Quality Of Life In The Soviet Union

Quality Of Life In The Soviet Union
Author: Horst Herlemann
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2019-07-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000308812

"Quality of life" is a difficult concept to define, and particularly so when referring to the Soviet Union because Westerners have many preconceptions about Soviet living conditions. This volume goes a long way toward illuminating the realities of daily Soviet life and stands as an important contribution to our understanding of the Soviet Union. Contributors focus primarily on the relation of quality of life to living conditions but also discuss the quality and availability of state-provided services such as education, health care, and housing. Of special interest is their coverage of problems in Soviet society, including working conditions in factories, living conditions in rural areas, alcohol abuse, and the status of the elderly. Together these essays show that although the Soviet government has made great strides in improving the living conditions of its citizens, Soviet living standards and services are relatively poor by Western standards and several important social problems continue to burden the Soviet people.

Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev

Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev
Author: Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 1138
Release: 2004
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0271029358

This is the third and last volume of the only complete and fully reliable English-language version of the memoirs of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. In the first two volumes, published by Pennsylvania State University Press in 2005 and 2006, respectively, Khrushchev tells the story of his rise to power and his part in the fight against Hitler&’s invasion of the Soviet Union. He also discusses agriculture, the housing problem, and other issues of domestic policy, as well as defense and disarmament. This volume is devoted to international affairs. Khrushchev describes his dealings with foreign statesmen and his state visits to Britain, the United States, France, Scandinavia, India, Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, and Indonesia. In the first part, Khrushchev talks about relations between the Soviet Union and the Western powers. Of particular interest is his perspective on the Berlin, U-2, and Cuban missile crises. The second part focuses on the Communist world&—above all, the deterioration of relations with China and the tensions in Eastern Europe, including relations with Tito&’s Yugoslavia, Gomulka&’s Poland, and the 1956 Soviet intervention in Hungary. In the third part, Khrushchev discusses the search for allies in the Third World. The Appendixes contain biographies, a bibliography, and a chronology, as well as the reminiscences of Khrushchev&’s chief bodyguard about the visit to the United Nations in 1960 at which the famous &“shoe-banging&” incident occurred&—or, perhaps, did not occur.