Shops "Birch". Paradoxes of consumption in the late USSR
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Operations with foreign currency were considered a criminal offense in the USSR, the cult of Western goods among Soviet citizens was a constant object of criticism in newspapers, and the existence of privileged supply was officially denied. Nevertheless, state -owned Birch stores, in which certain groups of Soviet citizens could buy scarce imported goods for currency and its substitutes (certificates and checks), successfully functioned throughout the Soviet Union.
Moreover, they have become an important part of late Soviet everyday life. American jeans, Japanese tape recorders and Italian boots bought not only diplomats or artists who went on tour, but also Soviet workers who provided “technical assistance” in third world countries, dissidents who received currency transfers from abroad, and also Ordinary Soviet citizens who dared to buy currency substitutes in the black market for rubles. Birch shops were perceived in Soviet society at the same time as a standard of consumption and as an example of social injustice. In the book of Anna Ivanova, retail currency trade in the late USSR for the first time becomes the object of historical research. The author considers the reasons for the appearance of the Birch Birch stores, describes the categories of Soviet citizens who have access to "closed currency stores, and the image of foreign exchange trade in official discourse and among consumers. The book is based on documents from the central and republican archives, the materials of the Soviet press, the memoirs and personal interviews with both employees and users of the currency trade system
Moreover, they have become an important part of late Soviet everyday life. American jeans, Japanese tape recorders and Italian boots bought not only diplomats or artists who went on tour, but also Soviet workers who provided “technical assistance” in third world countries, dissidents who received currency transfers from abroad, and also Ordinary Soviet citizens who dared to buy currency substitutes in the black market for rubles. Birch shops were perceived in Soviet society at the same time as a standard of consumption and as an example of social injustice. In the book of Anna Ivanova, retail currency trade in the late USSR for the first time becomes the object of historical research. The author considers the reasons for the appearance of the Birch Birch stores, describes the categories of Soviet citizens who have access to "closed currency stores, and the image of foreign exchange trade in official discourse and among consumers. The book is based on documents from the central and republican archives, the materials of the Soviet press, the memoirs and personal interviews with both employees and users of the currency trade system
Author:
Author:Ivanova Anna
Cover:
Cover:Hard
Category:
- Category:Biographies & Memoirs
- Category:History & Geography
- Category:Culture
- Category:Social Science & Politics
Publication language:
Publication Language:Russian
Paper:
Paper:Offset
Series:
Series: Culture of everyday life
ISBN:
ISBN:978-5-4448-0743-9
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