The Greatest Innovations of the Soviet Union

HEAVILY revised version of my USSR Innovations video. It has a good 5 minutes of new content and much of the overall editing and visuals have been improved upon as well, so even if you’ve already watched the original video this new version has a lot more to offer.

The first half of this video explores technological and artistic innovations in the USSR. The second half explores socio-political innovations in the USSR.

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Chronological Citations:

The Leningrad School of Painting. Essays on the History. St Petersburg, ARKA Gallery Publishing, 2019

Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History by Loren R. Graham

Stephen Brain, "Songs of the Forest"

The Decriminalization of ‘Homosexuality’ in the USSR: a Milestone in the History of Sexual Liberation - Left Voice

Thurston, Robert Reassessing the History of Soviet Workers - Opportunities to Criticize and Participate in Decision-Making - Google Drive

The Affirmative Action Empire: Nations and Nationalism in the USSR, 1923–1939, by Terry Martin

Empire of Nations: Ethnographic Knowledge and the Making of the Soviet Union by Francine Hirsch

Comrie, Bernard (1981). “The Languages of the Soviet Union.”

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[luckyea]

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics opened an era of a new type of development of culture and civilization, and its experience in crushing Nazism is invaluable today, in the context of a global conflict, the main front of which has been transferred to Ukraine, believes Professor of Philosophy at the Technical University of Crete Dimitrios Patelis, Candidate of Philosophy.

"On December 30, 2022, all progressive humanity celebrates the centenary of the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The USSR, the fruit of the first early victorious revolution, opened the era of a revolutionary transition to a new type of development of culture and civilization: to a united humanity. This was the triumph of the revolutionary creativity of the oppressed, proven by the example of the USSR "that they can take their destiny into their own hands, emancipate society, begin unprecedented revolutionary transformations, overcoming antagonisms and exploitation, towards a society of solidarity and humanity, " Patelis said.

In his opinion, the triumphal march of the USSR is associated with the world-historical achievements of man: the fight against illiteracy, the establishment of a number of social benefits, free education, healthcare, medical care, proper rest, the rapid development of the economy, society, science, technology, sports, art and culture .

“A titanic feat was the crushing of the anti-Comintern axis by the Soviet Red Army thanks to the self-denial and self-sacrifice of the entire people of the USSR, ensuring the world with nuclear parity, internationalist assistance to the world anti-imperialist movement, as well as primacy in space exploration. A clear example of internationalism is providing access to education in USSR universities to students from different capitalist countries, thanks to which I personally received an excellent education, ” the professor noted.


What did the Soviet government of the USSR give to the people?

1.The right to an eight-hour working day. For the first time in the world in the history of mankind.

2. The right to annual paid leave. For the first time in human history.

3. The impossibility of dismissing an employee on the initiative of the administration or the owner without the consent of the trade union and party organization.

4. The right to work, to the opportunity to earn a living by one’s own labor. Moreover, graduates of vocational educational institutions had the right to compulsory employment in the labor field with the provision of housing in the form of a dormitory or apartment.

5. The right to free general and vocational education. Moreover, both secondary vocational education and higher education. For the first time in the world.

6. The right to free use of preschool institutions: nurseries, kindergartens, pioneer camps. For the first time in the world.

7. The right to free medical care. For the first time in the world.

8. The right to free sanatorium and resort treatment. For the first time in the world.

9. The right to free housing. For the first time in the world

10. The right to protect the state from the arbitrariness of local bosses and officials. For the first time in the world.

11. The right to free travel to the place of work or study using an individual travel document paid for by the state. For the first time in the world.

In addition, women had the right to a number of additional benefits:

1. The right to three years of maternity leave with job retention. (56 days - fully paid, 1.5 years - benefits, 3 years - without interruption of service and a ban on dismissal from the administration.).

2. The right to free foster care for a child for up to one year.

3. The right to a free dairy kitchen for newborns up to three years of age.

4. The right to free medical and sanatorium-resort treatment for any childhood diseases.

There was nothing like this in any country in the world and there could not even be a trace of it. Some social benefits in foreign countries began to appear only after the Second World War as a result of a powerful labor movement caused by the existence on the planet of the Soviet state, the State of Workers and Peasants.

[Zhicano]

I studied graphic design from highschool on and what got me interested in the USSR was how their revolutionary artists did amazing graphic art with the technology that they had. In one of my classes we looked into the Bauhaus school and that's when I found out that many Soviet graphic artists greatly influenced them both directly and indirectly.

[ArtemSayapov]

When I was young, I was proud of Russia for its achievements, but then I grew up, and realized, it was never Russia that did the things I am proud of: it was the USSR.

The more I learn about communism, the more mad I am at Yeltsin for stealing our opportunity to live in such an amazing place.

[black_thunder]

"Socialism hinders innovation!"
Soviet Union: *became the first spacefaring civilization 12 years after one of the bloodiest war in history*

[luckyea]

Rating of countries by the first launches of artificial Earth satellites:

1. USSR - 1957
2. USA - 1958
3. UK - 1962
4. Canada - 1962
5. Italy - 1964
6. France - 1965
7. Australia - 1967
8. Europe - 1968
9. Germany - 1969
10. Japan - 1970
11. China - 1970
12. Poland - 1973
13. Netherlands - 1974
14. Spain - 1974
15. India - 1975


Rating of countries by the first launches of space satellites with their own launch vehicles:

1. USSR - October 4, 1957
2. USA - February 1, 1958
3. France - November 26, 1965
4. Italy - April 26, 1967
5. Japan - February 11, 1970
6. China - April 24, 1970
7. UK - October 28, 1971
- European Union - December 24, 1979
8. India - 18 July 1980
9. Israel - September 19, 1988
- Russia - January 21, 1992
- Ukraine - August 31, 1995
10. Iran - February 2, 2009
11. DPRK - December 12, 2012
12. Republic of Korea - 30 January 2013
13. New Zealand - January 21, 2018


Rating of countries by the first flights of astronauts:

1. USSR - April 12, 1961
2. USA - May 5, 1961
3. Czechoslovakia - March 2, 1978
4. Poland - June 27, 1978
5. GDR - 26 August 1978
6. Bulgaria - April 10, 1979
7. Hungary - May 26, 1980
8. Vietnam - July 23, 1980
9. Cuba - September 18, 1980
10. Mongolia - March 22, 1981
11. Romania - May 14, 1981
12. France - June 24, 1982
13. FRG - November 28, 1983
14. India - April 3, 1984
15. Canada - October 5, 1984


Ranking of countries by the number of first-of-its-kind spacecraft (remarkable, of historical significance, with achievements that were made for the first time by one of the countries) until 1992:

1. USSR - 21
2. USA - 15
3. EU - 1


Ranking of countries by the number of spacecraft launched to explore the solar system, as well as first-of-its-kind or noteworthy vehicles launched into low Earth orbit before 1992:

1. USSR - 115
2. USA - 84
3. EU - 4
4. Japan - 4
5. Germany - 2
6. UK - 1


Ranking of countries by the number of successful orbital launches (not including emergency and partially emergency) until 1992:

1. USSR - 2278
2. USA - 903
3. Japan - 42
4. France - 39
5. China - 27
6. EU - 13
7. Kenya* - 9
8. India - 3
9. Australia - 2
10. Israel - 2

* Italian naval spaceport "San Marco" located off the coast of Kenya and used to launch American missiles "Scout".


Ranking of countries by the lowest proportion of emergency orbital launches for countries with more than 10 launches before 1992:

1. USSR - 5.54%
2. EU - 7.14%
3. USA - 11.25%
4. Japan - 12.24%
5. France - 14.89%
6. China - 17.65%


Ranking of countries by the lowest proportion of accidental and partially accidental orbital launches for countries with more than 10 launches before 1992:

1. USSR - 7.13%
2. EU - 7.14%
3. Japan - 14.29%
4. USA - 14.65%
5. France - 17.02%
6. China - 20.59%

The number of dead astronauts:
- when performing space flight: in the USSR - 4, in the USA - 14;
- in preparation for space flight: the USSR - 1, the USA - 5.

The USSR won the space race.

[JohnT.]

Unfortunately, Michael Parenti believed the reports from Western sources that innovation hardly existed and workers were no all that productive along with other problems. However, we do know mistakes were made with the economy in the USSR since it was the first socialist experiment.

[tommygreen]

I love how in your videos, despite praising the many successes of the USSR, you also make the effort to criticise it where necessary as well. It is important that, although we can celebrate them for said successes and as the highly progressive forces that they are/were, we don't dogmatically support existing and former socialist states and think of them as idyllic utopias; but instead learn from both the achievements and shortcomings in order to build an even better model of socialism in the future.

[GeistInTheMachine]

They also had the best national anthem, courtesy of Russia.

[Geshiko-GuP]

The USSR's contribution to Space can never and shall never be forgotten

[elliekillsmonsters]

this is incredible!!! thank you for making this!!! this kind of content like from here and Lady Izdihar is making me so happy learning about the USSR :)

[MarxyMarxAndTheFunkyBunch]

I'm so sad, I just want her back.

[popular_dollars]

0:37 Oleg Losev did not invent the LED screen, but the LED.
0:40 Nikolay Devyatkov did not invent the microwave, but the microwave vacuum tube.

Both of their inventions would be important steps for Americans to create the actual inventions you mentioned. So both are important.

[generallyuninterested]

They enshrined the right to housing in thier constitution and limited the amount of property that could be owned. Even if capitalist ideals come creeping into landlords of today, I would much rather reside amonst a society where a human's right to shelter is a part of the culture. Even wild animals are expected to seek shelter for survival. The USA is ass backwards for brutally enforcing the protection of property as capital over millions of its citizens need for shelter to survive. People often complain about the ussr's architectural styles chosen for public housing, but it looks a hell of a lot better than thousands of tents on sidewalks, people sleeping in doorways, under bridges, condemed buildings with no plumbing no access to water or showers, using public parks and alleys across America as toilets (the smell alone). I wish american children were born with a right to have a roof over thier head, by law. No matter how meager.

[che_zzy]

the dissolution of the USSR was one of the worst things to happen to the world.

[georgekostaras]

Also I make this joke because capitalist innovation gives us 50 kinds of Doritos

[JustinTheodra]

Really well researched and put together. Thanks !

[ANT_chad]

One of the interesting things I learned while researching the Azerbaijan SSR, and in particular it's national minority policy, was the way that the All-Union orgs initially took korenizatsiia. In a paper called The Rise of Red Kurdistan, the author says "The government promoted the Azerbaijani Turkic national identity against Russian nationalism and in this way also reinforced the ethnic identity of the national minorities in Azerbaijan against Turkic nationalism." I think it shows just how difficult the task was, juggling competing nationalist mythos. All being said, where these debates usually turn into bloodbaths, it seems to me that it was surprisingly well handled.

[minecraftgameboy]

Well done the quality has improved n plus I do like the way you are not completely leaning towards ussr but criticising it as well

[Hkgiu]

"But the holodomor was a genocide against christians" something a 25 year old i served with has said on fb yesterday..

[luckyea]

A double-circuit monetary system was created in the USSR. One circuit is cash; it performed all the generally accepted functions within the country, but only in retail trade.

The second circuit is non-cash money; it worked only in the economy, for payments between enterprises and organizations. The peculiarity of this money was that it could not be withdrawn from this circuit and converted into cash.

Data for countries around the world whose economies grew at double-digit (almost double-digit) rates for more than 20 years in the 20th century are given below:

1. 13.8% - Russia - average annual growth for 22 years (1929–1955).
2. 11.5% - Taiwan - average annual growth for 27 years (1947-1973).
3. 10.4% - China - average annual growth for 25 years (1983-2007).
4. 10.2% - South Korea - average annual growth for 23 years (1966–1988).
5. 9.7% - Japan - average annual growth for 23 years (1948-1970).
6. 9.2% - Singapore - average annual growth for 24 years (1966-1989).

Thus, in the twentieth century, the world's largest national economic growth for more than 20 years was achieved in Russia in 1929–1955 (minus four war years). During this period, real wages grew 4 times, citizens’ deposits in savings banks grew 5 times, and the economy grew 14 times.

And:
- First place in the world in terms of the share of mechanical engineering in the total volume of industrial production.
- Complete technical and economic independence of the state has been ensured.
- First place in the world in terms of agricultural mechanization.
- First place in Europe and second in the world in terms of absolute industry size.
- First place in Europe and second in the world in terms of labor productivity in industry.
- The latest industries and advanced technologies: nuclear, space, rocketry, aircraft manufacturing, instrument making, radio engineering, electronics, electrical engineering and others. From the point of view of the saturation of economic sectors with new equipment and technologies, the domestic economy and industry had the youngest production and technical apparatus in the world.

And sanctions did not prevent such economic growth in Russia.

During this period, the monetary system is subordinated to the tasks of economic growth. It creates two money circuits isolated from each other - cash and non-cash. The non-cash money circuit provides settlements between enterprises and the necessary long-term financing of capital investments in the rapid creation of means of production, the cash money circuit provides payments to the population and retail trade turnover. An integral part of balance at the macro level is the purposeful maintenance of correspondence between natural material and cash flows, which eliminates inflation.

Entrepreneurial initiative in the form of artels, artisans, and private household plots ensures consumer diversity - it produces most of the basic food products and a significant part of consumer goods (wide consumption). The state provides quick registration, favorable administrative conditions, accessible financing, technological development, tax incentives and other measures to support entrepreneurial initiative.

The institution of long-term investment banks formed and operating in the economic system makes it possible to practically launch a monetary system in which “enterprises and organizations receive additional funds for capital investments in excess of their own resources in the form of non-repayable financing.”

As a result of credit reform, non-cash money becomes an unlimited, but strictly targeted and strictly controlled resource for the economy, in relation to which the general rule of economy applies - constant reduction of costs, that is, strict budget restrictions apply.

The very concept of “non-cash issue” is absent both in official documents and in theoretical works of the period under review.

From the point of view of money, this creates conditions for economic growth, when the volume of capital investments is limited exclusively by the “physical” possibilities of their implementation: the energy resources, materials, equipment, raw materials, labor, etc. available in the country.

Such conditions are extremely favorable for investment and largely determine their high growth rates and, as a consequence, high economic growth rates. In developed countries, a modern and fairly widely practiced analogue of such financing conditions is government gratuitous grants to investors, both for the creation of new production facilities in priority industries, and gratuitous grants for the successful launch of new production facilities in traditional industries.