Figure 1.--A Russian TV proram ('Yeralash') had a lot of episodes set in or around schools. The episode "A new boy in class" had scenes showing the massive Stalinist-era apartment blocks in Moscow where the children lived. Click on the image for more views of the apartmets and information about the TV program."

We do not have a lot of information on Russian housing. Before the Revolution (1917), Russia had a rapidly growing industrial sector, but was still a laregely rural population. This meant that most Russian had their oiwn homes, albeit much of the rural housing was very basic. The central purose of Stalin's 5-Year Plans was to industrialize the Soviet Union by expanding heavy industry. This meant a massive transfer of people to the cities and also shifting resources to fnance the indudstrial expansion and support the workers. It alsomnmeant thsat urban housding had to be created. Stalin's answer were massive complexes of apartment blocks that are a major feature of most Russian cities today. Many of these complexes were poorly built and many residents had trouble with repairs and maintenance. Soviet lsaw and regulsatioins did not permit individuals to set up businsses to servbice the apsartment sweaklers. The vast proprtion of urban Russians live in theese apartment complexes. Worker wages tended to be very low, but this state-owned housing was provide at very low rents, although there were long waiuting lists for housing. Since the disolution of the Soviet Union, Russans had been debating weher or not to oprivatize these apartments. A Russian reader tells us, "Nowadays the Government is still working on a program of free privatization of flats in such apartments. Some people prefere to make their flats private, other to leave thier flats as a state property. This reflects a general indecesion in Russisa over the issue of private property. A Russian reader tells us, "Since Russian independence, alot of lot of large condominums, like those in Soviet times, have been built. Personal houses in Russia belong either to richest or the poorest people." Another reader writes, "I am not a specialist here. As I understand it, the present system of building condominums has been undertaken by private building companies. They build condominum and sell flats as people's private property. But by the law these companies must provide some flats in a new condominum (I think about 20 percent) to the state at a fixed, rather low interet rate. And later these flats are assigned to people who has a right for a state support to "improve living conditions" (like war veterans, victims of fires & floods, army officers, many-children families and so on). I am not sure of the terms Some may be provided free. Others may be provided free or at low interest rates with state guarantee certificates.

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Created: 9:54 AM 9/28/2009
Last updated: 7:08 PM 9/28/2009