Inside Gorbachev's USSR (1990)

Inside Gorbachev's USSR: Looking for Perestroika. This 1990 documentary explores the rocky (and ultimately ill-fated) progress of perestroika and glasnost in the Soviet Union.

[cougsjohnson]

It's amazing how people all want the same thing, no matter what Country they live in: Decent Salary, roof over their head, and a chance to provide a better life for their family in the future.

[lulloa]

The golden days of journalism and qualitative documentary.

[Mattreyu]

This is a priceless look into the final days of the USSR. It really sums up why it happened much better than just reading about it. Hearing the actual people talking about their problems and utter desperation to have a better life in contrast with the worthless -people- bureaucrats "in charge" is telling.

[Ergilion]

I was 6 years of age when this was filmed. I remember a little bit of USSR. The empty grocery stores my mother took me to. My footsteps echoed down empty halls and I liked running around there. It was sunny and empty. There were piles of milk cartons. The shelves were full of cans of some preserves and juice nobody wanted to buy but that was it. There was always bread though and it was always fresh. But aside from that buying something decent was a challenge.

[DianaDeLuna]

I was a nerdy young girl taking Russian in college. Pretty sure I saw this when it first aired. I went to the USSR in 1988. Empty shelves were everywhere, even in Moscow. I wondered how everyone didn't starve...was not yet aware of the dacha & private garden plot culture of Slavic people.

[ericthiel]

It blows my mind everytime I think about it, it always blows my mind that the party put people who knew NOTHING about certain industry in charge of those industries.

[quiteenough]

Mark Masarsky has sadly passed away Jan 27th 2021, at the age of 80. He also participated in working group of final edits of Russia's constitution in 1993.

[nathancoleman]

I was 20 years old in 1990 and watched almost as much PBS as the networks back then and I don't know how I missed even hearing of this documentary then. but now, thanks to you Guardia, I can play catch up.

[ekesandras]

why was there such a shortage of sugar? Because Gorbachev made a strict anti-alcohol campaign, banning Vodka from most stores and making it very expensive in the remaining. What did people do? They bought sugar to brew alcohol at home until there was no more sugar available.

[savasolarov]

This is a very good documentary. Thanks for the upload.

[johnbailey]

I remember travelling to Moscow in the early-to-mid 1990's. Went to two types of food stores. Privately owned western styled grocery stories where most Russians coud not afford to shop and where the "day's" currency conversion rate in rubles to DM or USD was prominently displayed at prices on individual items were in either DM or USD. Then there were the Soviet style stores. I was amazed at the line system in the Soviet style stores with all the lines, one line to orde, one line to pickup and a final line at which to pay. Going in to the store I was assigned to get into the paying line while those I went to the store with got into either the ordering or picking up line. At that time, the Russians were experts at waiting in line. My wife's family lived in a smaller city and grew a lot of food at the Dacha.

[jessehepburn]

This is gold. Thank you for posting this.

[Obiterarbiter]

I would love to see what these managers and business owners are up to now. It's been over 30 years since the USSR has fallen.

[lordfizzz]

Theres not a single "journalist" today who can come close to work like this

[boontjes]

What an excellent insight and valuable document…. Perestroika just never stood a chance in this system. Thanks for sharing!

[ZxZ]

lots of people are saying how bad it was the end of USSR and how the fall is inevtiable, but this documentary shows me the exact opposite, i see smart and movitated people recongize they have a problem and the need for change, not everyone agrees on exactly the pace of change and what is need to be done, but I see hard working people with passion and wants to do what is needed.

I think that if there were no military coup and all that, it would have been very possble that over the years, some sort of reform is introduced and everyone get used to it and the country is saved. Look at China, their economic sitaution was FAR worse than the USSR at the time of their reforms and step by step, slowly they are able to reform and became a superpower of today.

[clarencethomas]

This is so interesting, thanks for posting.

[thisisbridger]

Reading Lenin's Tomb at the moment and this is the perfect visual companion! Thank you for sourcing this curious doc

[MM]

The thumbnail:
"Comrade, do you think we are losing the Cold War?"
"Nyet, of course not. Do you want to order the McBurger, or the Chicken McNuggets?"

[soberCFD]

Это такие давние воспоминания, моё детство. Родителям было трудно, чтоб нам было беззаботно.