Back in the USSR (1988) - Soviet Union in late 1980s 

People here filmed seem more proud and happy than today

At least I get to see life in the USSR. Aa a history nut, this is gold for me. Thanks for uploading it. 😊

Those days just came to my mind from 1980s. I was a voracious reader of Soviet publications in 1980s. Through those publications I came to contact with Soviet literature, culture, art and technology. Those full page photographs of Soviet scenic beauty , sculpture and their life are still very clear in my mind. Missing those really valuable days. Thanks for uploading.

Teachers and students remembering each other is a universal experience. I love it 😊

It's a bit weird that Americans don't film a single young person in the USSR. If you walk in any public place or street in Moscow you will see women who would easely get a job in a model's agency in a Western country, but not in US documentaries about the USSR.

Honestly, I think the US and Russia were probably in a better state back in the late 80s. I miss those times. So much hope in both countries.

This documentary is excellent. Having people talk about their lives without a bunch of melodramatic music and leading questions is the best way to get to know people.

This was so well made, a very interesting perspective from the 80s when there was so much hope for the future, just saddening to know now how some things have turned out tragically.

Reminds me of when I first went to the US. I could not get over the open poverty and homelessness. The USSR was the dream that did not become reality, the US is the reality that is the nightmare.

Фильм полный бред и пропаганда того, что в СССР все плохо, все бедные, не умеют друг с другом общаться, голод, разруха и т.д.! Даже не стал досматривать эту пропаганду! Горбачева ненавидели раньше и ненавидят сейчас! Развал СССР это большая ошибка!

The power of western propaganda is truly incredible.

Millennials and younger can take note from this video on how people can all be in a room together, talking, being sociable, and just interacting. (as I sit behind a keyboard and type this).

On August,12-13th in 1989 there was a huge rock concert with Motley Crue, Ozzy, Scorpions, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Cinderella in Moscow. Time was changed.

I lived in Moscow in 1993 and was there during the 2nd Coup. Lots of turmoil that year. Even though there wasn't freedom to do what you wanted during the USSR I believe life was more peaceful and families were closer than they are now.

Сколько улыбок тогда....

I love these videos.

Мне одному кажется, что раньше у людей взгляд был более осмысленен?

In mid-1986, nobody (or almost so) expected the USSR to collapse during the XXth century. In early 1988, everybody (or almost so) deemed it possible.

I love this. It demonstrates very well the change in humanity in the past 40 years.

They need to do another episode 35 years later. "Back Again to The USSR" See how much things have changed.

Мне кажется сейчас наоборот идёт тенденция к прохожим, люди прохожими становятся, а в том времени все таки в обществе люди держались вместе, роднее были... Пусть были гнилые, подлые и хорошие, добрые, но люди роднее были

This is an episode of Frontline, a PBS current affair documentary, broadcast on March 29, 1988 (season six).

Better dressed better cities than every city in the usa 2023

Extraordinar, melodia de la inceputul reportajului, pe care ati ales-o este o DOINA romaneasca!👋

do not show only Moscow. Petersburg and Moscow is a total different Russia than orther republics. There were a lot of poor people who did not have anything to eat, most people were like slaves, work all day, back to home only to sleep and work again.

Soviet Union, unique, ideal, charming, utopic state. Soviet people were naive from the point of view of modern person, who's only wish is eating, dominating and making sex. Soviet people were flying in the ideal world. They red books, attended theaters, listened classical music. Soviet state was very mild, you could work 4-5 hours daily, drink tea during working time. You got apartment from state free of charge, you got free healthcare, free education in universities, free recreation in sanatoriums. This all has gone and will never come back. Please, don't say it is a lie or propaganda. What I have said, is my personal experience. Western media hated USSR, because it was a challenge to Western billioners elite and their paradigma. Media always lied about positive side of Soviet life. People in the West had opinion, that Soviet people worked hard in misery and feared KGB. The reality was different. I have never in my life seen any KGB. Soviet people were happy, though they were not conscious about it. The USSR was the first and the last, single state, where people thought not only of earning money, eating, dominating and making sex, like animals.

And then came the nineties and all hell broke loose. Amazing.

Beautiful times, so many happy, peaceful, normal, sincere people in this documentary. There's so much hope in the air. I was a kid during the '80s growing up in socialist Yugoslavia, those kids at school were at my age then. I reminded of those times how similar my childhood was and how people got close together. Present times are so much more depressive and sterile, young people are sterile, we are now living in technological dictatorship, staring in our phones, distant from each other, in a capitalist rar race and inequality and everything is artificial and wrapped in silicone. Modern taste for beauty is disgusting, women start to look like zombies with this pumped lips and breasts. I prefer those times as more close to human nature that today. As how much people didn't have, their hearts were happy, we will never have those ideal times again. Now our stores are full, our wallets are half full, but the hearts and souls of people are more and more empty.

Boy, those poor people had no idea they where about to experience 'the sweet taste of freedom'...

All people are poor but look and talk more intelligent then now in Russia, it’s incredible.

People tend to look back on old days and remember only the good. Obviously in the soviet union there were people who lived comfortable lives. But the heart of the soviet union communist system was evil. Millions died and lived in terror. Thousands disappeared and were sent to concentration camps where they lived in miserable harsh conditions. Many didn't survive. Needless to say the suffering of the people under communism was immense.

People miss those times. More social cohesion, better social services, families closer etc. I guess you can buy 40 kinds of pop tarts now.

Почему так грустно? мне было 2 года, все родные были со мной, радовался всему, жизнь только начиналась)

Love the maps, them songs of the channel. Wish I could've born and lived at that time.

Amazing. To see something like this is surreal. We hear about it in movies and read about it in books. But to see it in this style is amazing.

From 04:50 you know that it was filmed during the autumn, in October.

I dont know how much people are interrested by the USSR but its really fascinating

I was kid and visit Moscow with my mother in 1988. Maybe I saw the film crew on the Red Square. It was big black guy with big Betacam. He filmed the mausoleum's guards and after that put the camera down on me. I remember it because it was very unusual for me - kid from Siberia.

Beautifully made, amazing cinematography for the time.

Hey, I was in the Soviet Union in 1988, just for two weeks, though. It was weird! Of course we had no idea what would happen over the next 3-4 years. I'm glad I went, it feels like I'm a little part of history.

Unlike the USSR, we can say whatever we think freely in the USA. For example, we can say that the lives of blacks matter, we can kiss their feet and ask for forgiveness on our knees. We also have democracy, which is when you always choose one president out of two, even if one of them is the son of a former president. But do not confuse it with the monarchy, because the English Queen does not have real power, and the American president can claim that he bombed Yugoslavia, he bombed Iraq. And we also have independent media, although they dismiss those whose opinion does not coincide with Washington's opinion. And of course, as a great and free country, we help other countries... by supplying weapons, ammunition, and giving a lot of freshly printed money to hire soldiers of fortune. It is good that this dark USSR has finally collapsed and the new democratic republics... began to drown in blood, on the basis of national enmity and territorial conflicts. This is the whole strength of democracy, because whoever has more guns and dollars is right.

Little did they know that their country would no longer exist three years later.

Советский Союз!!! 👍👍👍👍

Interesting info at the very end of this show about the US military and toxic waste. I was exposed to toxic waste in the USMC in the 1970's and am now part of a study as a result. I never knew about this until around 2012 when they contacted me.

its so wholesome to see them go back to their old school

СССР это моя молодость. Всё было хорошо. Не было криминала, бандитизма, работа была у всех. Бездомных людей не было. Горбачев целенаправленно уничтожал страну внутри страны. Русские люди в основном наивные и доверчивые. Обманули , что у нас будет светлое прекрасное будущее, но по сути потеряли всё и всё стало намного хуже.

Empty streets. People were at work and they were happy. And they were confident in their future. And naïve. The future came with the deceit of the Party... Anyhow there was a great culture, great science and (even) great industry. Not so great agriculture. As for "Jerry Schecter" etc., what can he possibly know or feel! He was from the other side of the mirror.

Russian women are just beautiful

In the late 1980s, Gorbachev led the political and economic reforms of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, all failed in the end. The Christmas of the Gods in 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Какие люди спокойные и счастливые! У людей появились права свободы выбирать самим , что и как им хочется делkrть и как им хочется жить. В то же время у них есть советские надежные рабочие места и все, что построили их советские дедушки и советские родители для их достойной комфортной жизни. Еда натуральная свежая без пальмового масла! Все поля под Ленинградом полны коров и коз , и вся молочка самая натуральная. Хлеб с утра горячий и свежеиспечённый... Все женщины прекрасно причёсаны, и хорошо модно одеты! Пожалуй лучше, чем сейчас. Советские квартиры у всех не нужно покупать, они заработаны на предприятиях. Есть возможность летом съездить на море в самый сезон. На дачах растят вкусную свежую клубнику и яблоки и ягоды и цветы... Все спокойно с улыбкой рассуждают разговаривают о внутренней политике от детей до любых людей и на улицах и профессионалы ... никто не заявляет, что «политикой не интересуется»

At that time, Russian people believed that they could change their lives for the better, but through time, they lost this faith and went back to a time of fear, hate, and despair.

Old people who lived in soviet union always nostalgic about old times. It was a good times where people was more united even tho live wasn't easy. Now we live in times were people doesn't care about each other. Best movies, cartoons was made in USSR. Now it's robbers in charge, mafia.

80s Yugoslavia was super comfy like that as well

I wish kids in America would clean their classrooms after school day is over. I tell my son stories about going to school in Ukraine. We used to stay after school and wash the classroom floors. I think it is a good practice.

It wasn't all bad as some Westerners like to believe. Every system has it's pros and cons.

If this trend continued without the economic collapse and Yeltsin's corruption, Russians would have embraced democracy, just like other eastern European countries. The Yeltsin's chaotic 90s made Russians favor authoritarian governance once more, and ultimately gave rise to Putin.

Какие же люди на видео добрые, отзывчивые, образованные, не то что ныне при капиталистах.

It's too bad they no longer speak Russian as they did when they attended that school decades ago.

Помню эти времена, ностальгия по детству.

Развели неискушенных людей

19:09 what an adorable child.

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:08 📺 The video discusses the changes happening in the late 1980s Soviet Union. 01:18 🇷🇺 Mikhail Gorbachev's leadership promises openness and economic change in the Soviet Union. 02:10 🎥 The video provides an intimate look at the lives of Soviet citizens and their thoughts on the changes. 04:53 📚 An American family, the Schecters, lived in the Soviet Union 20 years ago and returns to see if things have changed. 05:33 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Schecter family sent their children to Russian schools during their previous stay in the Soviet Union. 09:55 🗣️ Opinions on Americans and Russians have changed, with more openness and communication between the two. 12:36 🌍 Gorbachev's perestroika and glasnost are discussed, leading to more openness and economic changes. 15:43 🇺🇸 Americans express their freedom and mobility, which differs from life in the Soviet Union. 17:06 🏫 Some Soviet schools still promote anti-American sentiments, causing concern. 19:54 📜 The video highlights the struggle of dissidents and those who oppose the government's ideology. 21:33 💼 Economic challenges and housing distribution issues are discussed. 25:53 🏙️ The Soviet system limits mobility, especially in terms of housing. 27:08 🔄 The video mentions the desire for fundamental changes in society. 30:02 🧠 A change in mentality among the younger generation is noted. 32:08 🖌️ The video discusses the impact of the generation that grew up during Khrushchev's time. 35:56 🇺🇸 Refuseniks, Soviet Jews who were denied exit permits, face difficult choices. 38:17 🇷🇺 There's excitement and a sense of national renewal in the Soviet Union despite challenges. 38:35 🎭 Gorbachev's loyal allies, including thinkers, writers, and dreamers, risk their positions if he falls. 39:20 🎭 A group called Theater 2, known for pushing boundaries, satirizes political corruption and government lies. 41:52 🎤 A dissident historian explains that high-ranking officials knew they could be shot if they disagreed with the government. 45:44 🕊️ Human rights activists like Yuri are released from prison but still face restrictions, showing the struggle for change. 48:29 📚 Soviet society grapples with its past as plays, books, and movies from the censor shelf become accessible. 49:03 🎥 The film "Repentance" forces the audience to question if Stalin was solely responsible or if the system played a role. 50:40 📖 Writers like Anatoly Pristovkin become historians, sharing the untold tragedies of the Soviet era. 54:26 🌟 Friends gather for a farewell party, signaling changing times and uncertainty about the future in the Soviet Union.

Reminded me of former Yugoslavia, the best country in the world. Why would anyone think that something was wrong with socialism/ communism of that era and that model..

Compare of today its seem like a paradise. We know what we lost, we don’t know what will be.

Definitely don’t miss the smoking of the 1980s… musty have been even worse in the USSR than in America back then… both my parents smoked like chimneys and I despised every second of the smoking…

Feels like everything was planned back then ,no chaos and the most important people were nice talking no matter what the problems were .

What year was this filmed in? I'm guessing 1987 since it says Gorbachev came to power 2 years ago so it was released at the same time or they waited until the Soviet Union collapsed?

The mass transportation system in the USSR was really good and fare prices were good. I wish the US had a good mass transit system like they had.

Holy cow! Mikhail Efremov (currently serving an 8-year sentence for vehicular homicide after a long film and stage career and a simultaneous descent into alcoholism) 39:23

Великая и большая страна!!!

They showed us Moscow so we must believe the whole country was like this

It active great to see how much passion people had without phones. And USSR life doesn’t look that bad

Люди замечательные, ещё неиспорченные, простые, дружелюбные, образованные. Много интеллигенции.

Не , такую , свободу , мы хотели, не такую!!!!!

This is so interesting since I have been learning about Russia since 1983 when I was in high school! I have learned so much! UTube is like a library of knowledge! Don Los Angeles California

Russia seems in a far better state in 1988 than 2022, more press freedom, more freedom of thought, more artistic freedom, more outward looking... It's tragic, the young people there in 1988 seem so fed up with authoritarian rule, they want to express themselves, they want to think for themselves, they want to travel.....now its all unravelling there. What a nice family too (Schecter) in this documentary, so friendly and genuine and inquisitive. Seeing them meeting young Soviet adults was great with the country at a crossroads or the older guys debating ideas openly, freethought is so important to life.

Куда ушли те времена? Где ответ? В СССР мы ЖИЛИ!!! А сейчас нет!

Вопрос американцам, почему в вашей демократичной и свободной стране более 2 миллионов заключенных?

What a pronunciation!❤

Propaganda in this is super strong. If you look at approval of Gorbachev in Russia now, it's abysmal. The idea pushed in this documentary is "if only they could be like the US" and "the US is so much more prosperous". No better than Russian propaganda.

Все близки друг другу как ни когда

Perestroika dayz. There is also a good Soviet film called "The courier". Which was made about these times of change in the Soviet Union. I do recommend it.

Бойтесь Данайцев дары приносящие!!!!!!!!!

Россияне столь открыты , при том, что говорят о себе, что секреты должны быть засекречены. Они воспринимают этих "посланцев", как друзей...Какая страна выдержала бы все то, что происходило в России? Невероятно... Абсолютно уникальная страна , абсолютно невероятные люди! Сегодня все видится иначе. Нежность, гордость и любовь теплой волной накрывает меня , когда я смотрю кадры этого фильма...Живи и процветай , великая Россия!🙏❤️

Funny thing how everyone that speaks badly about the USSR/DDR are mostly people from the west that never even lived there to begin with. I know both Russians, Poles, Lithuanians and Latvians that grew up there and mostly no one really recalls anything bad that we dont experience in the western sphere. Obviously we all known the bad things, but i think we get so up in our own propaganda we actually start believing it ourselves.

More humanity, less materialism in the 1980s

This is incredibly interesting and well made, but I will note the lack of any mention of the many minority nationalities of the Soviet Union. My understanding is that Russians were genuinely surprised by the resentment from Lithuanians, Ukrainians, etc. over Russian suppression of their nationhood. It was something they never thought about. Nationalism the main reason the Union broke apart as fast as it did. If you went back in time and tried to explain to them that in 34 years Russians would be bombing Ukrainians and their soldiers would be slaughtering each other, they would laugh in disbelief.

Как у советского человека, может быть много американских друзей? Почему не говорят о том, как процветала СССР во время Великой депрессии в США? Почему смеются с того, что "якобы Америка может сбросить ядерную бомбу", учитывая то, что у США и Великобритании был разработан план " Немыслемое" по уничтожению СССР ядерным оружием? Все просто. Вы сейчас увидели американскую пропаганду.

Only one year before the world changed forever, especially among the ex-USSR states. Wild!

We were there from 2001 to2005 it was shocking at first we got used to it we did bring back 4 awesome children

That little girl around the 19 minute mark with the stuffed animal cat; children show us how much we all have in common. I wonder where she is now?

I dunno who was right or who was wrong back then, but... I feel like a slave to capitalism right now.

It's funny at about 13 minutes in it talks about how we in America can talk about anything we want and no one gets mad even if the president doesn't agree lol not anymore, we are not allowed to have a different opinion these days, our thoughts get fact checked by the thought police nowadays.. Not like how it use to be in the 80s, wow how times have changed.. Free country lol

What's the name of that pan flute song played at the start of the video at 3:24?

Excellent.

The accent of their English is perfect. I can say computers made us stupid.

I hate to say it but the USSR and the USA were way better countries back in those days .. better leaders and there was mutual respect.

I was 3 years old back in Soviet Georgia at that time.

Великая страна !

I'd be interested to see what the Russians in this documentary would think of America today if someone went back to Moscow and talked with them. I doubt they'd be so envious of American "freedom and democracy" now.