived: Soviet Georgia
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Today you can often hear that Georgia was the best in the Union. There could be several reasons for the privileged position. This is a good geographical location, and the Georgian elite in the party elite, and the peculiarities of the Transcaucasian mentality. But the fact remains: in the Soviet Union, everyone had the same rights. But for some reason the Georgians were allowed a little more.
Where did Tbilisi get powerful state support?
Due to historical factors, after the Bolsheviks came to power, a fairly noticeable Georgian stratum appeared in the party leadership. Yenukidze, Ordzhonikidze, Beria - these names say something. Later, the place of the head of state went to Stalin (Dzhugashvili). The desire to pay attention to the leader and his small homeland resulted in the social popularization of a small Transcaucasian republic.
In the 1930s, the image of a smiling, honest and brave Georgian began to appear on Soviet cinema screens. Georgia is gradually occupying a special place among other republics, becoming a universal favorite. In the 50s - 80s, the Georgian SSR, along with Armenia, the Baltic States and Azerbaijan, was the leader among the union republics in terms of centralized investments and subsidies.
The leadership of the USSR considered Georgia one of the most dangerous and vulnerable "points" in terms of maintaining the unity of the Soviet state. This means that this region had to be quickly turned into a "showcase" of real socialism. In addition, Moscow's benevolence can be explained by the merits of the Georgian leaders of that period. Mzhavanadze and Shevardnadze stood firm in defending the interests of their native republic before the center, skillfully achieving amazing privileges. They succeeded in alternating exactingness with the ability to "solve problems", as is clearly evidenced by Shevardnadze's well-known phrase about the sun rising for Georgia from the North. The Georgian SSR was generously supported by Moscow cash grants paid for by the Russian regions. So the local elite had only to "bring" it to the right office in time.
Successful Georgian economy, paid for by state subsidies and shadow income of "guilds"
An ordinary Soviet citizen, arriving in Georgia, marveled at the level of local life. There were a lot of cars, solid stone residential buildings, so different from the wooden huts of Russian collective farmers, and the Georgians themselves seemed to live in carefree prosperity. Statistics show that after the 1960s, the average pensions, salaries, scholarships and social benefits in Georgia were higher than the average for the Union. At the same time, prices and tariffs did not exceed the average level.
Among the workers in the main industrial sectors (energy, railways, seaports), the share of Russians prevailed. But in the service sector (resort service, trade, domestic road transport, taxi, etc.) Georgians represented. During this period, a sector of the shadow Georgian economy was born. This activity was supported by influential “guardians” from local and union structures. The local shop workers were reliably insured by the fears of the leadership about a possible aggravation of the situation in the Georgian Republic. According to Malkhaz Garuniya, an ex-member of the party control commission in Georgia, the "underground" could only be squeezed for reporting. There was no real desire to destroy the corruption pyramid either in Moscow or in Tbilisi. In fact, successful shadow businessmen ensured the privileged status of the Georgian SSR within the Union.
Hundreds of small, medium-sized underground workshops were located not only in private Georgian houses, but even in state-owned enterprises. In the Georgian SSR, it was possible to purchase almost everything that was considered a deficit for most of the Soviet people. Therefore, thanks to the weakened ideological pressure, the peculiarities of the Soviet closed economic system and the entrepreneurial spirit of local residents, guild goods had serious competitiveness. And the period of the seventies - eighties became the "golden age" of Georgian entrepreneurship.
Natural rent and fashionable Soviet resorts
One of the reasons for the "success" of Soviet Georgia was its natural location, which made it a favorable subtropical resort area in a northern country with a harsh climate. Successful geography brought the republic a lot of Soviet rubles and the status of a tourist Mecca of the Soviet Union. In Abkhazia, which is part of the GSSR, at that time there appeared the most prestigious southern resorts in the Union, Gagra and Pitsunda, where the entire Soviet elite rested.
In addition, Georgia was a mountaineering base for the USSR and a popular training camp for professional skiers. Alpiniads were often held here, in the Caucasus Mountains, bit ascents were organized. Legendary Borjomi springs originate from the peaks of the Bakuriani mountains. Along with fans-skiers, there were also those who wanted to improve their health with hydrotherapy in a mild warm winter climate.
"Khvanchkara" for Churchill and Georgian export tea
The industry of the Georgian SSR did not particularly stand out against the background of the leading republics of the Soviet Union, but the Georgians provided the Soviet people with wines, citrus fruits, tobacco, tea and mineral water. The Georgian Republic, as one of the oldest wine-making regions of the USSR, has earned world recognition for its own products. It is known that during the Yalta conference Joseph Stalin treated Winston Churchill to the Georgian “Khvanchkara”, and the British minister highly appreciated the quality of this brand.
Besides wines, the Georgian SSR was famous for its tea. In the 1920s, young tea plantations were planted here, starting breeding development. In 1948, new hybrid varieties were bred: "Gruzinskiy No. 1" and "Gruzinskiy No. 2". This tea was awarded the Stalin Prize. The next achievement was the variety "Georgian breeding No. 8", which is able to withstand temperatures down to -25. During the Soviet period, Georgian tea was known far beyond the borders of the country. By the late 70s, it had become a popular export product.
Georgia still remains one of the most picturesque countries in the post-Soviet space. You can verify this on 22 photographs from a hospitable country where you feel at home at any time of the year.
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