Why Soviet rubles? USSR ruble

The Russian Federation, as the legal successor of the USSR, also inherited the right to return those loans that third countries did not manage to return to the USSR. That's why Soviet ruble is still undergoing official quotation.

We go to the website of the Bank of Russia, with difficulty using a search we find information about the USSR ruble, and finally we click on the “Get data” button (and why so many precautions, I wonder?). And we fix:

Those. for the current dollar you can pay no more than 56 Soviet kopecks. As it once was. How many times was the Soviet ruble more valuable than the current one? If in relation to today's dollar (57 rubles), then 102 times.

However, even more interesting is the conversion through gold. Ruble model after 1961, i.e. post-reform, cost 0.987412 grams of gold. Depending on the current exchange rate of gold and the dollar, we get about 50 dollars for 1 Soviet ruble.

If we count at the official dollar exchange rate, then the average salary in the USSR in 1988, which then rose to 200 rubles, should today be about 20,400 rubles. RF. Last year it amounted to 28 thousand rubles.

If you thoughtlessly compare these figures, you get the impression that life has become better and more fun. But upon closer inspection, the blissful impression is forced to disappear.

For example, to pay for housing and communal services in the USSR, 2.5 percent of a family’s income was spent, today more than 11 percent. Those. Only 25,500 rubles fall into your hands. Thus, the excess of today's salary over the Soviet one is about 5 thousand rubles.


Again it seems that today is better than then, in Soviet era: We live richer, statistics!

But no statistical delights of market supporters take into account the Soviet public consumption fund. Today, in these 5 thousand rubles of difference, in order to maintain the Soviet standard of living, you must take into account the payment:
medicine, education, pioneer camps, kindergarten, holidays in a sanatorium, interest on loans...

Moreover, note that none of the market experts talks about the general deterioration in the health of the population, and especially children, associated, among other things, with the sharply deteriorating quality of consumed food products, being in an atmosphere that is permeated every moment by many invisible, but extremely harmful health radiation of different powers.

Many young people in Russia don’t even know what a real delicious cheese! The most expensive and delicious at that time, of course, was Swiss cheese at 3.90 rubles per kilogram. But it really was cheese! And today even in Western Europe You are unlikely to find real cheese easily. Cheese mass - as much as you like. And, yes, its quality today is higher than in Russia. But all the same: this is not cheese, but a surrogate for it.

However, like everything market is a surrogate for the true. And this is not an emotional outburst from a person who knows both that and our time. Try to find a market product/products that were simultaneously, or at least in several respects at once:

Safe for consumption;
- safe for nature during production, i.e. environmentally friendly;
- durable;
- ergonomic;
- healthy/tasty, and without the addition of flavor enhancers;
- produced under socially acceptable production conditions, i.e. without loss of health by employees;
- finally, affordable for anyone who works full time.

The list is, of course, not exhaustive.

Do you have such a product or thing? Name it, please: I’ll start saving... rubles to buy.

If, before restructuring, to purchase a cooperative apartment of 54 sq. m. meter it was necessary to accumulate 2.6 annual salaries, then in 2009 earnings for 4.6 years were already required. Moreover, this is data from the Higher School of Economics, which actively advocates for the market! Those. Surely these data are biased: market realities are embellished, and Soviet realities are belittled.

Moreover, the same group from HSE, led by Mr. Yasina stated that according to the situation in 2009, 20% of the population did not gain anything from the imposition of the market, while 40% clearly lost. Otherwise, almost 2/3 of the people have nothing market economy didn't see anything good. Unless, of course, you consider indelible advertisements on sidewalks about the services of prostitutes or the introduction of the Bologna system with the Unified State Examination to be good.

Therefore, if the average salary in the USSR, when the highest paid positions did not exceed the lowest paid ones by about 5-6 times, then today’s average salary has absorbed the millions in income of various officials and oligarchs, so that for most people these same 28,000 rubles are really inaccessible, according to at least outside of Moscow.

And as we see, taking into account the structure of expenses that has changed not in favor of the people, real wages, their purchasing power, if we do not forget about public funds consumption is clearly below Soviet levels.

However, we completely missed the golden factor, i.e. recalculation of the value of the Soviet ruble to today's dollar at the gold rate. Let us remind you that the then ruble today, if you look at this precious metal, is worth 50 dollars!

Otherwise, if by some miracle your salary reaches the average, i.e. is 491, well, let’s say 500 dollars, then this means that you have earned... the equivalent of 10 Soviet rubles of that time!)))

I remember that during perestroika they strongly pushed the idea that our ruble was made of wood. And how many jokes have been made about this!!!

I especially remember this one:

Soviet tourists in Paris visit a brothel. Suddenly, a woman’s scream is heard from one room. The owner of the establishment comes running.
- Madeleine, why are you screaming? You know that the customer is always right! Why did you call me?
- So, madam, these clients wanted to pay me... in Soviet rubles!!!

So, various “Ogonki” and “AiFs” with “Literary Women”, Yakovlevs and Zaslavskys - drop by drop poured ideological poison into the consciousness of the Soviet people of that time.

What did this lead to? To the fact that we all found ourselves in... a market, otherwise - a surrogate world. Where the dollar and the absence of correct, original meanings rule.

And how much a dollar really costs, and how much a ruble is worth - we will soon find out. When will Trump default?.

P.S. Thanks to my colleague from E&M A. Berberov,

#Tags: Soviet deposits, collapse of the USSR, Sberbank, Tribunal

Helpful information for owners of Soviet deposits (USSR savings books) and clients of the current Sberbank.

On the official website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation there is a section “Official rates of the State Bank of the USSR of foreign currencies in relation to the ruble, used in payment and settlement relations of the Russian Federation with foreign countries under trade and credit agreements of the former USSR.”

So, from this information it follows that as of December 2010:

100 US dollars corresponds to 50.59 Soviet rubles, and if we take into account the current exchange rate of the Russian ruble ( 30.9831

Russian ruble per US dollar), it turns out that 1 Soviet ruble = 61.24 Russian ruble. It's officially recognized! It is clear that the rate can be higher, for example, it is necessary to compare purchasing power taking into account those benefits that have now become paid.

Now - passbooks. Let’s say that 20 years ago it had 5,000 Soviet rubles (which was commonplace), which at the exchange rate = 306 thousand Russian rubles.

But that is not all. We also need to take into account interest (let’s say 5 modest percent per annum) - Gref (the current owner of Sberbank) does not lend money for free for 20 years. In total, it turns out that over 20 years, 5,000 Soviet rubles turn into 812,486 Russian rubles (almost a million).

Usually in the courts it is customary to also demand moral compensation (and everyone has moral anguish over lost money), which, as a rule, is equal to the amount of the claim. That is, that million doubles. In principle, it seems that in the USSR you can buy an apartment for 5,000 rubles and now for 2 million.

Thus, Gref owes each owner of the USSR savings book approximately two million rubles.

I don’t think that all the property of Sberbank of the Russian Federation will be enough to fully pay off its debts. There won't be enough money in the bins, no marble offices, no green toilets, no Maybach-Bentleys with drivers, no villas with yachts... For some reason I imagine a Greek kidney with a spleen in it three liter jar with saline solution as collateral - until the debt is fully repaid.

Addition

In fact, the rate of 61.24 is the very minimum, these “they” calculated. Now we'll do the math. It can be seen that for food (prices - Moscow, summer 2010) the exchange rate varies from approximately 80 to 200 - and this does not take into account the significant difference in the quality of food and the last autumn rise in price! Next - prices for housing and communal services and transport, rate 500 and above, apartments - 960! So, gentlemen bourgeois, something is wrong with you.

True, the rate for drugs (tobacco, alcohol, and now especially television) is significantly lower than the bourgeois rate, which is not surprising.

The current equivalent of 5,000 Soviet rubles was calculated similarly to that calculated earlier - taking into account the capitalization of interest for 20 years (5% per annum) and moral compensation = 2.0. Thus, duty "democrats" - privatizers(they are also bourgeois capitalists), includingGref, already amounts toleastfrom 2.5 to 25 million Russian rubles for every 5 thousand stolen Soviet rubles. But that's not all.

And these are just the stolen deposits.

The counter has been ticking for 20 years, and the interest is growing.

Of course, voluntarily, within the framework current system, the bourgeoisie will never give up the loot. That's right, that's not why they robbed. Even the most naive cannot hope for “their judgment” now.

Only, apparently, the bourgeoisie forgot about their historical experience. We’ll have to remind them about him, the hour of reckoning is approaching.

What income did the average Soviet family have in 1985? What does that income look like? modern conditions? I’ve been wanting to make this comparison for a long time, let’s see what we can come up with.

We take 1985 because it Last year classical Soviet system, later Gorbachev’s leadership set a course for the revival of capitalist relations, private business, the ability to cash out by bank transfer, conduct financial fraud, private organizations were allowed foreign trade and so on.

We will compare urban families.

The average size of a Soviet urban family in 1985 was 3.5 people, in the RSFSR - 3.2 people. (1) The total family income in the same year in the USSR averaged 143 rubles. per capita rubles per month [oops, my eye was confused - data for 1987, in 1985 - 135 rubles. All my calculations should be adjusted by 1%, basically the same))], which means the total monthly income of our family of 3.5 people. was equal to 500.5 rubles (2) Reference:
The average monthly salary of workers and employees of the USSR in 1985 was 190.1 rubles. (3) Family income 500.5 rub. consisted of 396.4 rubles. salary, 47.5 rub. pensions, scholarships, benefits and subsidies, 16.5 rubles. income from personal farming, as well as 39.5 rubles. other income (IMHO this includes shadow income). In addition, in 1985, 88.9 million square meters of free housing, including collective farm housing, were built. total (usable) area, which per capita is 0.32 sq.m., and for our family - 1.12 sq.m. This pace implied that a child born into our family should have received his own personal room exactly at the age of puberty.
To make a comparison, we need to take the structure of monetary expenses of a Soviet family in 1985 and convert it into modern prices.

The structure was as follows:
For food - 33.7%
Fabrics, clothing and footwear - 18.1%
Cars, motorcycles, bicycles - 1.6%
Other non-food products - 11.3%
Alcohol - 3%
Payment for apartments, utilities and maintenance of own houses - 3%
Other cultural and community services - 7%
Taxes, fees, payments - 9.4%
Other expenses - 5.1%
Family savings - 7.8%.

Let us derive approximately the conversion factor of the 1985 Soviet ruble spent on food into modern rubles. The question is not as simple as it might seem. After all, modern products are much inferior in quality to the products of that time. The pricing systems are fundamentally different. For example, meat was bought at both state prices and market prices, but today - only at market prices. The packaging is very different. Today there are more body kits when trading. Therefore, I will take the coefficient for natural bottled milk.
In 1985 - 28 kopecks. per liter of EMNIP, a week ago I bought a one and a half liter bottle of this milk for 75 rubles, i.e. liter - 50 rub. K=179. In order not to argue too much, I remind you that this also includes prices for food in canteens, and there a Soviet four-course lunch for 80 kopecks would be equal today to at least 350 rubles. K=438. And then we ate in canteens at work all the time.
We use this coefficient for milk. 33.7% from 500.5 rub. - this is 169 rubles spent by a Soviet family on food. Today it is 30,251 rubles.
Coefficient for fabrics, clothing and footwear. Here the question concerns my specialty. We'll bring out a man's shirt. 1985 - 10 rubles, modern analogue - 2500 rubles. K=250. Many will argue because... It seems to ordinary people that clothes are cheaper today. In fact, today a lot of extremely bad clothes and shoes are sold, which were simply not put on the market in Soviet times. But goods of similar Soviet quality are expensive. Accordingly, modern cheap shoes and clothes have to be changed more often.
In 1985, a Soviet family spent 18.1% or 90.6 rubles on fabrics, clothes, and shoes. Today, with K = 250, it is 22,650 rubles.
To "cars, bicycles, motorcycles". In 1985 VAZ-2106, best car middle class, cost 7260 rubles. Today, a new middle-class car of equally reliable construction will cost about a million. K=138. Accordingly, 1.6% or 8 rubles spent in 1985 turns into modern 1104 rubles.
For other non-food products we will display by household appliances, after all, this is the most expensive purchase. Let's take the new, coolest TV. 1985 - approximately 800 rubles. New product from the same “Horizon” - 38,000 rubles. K=47.5. Let’s not waste time on trifles, pointing out that K according to school notebooks goes beyond 200, let’s use TV K. Accordingly, 11.3% or 56.6 rubles. 1985 turns into 2689 rubles. today's.
To alcohol. I recently bought vodka for a alumni meeting - 450 rubles. for half a liter. In 1985 - 5.3 rubles. K=84.9. In 1985 - 3% of the family budget or 15 rubles, which today is equal to 1274 rubles.
To the communal apartment. In 1985, this was 3% of the family budget or 15 rubles. Today, let’s take approximately, on average, taking into account seasonal prices, and rather underestimated 8,000 rubles. K=533. Let's lower it further, rounding to 500. Then the Soviet 15 rubles. 1985 turns into 7,500 rubles today.
For cultural and community services. Services have also become more expensive. 40 kopecks - simple men's haircut in 1985, today I last time I got my hair cut like a comb and gave 450 rubles. and 50 rub. tips. I think you can look for and get a haircut for 250 rubles. Then K=625. A movie ticket in the evening is 50 kopecks versus 400 rubles. K=800. It’s also better not to go to kindergartens)) By transport services too)) Let's not argue too much, I use an underestimated coefficient of 500. Then 7% or 35 Soviet rubles turn into modern 17,500 rubles.
Taxes and all sorts of insurance fees have increased significantly today, but I don’t understand how to calculate the coefficient here. I suggest comparing budgets minus such expenses.
other expenses. Here, in particular, expenses on health and education. What was free or extremely cheap in 1985 has become serious blows according to the family budget. I'll take K out of the banal flu. You got sick with the flu today and easily spent 1000 rubles on treatment. In 1985 they would have spent roughly a ruble. Here is the coefficient of “other” expenses, which is affected by the distribution paid services in health and education. Then 5.1% or 25.5 rubles. 1985 today turns into 25,500 rubles.
We still need to add what the Soviet family received for free in 1985. Let’s make the symbol of this free bonus a square meter of free living space received. 1.12 sq.m. per year, and per month - 0.1. As an average modern price square meter housing, let’s take the price in my Saratov - 36,000 rubles, if I’m not mistaken. This is 3000 rubles per month. Let's add them.
Summarize.
In 1985, the average Soviet family of 3.5 people with an average salary of its workers was 190 rubles. minus 47 rubles for taxes and fees, minus the deferred 39 rubles, I spent 414.5 rubles on life.
In order to have a similar standard of living today, a modern Russian family must spend 111,468 rubles per month. Of course, the average Russian family does not spend that much, so it is forced to buy food substitutes, cheap clothes and shoes, and save on treatment and vacation.
Thus, we can calculate the exchange rate of the Soviet ruble relative to family expenses. One ruble in 1985 is 269 rubles in 2016.
We can also understand what 190 rubles of the Soviet salary in 1985 is. Today it is a salary of 51,110 rubles. Young people just have to explain that in 1985 a job cost 190 rubles. one could find it extremely easily, just like a job, say, for 250 rubles. But today a job for 51 thousand rubles...

Evaluate for yourself whether your level of income has increased compared to socialist times: in the USSR there were small salaries, but big income. These incomes included free housing, medicine, education, low prices for transport and housing and communal services, subsidized holidays. Income of 1 ruble per Soviet times- not a small amount, but 100 rubles - almost a fortune

Nowadays on the Internet you can find many discussions about the exchange rate of the Soviet ruble. This debate is especially often developed on various forums and thematic sites among commentators. Here I will not suggest to you, my dear readers, to impose any idea about “whether it was good or bad,” but I will give only the facts. Despite the second decade of the 21st century, there is still an official exchange rate for the Soviet ruble. Yes, yes, I didn’t say it was official. Let me remind you that Western countries did not consider the ruble to be the so-called hard currency - a freely convertible currency, since in Soviet legislation there were restrictions on foreign exchange transactions. Also, the exchange rate of the Soviet ruble (I will now consider the post-reform period from 1961 to 1991) has always been stable and was not traded on the stock exchange.

So where does the official exchange rate of the Soviet ruble come from in our time, you ask? The fact is that the Russian Federation, being the legal successor of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, assumed all debt obligations. In simple words Russia owed it, for example, to the Paris Club, with which, thank God, it fully paid off in 2008, and so do mostly formerly friendly and not very socialist countries.

So, according to the data of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the official rates of the State Bank of the USSR of foreign currencies in relation to the ruble, used in payment and settlement relations Russian Federation with foreign countries under trade and credit agreements former USSR the following http://cbr.ru/currency_base/GosBankCurs.aspx?C_month=03&C_year=2013&mode=1&x=40&y=16.

Table of the exchange rate of the Soviet ruble to foreign currencies:

From the above table it follows that there was only one (not freely convertible) currency in the world, which was more expensive than the Soviet ruble. This is a Kuwaiti dinar, for which you had to pay 1 ruble 78 kopecks. Neither dollars, nor pounds sterling, nor Deutschmarks, nor the euro introduced for non-cash payments were more expensive than the Soviet ruble, but always one and a half to two times CHEAPER.

Here it is worth making a reservation that the notorious exchange rate of 63 kopecks per 1 US dollar remained hunchbacked until the beginning, i.e. Mikhail Gorbachev of the process known to us as perestroika, when a different course was announced. Namely, in 1986, on January 28th, the exchange rate of the Soviet ruble decreased slightly. Now the ratios of foreign currencies to the ruble were as follows:

1 US dollar - 0.7525 rub.

1 pound erased. — 1.0460 rub.

1 Deutsch Mark - 0.3102 rubles.

1 Canadian dollar - 0.5343 rubles.

1 French franc - 0.1008 rubles.

1 Swiss franc - 0.3674

100 yen - 0.381 rub.

1000 liras - 0.453 rubles.

That is, there was approximately a 25% devaluation of the Soviet ruble. As you can see, then only the English pound sterling crossed the psychological mark of 1 ruble. per pound.

One more thing. After the monetary reform of 1961, the value of the ruble was equal to 0.987412 grams of gold.

One more thing, regarding the European currency unit ECU (european currency unit, the French called it Communauté européenne). This currency was used from 1978 to 1998 in the European Economic Community (from 1993 to 1999 simply the European Community within the EU). Since the beginning of 1999, the exchange rate has been one to one for the euro.

And now, I don’t want to seem biased and biased - draw your conclusions, gentlemen!