a couple months back i bought a few copies of Neuvostoliitto, a Soviet propaganda magazine. it was published in dozens of languages from 1930-1991, with the original Russian name being Sovetsky Soyuz. it focuses on the economic, technological and societal achievements of the Soviet Union. i'll show off a couple of articles along with translations. first off, some excerpts from a magazine published in 1959.
this article is about how the soviet union is moving to the world's shortest work week and work day, with workers from a linen factory being interviewed on how this change has affected their lives.
"my work week has shortened, i've received a second rest day, and my salary has risen by 27 percent. i use all of my free time on art, so I take part in acting classes and I'm part of a choir. now i can spend 2-2.5 hours every day on training." - Albina Kotshetkova
"my wife is an engineer at another production facility, where the 8-hour work day and 6-day work week is still in effect. after i move to a shorter work day, I'll be able to help my wife with chores more often. I guess our roles will change as well, with me having to wait for her to come to dinner and not the other way around." -Nikolai Shalugin
apparently during the seven year plan of 1959-1965, they were aiming for a 340 percent increase in buses.
these last ones are from a different magazine published in 1959.
an article on computers. some amazing terms are used here, like "electron-brains" and the aforementioned "thinking machines." most of the article is dedicated to explaining how the computers work, with magnetic strips with holes punched in them.
"it won't be long before thousands of these machines will be used in all the factories in our country."
"these thinking machines will create the technology of the future, which will allow humanity to achieve never-before-seen victories, renew the earth and make people's lives happier."
on the edge of the 21st century
in this article, Soviet scientists attempt to predict the future. here are a few of my favorite quotes.
"in the year 2000, the people of Moscow will welcome the new year with an artificial sun that has been set ablaze 20-30 kilometers high up in the sky. underground power lines will power electric cars that will move quickly and quietly. electric cables, the rumble of motors and exhaust fumes will be a thing of the past."
"the surgeon of the 21st century will no longer need a scalpel. it will be replaced by an ultrasonic wand that will numb the skin and open the tissue. many procedures will no longer need surgeons, with ultrasonic devices being able to dissolve kidney stones and drill teeth. electron machines will perform diagnoses and assist doctors during surgery and aftercare. once humans learn how to assemble biological tissue themselves, they will be able to completely replace faulty organs."
"after studying our entire solar system, scientists of the next century will prepare for a journey into other worlds. for a spaceship of this kind, perhaps a large asteroid will be used as its physical matter. for fuel, it will possibly use antimatter, which releases a massive amount of energy when colliding with normal matter. this spaceship will nearly achieve light speed. I think the scientists of the 21st century will complete all research necessary for the most powerful theoretical motors - the photon rocket."
"the struggle for human health and longevity will be fought in many ways. cancer will be eradicated in 20 years at most. it is very possible that tiredness will be almost completely removed through manipulation of the nervous system. this will extend the active life of human beings by 20-30 years."
the breakthrough into the cosmos
an article about achievements in space travel and the possible advances of the future. for context, Sputnik 1 was launched into the atmosphere in 1957, only 2 years before this magazine was published. Yuri Gagarin's spaceflight was still 2 years away.
"every second we move among objects that would have been miracles only moments earlier. we think it's completely normal to go to the store and buy a seeing-radio, a magic mirror that shows the skies and the earth. we think it's normal that electron machines transport trains and count the income of the collective economy. maybe this is why we listen to the messages from our first rockets with such interest, since we know that these spaceflights will soon serve the everyday needs of humanity."
if you're wondering what the hell a seeing-radio is, it's a television. in Finland, televisions were called seeing-radios (näköradio) throughout the 50s and 60s at least.
i hope you enjoyed this post, it took me about an hour and a half to make. all I can say is that I truly admire the optimism of that time period.
This is really cool and interesting although reading about Soviet plans for the 21st century and beyond always gets me looking like :doomjak:
