Privileged elite: was there equality in the USSR as declared by the authorities?

The Soviet Union officially proclaimed principles of equality and justice, but in practice there was a hidden system of privileges for the party elite, high-ranking officials, and select cultural figures. While ordinary citizens stood in lines for basic products, the elite had access to closed shops, luxury housing, and world-class medical care.

In ordinary Soviet grocery stores, the shelves were often empty, and sausages and meat were in short supply. However, for the elite, there was a network of specialty stores, such as "Beryozka" and "Kremlevka", where you could buy Finnish whiskey, French perfume, Italian clothes and even Japanese machinery.



Payment in these shops was accepted only in foreign currency or special checks, which were issued to diplomats, party functionaries and other people close to the authorities. At the same time, for ordinary citizens, possession of foreign currency was a criminal offense.

In turn, while ordinary Soviet families huddled in cramped communal apartments or small-sized flats, the party elite lived in spacious apartments on Kutuzovsky Prospekt with a view of the Kremlin, high ceilings and even underground bunkers.

The dachas of the General Secretaries were more like palaces: Stalin had residences with marble finishing, Brezhnev had an estate with a personal garage and hunting grounds, and Khrushchev vacationed in a luxurious estate in Pitsunda. These properties were located in the best climate zones and were completely isolated from ordinary citizens.

A similar situation was observed with cars. While ordinary people waited for years in line for a Zhiguli or Moskvich, government officials drove around in exclusive ZILs with armored bodies and flashing lights. Leonid Brezhnev, known for his passion for cars, even owned a collection of foreign cars, including Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari, which were presented to him by foreign leaders.

Finally, while most people were content with sausages and porridge on coupons, the Kremlin canteens served lobster, elite cheeses, and select wines. Health care for the elite was also radically different: the Kremlin hospital was equipped with Western equipment and drugs that were not available in regular pharmacies. Officials received treatment from the best doctors in the country, while ordinary citizens suffered from shortages of drugs and outdated diagnostic methods.

Many researchers believe that the deficit in the USSR was largely artificial. If imported goods were available for the elite, the system could import them, but distributed them selectively. This inequality, hidden behind the Iron Curtain, may have become one of the reasons for the growing discontent among the population of the once great power.