Talk:Egalitarianism

Egalitarism in Soviet Bloc? You must be kidding

The references to egalitarianism and low income inequality in Soviet Union are shallow and theoretical. Official government statistics of income inequality were essentially a lie and did not reflect real situation.

The real buying power and access to goods depended on: the place you live (Moscow, Leningrad had much better access to good vs the rest of the country), your social circle and your position in quid-pro-quo economy (as a simple example, your butcher friend would give you a call when his store gets a new supply of meat, you would come through the back door and he would sell you best cuts, all this before this meat would be "thrown out" to the shelf, if at all; you would pay 2x the official price for the meat and would set him up with other favors available to you), your access and proficiency on the "black market", your access to "special" stores (such as Beryozka Stores), whether you were part of Nomenklatura, and what level did you hold. This was a world of difference: people earning the same amount of money could have 10x or more difference in real value of goods. Higher levels of Nomenklatura got their privileges "for free", as part of their package, including mansions, cars, servants. Calling this system egalitarian or "equal income" is laughable. The situation in other countries of the Soviet block was similar.

Since the in-depth discussion of the subject would deviate too far from the article subject, I suggest to remove this paragraph altogether. The topic is discussed in detail in other articles.

SashaO (talk) 23:44, 27 June 2020

Wiki Education assignment: Comparative Management Seminar

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 30 January 2024 and 20 May 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Luca Vieten, Louisdelucy, Ulysse97190 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Louisdelucy (talk) 00:58, 16 April 2024 (UTC)