Each decade of the 20th century, in the eyes of an ordinary citizen, is painted in its own colors, shimmering in many shades. The twenties and thirties for some were a time of five-year plans, enthusiasm and intercontinental air travel; for others it was overshadowed by mass repressions. The forties rhyme with “fatal”, they are painted with the whiteness of gray hair and bandages, black smoke and the orange flames of burning cities. The fifties - virgin lands and dudes. The sixties - a calm, but poor life. The seventies - brick-washed bell-bottom jeans, hippies and the sexual revolution. Eighties - sneakers, banana pants and Felicitas. And then a nightmare life began in Russia. It was not easy to survive in the 90s. Let's stop at them.

Illusions

The decade is usually counted from the first year. For example, 1970 still belongs to the sixties. Therefore, the first year in this terribly interesting era is considered to be the year of the collapse (or collapse) of the Soviet Union. After what happened in August 1991, there was no question of the dominant and leading role of the CPSU. The smooth slide towards the market, characteristic of many world economies after the collapse of the socialist system (as, for example, in China), became impossible. But almost no one wanted him. People demanded change - and immediate change. Life in Russia in the 90s began with the illusion that if you take a small step, the country will live as luxuriously as the prosperous West, which has become a model in everything for the majority of the population. Few people imagined the depth of the abyss lying ahead. It seemed that America would stop “playing the fool”, would help with advice and money, and the Russians would join the ranks of “civilized peoples” traveling to expensive cars, living in cottages, wearing prestigious clothes and traveling around the world. This happened, but not for everyone.

Shock

The instant transition to the market caused a shock (English: The Shock). This psychological phenomenon was called “shock therapy”, but had nothing to do with the healing processes. In the 90s, exempt prices began to grow many times faster than the incomes of the majority of the population. Sberbank’s deposits have lost their value, they were most often said to have “disappeared,” but the laws of conservation of matter also apply in economics. Nothing disappears, including money, which simply changes its owners. But the matter was not limited to savings books: in the summer of 1992, the privatization of all public property began. Legally, this process was formalized as a free distribution of ten thousand checks, for which formally it was possible to purchase shares of enterprises. In fact, this method suffered from an important flaw. The so-called “vouchers” were bought en masse by those who had the means and opportunity to do so, and soon factories, factories, collective farms and other entities of the Soviet economy passed into private hands. The workers and peasants again got nothing. This surprised no one.

Political changes

In 1991, American correspondents in the office former president The USSR (at that moment already timidly retreating) expressed joy at the victory over the “evil empire” with loud cries of “wow!” and similar exclamations. They had reason to believe that the only counterweight in the world to the planetary dominance of the United States had been successfully eliminated. They believed that after that, Russia would soon disappear from the map, it would disintegrate into easily controlled from the outside patches, populated by a demoralized rabble. Although the majority of the subjects of the RSFSR (with the exception of Chechnya and Tatarstan) expressed a desire to remain part of a common state, destructive tendencies were quite clearly observed. Domestic policy Russia in the 90s was formulated by President Yeltsin, who called on the former autonomies to take as much sovereignty as they wanted.

The gloomy realities could turn the most ardent supporter of unity into a separatist. The shooting of tanks from the turret guns of the Supreme Council building (October 1993), numerous casualties, arrest of delegates and other circumstances contributing to the flourishing of democracy did not raise any objections from foreign partners. After this, the Constitution of the Russian Federation was legislated, with a generally acceptable text, but placing the norms of international law above national interests.

Yes, the Parliament now consisted of two chambers, the Federation Council and the State Duma. It's a completely different matter.

Culture

Nothing characterizes the atmosphere of the era more than the spiritual life of Russia. In the 1990s, government funding for cultural programs was curtailed, and sponsorship became widespread in its place. The notorious “crimson jackets,” in the pauses between shooting and blowing up their own kind, allocated funds for projects that suited their tastes, which, of course, affected the quality of cinema, music, literature, theatrical productions and even painting. An outflow of talented people began abroad in search of better life. However, freedom of expression also had a positive side. The broad masses realized the healing role of religion in general and Orthodoxy in particular, and new churches were built. Some cultural figures (N. Mikhalkov, V. Todorovsky, N. Tsiskaridze, N. Safronov, managed to do this too difficult time create true masterpieces.

Chechnya

The development of Russia in the 90s was complicated by a large-scale internal armed conflict. In 1992, the Republic of Tatarstan did not want to recognize itself as a federal part of a common country, but this conflict was kept within a peaceful framework. Things turned out differently with Chechnya. An attempt to resolve the issue by force grew into a tragedy on a national scale, accompanied by terrorist attacks, hostage-taking and military operations. In fact, at the first stage of the war, Russia suffered defeat, which was documented in 1996 with the conclusion of the Khasavyurt Agreement. This forced move gave only a temporary reprieve; in general, the situation threatened to move into an uncontrollable phase. Only in the next decade, during the second phase of the military operation and after cunning political combinations, was it possible to eliminate the danger of the collapse of the country.

Party life

After the abolition of the CPSU monopoly, the time of “pluralism” came. Russia in the 90s of the 20th century became a multi-party country. The most popular public organizations that appeared in the country were considered the LDPR (liberal democrats), the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (communists), Yabloko (advocating private property, a market economy and all kinds of democracy), “Our Home is Russia” (Chernomyrdin with a folded “house” palms, personifying the true financial elite). There was also Gaidar’s “Democratic Choice”, “Right Cause” (as the name implies, the opposite of the left) and dozens of other parties. They united, separated, conflicted, argued, but, in general, outwardly they differed little from one another, although they diversified in Russia in the 90s. Everyone promised that everything would be fine soon. The people didn't believe it.

Elections-96

The task of a politician is to create illusions, in this he differs from a real statesman, but at the same time is similar to a film director. The exploitation of visible images is a favorite technique of those who seek to capture the souls, emotions and votes of voters. Communist Party skillfully exploited nostalgic moods, idealizing Soviet life. In Russia in the 90s, fairly wide sections of the population remembered better times When there was no war, the issue of obtaining daily bread was not so urgent, there were no unemployed people, etc. The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, who promised to return all this, had every chance of becoming the president of Russia. Oddly enough, this did not happen. Obviously, the people still understood that there would still be no return to the socialist order. passed. But the elections were dramatic.

Late nineties

Surviving the nineties in Russia and other post-Soviet countries was not easy, and not everyone succeeded. But everything ends sooner or later. It has come to an end and it is good that the change of course took place bloodlessly, not accompanied by one of the terrible civil strife with which our history is so rich. After a long stagnation, the economy, culture and spiritual life began to revive, timidly and slowly. In the 90s, Russia received a vaccine that was very painful and dangerous for the entire state organism, but the country survived it, although not without complications. God willing, the lesson will be useful.

: On the one hand, every generation hopes that “our descendants will live better.” A completely logical hope. If we assume that descendants are doomed, the meaning of achieving something, giving birth and raising children is lost. On the other hand, each generation proves that “in our time the grass was greener, the water was cleaner and the old people sat on the benches much more dignified.” Which is also understandable - this is a feature of human nature. It has been scientifically proven that the psyche normal person Over time, it weeds out the negative - except for the worst. Positive memories remain, which are perceived even more positively over time. However, there is a stumbling block - the nineties. Which some call “dashing bandits”, “terrible” - while others convince “life was better under Yeltsin.” I’m not surprised when those who were 13-17 years old in the 90s say this. No matter what happens in the country - except for the war - the main hardships fall on adults. I usually suggest that such “defenders of the nineties” ask their parents or older relatives what life was like for them. When the nineties are defended by 30-40 year olds, it most often turns out that they were lucky to have “successfully risen.” Alas, out of one and a half hundred million people, according to sociologists, 15-20% are “lucky”. However, in the days of the fall of the State Emergency Committee, even I was overcome by an acute feeling of “great changes and great opportunities” - but the subsequent chaos brought bitter disappointment...

At times I argue with “Yeltsin apologists” - hearing the same arguments. Some people deliberately distort the facts; others are simply mistaken, not bothering to double-check the data.

I will try to answer the most common misconceptions - without emotion, using “bare numbers”.

During Yeltsin's time there was real freedom of speech

Many people, either sincerely or deliberately, confuse “freedom of the press” with oligarchic mediacracy. Then all the media belonged to someone from the “seven bankers” and were a means of trampling down competitors and a war for money and influence. As the liberals themselves said, “at the right moment Grandfather was turned on to the right channel with the right program/was given a magazine-newspaper, after which the angry Grandfather signed the necessary decree.” What is “freedom of the press” in the academic sense? The opportunity for a journalist to freely receive information and convey his point of view to the consumer - viewer, reader - within current legislation. An opportunity to criticize the government, point out its mistakes, and express a strongly oppositional opinion? Isn’t this what a dozen newspapers and magazines, a national radio station, a TV channel, and a hundred online media outlets do? The only question is compliance with the law - sorry, but calls for the overthrow of the constitutional order are criminally punishable. They were and are The elections of 1996 and the “media wars of 1997” showed that television has turned into a “socio-political weapon” mass destruction"Each media pumped up the consciousness of ordinary people with its own interpretation of what was happening - set by the owners at war with each other. By the hands of journalists of varying degrees of professionalism.

On the eve of 2000, control of the mainstream media was concentrated in the hands of a few oligarchic groups. But neither Berezovsky, nor Gusinsky, nor other owners of the media resource had the proper level of responsibility or the ability to correlate their desires and their consequences. And, most importantly, they were not constrained by economic, legal and moral frameworks. It became clear that the main danger of the oligarchic mediacracy is not the mere ownership of the media by private individuals, but the complete discrepancy between the scale of responsibility and sanity of these “persons” and the scale of the consequences of their use of the media resource. “Disarmament” of the media oligarchs at that moment was not a way to fight democracy, but a question of self-preservation of society, a question of getting out of a crisis that threatened media earthquakes that were unpredictable and unlimited in their consequences. That is why neither “Gusin NTV” nor “Berezovsky TV-6” aroused real sympathy and support outside the so-called “liberal madness”. People are fed up with media chaos

Now pensioners are offered to live on 5000, in the nineties pensioners lived better

The pension is the main guaranteed income of pensioners. Judging by the dynamics of its real size, during the reform period the situation of pensioners certainly worsened: during the 1990s actual size pensions experienced two serious, almost double, drops - in 1992 and 1999. As a result, in 1999 the average pension was just over 30% of the 1990 level. In addition, pension arrears, already present between mid-1995 and mid-1997, became particularly large after the August 1998 crisis. After a deep fall in 1999, when the average pension fell to a critical level of just 70 % of PMP. In 2002, the average pension was equal to the PMP

Now there is terrible unemployment, this was not the case in the democratic nineties

There weren't so many crimes then.

The funniest thesis. Rewatch "The Brigade" to refresh your memory. Ask older relatives. People were shot in the streets, children dreamed of “becoming bandits,” financial pyramids grew, the gang divided the economy. However, sociologists did note a decline in crime - during the adoption of new criminal codes. Want to numbers ?

The 1990-2000s were characterized by an increasing trend in the overall crime rate. This is evidenced by data published by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs by the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation. The most significant increase in crime was during periods of exacerbation of crisis phenomena in the socio-economic life of society in 1990-1993 and 1998-1999

Now the main thing.

The most common answer to this is “oil was cheap then, but in the 2000s it was expensive.”
I will upset you, citizens, to the point of impossibility. Oil for the Russian budget all “zero” cost $20 and $27 (since the mid-2000s) per barrel , the rest was “sterilized” into the Stabilization Fund and did not enter the economy and the growth of non-resource GDP. Otherwise, the economy would simply have been torn apart by the crazy amount of unsecured money, and the “cushion” - thanks to which the economy did not collapse into crisis - would not have been accumulated.

And for dessert.

Those interested are invited to read the annual report prepared as part of the Fraser Institute's study of the state of economic freedom (Fraser Institute, "Economic Freedom of the World: 2010 Annual Report").
It follows from the report that in 1995 the Russian Federation occupied (according to a set of indicators) 114th place in the ranking of countries in terms of economic freedom, while in 2008 it was already 84th place. (There is no mistake here - in 2010, experts working within the program summed up the results for 2008). In other words, according to objective indicators, the years of the “freedom” (which are pointed out as an example by various kinds of advisers and “fighters against the regime”) were rather an example of the lack of economic freedom, a kind of " absolute zero"for the new Russia.

Would you say “bought the research”? But Fraser is the head office of, let’s say, the Institute of Economic Analysis (the so-called “Illarionovsky” Institute). Its founder, former adviser to the President of the Russian Federation A. Illarionov, now takes an extremely critical position (in relation to the authorities of the Russian Federation) and works at the Cato Institute (leading an irreconcilable struggle for democracy throughout the world from across the ocean).

I don’t know about TV - I don’t hang out in front of Shaitan’s box often - but these songs are played regularly on the radio. And for some reason no one is thinking of imprisoning presenters or closing radio stations for making jokes about Putin and Medvedev. They only slander those journalists who resort to direct abuse, calling officials, for example, “gondons.”

Just in case. Of course, I understand that there are plenty of problems in Russia. Our judicial system, for example, is many decades behind the judicial systems of developed countries. But we don’t have anything close to the total ferocious horror that intellectuals of various calibers so love to depict in their articles and broadcasts.

OK. Let me sum it up sadly.

Despite our obvious successes, which, no matter how hard we try, cannot be excused with any rotten bazaars about “high oil prices” and “shadow wages,” a significant part of Russians and the majority of non-Russians firmly believe that life in Russia is getting worse and worse every year. worse.

It's getting ridiculous. Even the inhabitants of the countries from which migrant workers come to us en masse are convinced that Russians live worse and earn less. Alas, we are losing the information war outright.

Why is this happening?

I think the problem is a simple inequality of power. For Russia, waging an information war against the Anglo-Saxons, skilled in “fair play,” is like trying to beat the Brazilian national team in football for the Icelandic team. That is, it is very, very difficult.

However, colleagues, it is not for nothing that Russia has a reputation as the birthplace of ingenuity. If we managed to fight off the fascists and launch Gagarin into space, I think there is a good chance of dealing with both the raging plague of assholery and the Voices of Freedom who sincerely wish us well. After all, as Montaigne correctly said in his time, “the greatness of a victory is measured by the degree of its difficulty.”

This is from a magazine

The times of youth are always remembered with nostalgia. The dashing nineties were a difficult time in the life of the country, but today many miss them. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that they had just gained independence then. It seemed that everything old had sunk into oblivion, and a wonderful future awaited everyone.

If you ask contemporaries what the “dashing nineties” mean, many will talk about the feeling of infinity of opportunities and strength to strive for them. This is a period of real “social teleportation”, when ordinary guys from residential areas became rich, but it was very risky: great amount young people died in gang violence. But the risk was justified: those who managed to survive became very respected people. It is not surprising that part of the population is still nostalgic for those times.

The phrase "dashing nineties"

Oddly enough, this concept appeared quite recently, at the beginning of the so-called “zero”. Putin's rise to power marked the end of Yeltsin's freedom and the onset of real order. Over time, the state strengthened, and there was even gradual growth. Food stamps are a thing of the past, like Soviet-era lines, and empty store shelves have been replaced by the abundance of modern supermarkets. The dashing nineties can be perceived negatively or positively, but the country needed them in order to be revived after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It's unlikely that things could have been different. After all, it was not just the state that collapsed, an entire ideology collapsed. And people cannot create, learn and accept new rules in one day.

Chronicle of significant events

Russia declared independence on June 12, 1990. A confrontation between two presidents began: one - Gorbachev - was elected by the Congress of People's Deputies, the second - Yeltsin - was elected by the people. The culmination was the beginning of the dashing nineties. Crime received complete freedom, because all prohibitions were lifted. The old rules were abolished, but the new ones had not yet been introduced or were not established in the public consciousness. The country was swept by an intellectual and sexual revolution. However, economically, Russia has sunk to the level of primitive societies. Instead of wages, many were given food, and people had to exchange some products for others, building cunning chains involving sometimes even a dozen individuals. Money has depreciated so much that most citizens have become millionaires.

On the way to independence

You can’t talk about the “dashing nineties” without mentioning the historical context. The first significant event was the “tobacco riot” in Sverdlovsk, which occurred on August 6, 1990. Hundreds of people, outraged by the lack of smoke in stores in their city, stopped the movement of trams in the center. On June 12, 1991, the people elect Boris Yeltsin as President of the Russian Federation. Criminal showdowns begin. A week later, an attempt takes place in the USSR coup d'etat. Because of this, a state of emergency committee was created in Moscow, which was supposed to govern the country during the transition period. However, it only lasted four days. In December 1991, the “center” (one of them opened a casino in Russia. Soon Mikhail Gorbachev, the first and last president of the USSR, resigned his powers “for reasons of principle.” On December 26, 1991, a declaration was adopted on the cessation of the existence of the USSR in connection with the formation of the CIS.

Independent Russia

Immediately after the New Year, on January 2, 1991, prices were liberalized in the country. The food immediately became bad. Prices soared, but wages remained the same. On October 1, 1992, the population began to be issued privatization vouchers for their housing. So far, foreign passports have been issued only with the permission of the regional leadership. In the summer, the Government House in Yekaterinburg was shelled with a grenade launcher, and in the fall, troops began an assault in Moscow. Six years later, Yeltsin resigned early, and Vladimir Putin came to power for the first time.

Order or freedom?

The dashing nineties - and the lads, brilliance and poverty, elite prostitutes and sorcerers on TV, prohibition and businessmen. Only 20 years have passed, and the former Soviet republics have changed almost beyond recognition. This was not a time of social elevators, but rather of teleportations. Ordinary guys, yesterday's schoolchildren, became bandits, then bankers, and sometimes deputies. But these are the ones who survived.

Opinions

In those days, business was built completely differently than it is now. Then no one would even think of going to college to get a degree. The first step was to buy a gun. If the weapon did not pull down the back pocket of his jeans, then no one would talk to the aspiring businessman. The pistol helped in conversations with dull interlocutors. If the guy was lucky and didn't get killed early on, he could quickly buy a jeep. The opportunities to make money seemed endless. Money came and went very easily. Some went bankrupt, and the more fortunate took their accumulated wealth, or rather plunder, abroad, and then became oligarchs and engaged in completely legitimate types of business.

In government agencies the situation was much worse. Employees' salaries were constantly delayed. And this is during a period of insane inflation. They often paid in products, which then had to be exchanged in markets. It was at this time that corruption in government agencies flourished. If the guys went to the “brothers”, then the girls went to the prostitutes. They were also often killed. But some of them managed to earn “a piece of bread with caviar” for themselves and their families.

Representatives of the intellectual elite often became unemployed during this period. They were ashamed to go to the market and trade, as most people did, hoping to at least somehow earn money. Many tried to go abroad by any means. During this period, another stage of “brain drain” occurred.

Experience and habits

The dashing nineties determined the entire life of an entire generation. They formed a whole set of ideas and habits among those who were young then. And often, even now, twenty years later, they still determine their lives. These people rarely trust the system. They often view any government initiative with suspicion. Too often they have been deceived by the government. This generation has great difficulty trusting banks with their hard-earned money. They are more likely to convert them into dollars, or better yet, take them abroad. It is generally very difficult for them to save money, because during inflation they literally melted before their eyes. Those who survived the turbulent nineties are afraid to complain to various authorities. In those days, bandits were in charge, so to the common man there was no point in trying to enforce the letter of the law. Although the youth of the nineties themselves do not like to adhere to any rules or restrictions. But their advantage is that they are not afraid of any difficulties. After all, they were able to survive in the dashing nineties, which means they are hardened and will survive any crisis. But can that situation happen again?

Wild nineties: heirs

It seemed that with Putin coming to power, this period of time in Russian history ended forever. The country gradually emerged from poverty and unemployment, and the mafia was almost forgotten. However, after the global financial crisis, the notorious stability never returned. And many began to wonder whether the dashing 90s would return. But can it appear by itself, as is commonly believed? The future forecast depends on the answer to this question. modern Russia. Although, without going into details, two elements are needed for the emergence of crime: the need for a large-scale redistribution of property and the need to preserve democracy as a government policy. However, it is unlikely that the “freedom” of the nineties will be repeated.

The time when they “hammered the arrow” and “chopped the cabbage.” A time when the fate of two wagons of frozen fish in the port of Vladik (Vladivostok) was usually decided through a game of thimbles.
The time when Americans paid private security services out of their own pockets so that local fools and roads would not get to the still frightening “nuclear button.”

The time when the Marlborough block and the Levis party were paid for with what they managed to steal from the nearest garrison. Time for financial adventures, deception, setups, showdowns.
A time of severe demographic decline, stratification of society and the death of everything good that was created during Soviet times. A time that you really don’t want, but you need to remember, in order to avoid its repetition.

What to say? The topic is not simple. And writing an introduction to it is also not easy. The turmoil of the 90s, there’s no other way to call it. In terms of human and financial losses, it is comparable to a real civil war. Ten years of confusion, search, losses, ups and downs...

Street children

On a par with Chechen war, skinheads and criminal showdowns, street children were the main topic of television. In the 90s and early 2000s (until 2003) they constantly hung around in Moscow and other large cities, at train stations and major streets. An obligatory attribute is the Moment glue, which they sniffed. They were reminiscent of gypsies - they begged in a crowd, and if you didn’t give them some change, they could rudely curse you after running away to a safe distance. The age is usually from 7 to 14 years. They lived in basements, heating mains and abandoned houses. It is also worth adding that not only street children led a lifestyle similar to this. In any city “in the area” at that time it was considered a show-off to drink, sniff glue and smoke from the age of ten.

Bratva

Bandits and mowing down like bandits. It was fashionable. The first ones can rarely be seen openly - they are in cars, in bars, in clubs, in huts. The latter were everywhere - ordinary, young, street guys from all walks of life, who bought or got hold of a short black leather jacket, often pretty worn and dirty, engaged in goop-stopping, scamming for money and extorting, sometimes six from the real ones. Special case- gangster students, fleecing their more sane, but less organized and more cowardly neighbors in the dorm.

Blatnyak

“A musician plays a hit song,

I remember the bunks, the camp,

The musician plays a hit

And my soul hurts"

Lyapis Trubetskoy, Snowstorm, 1996-1998

Blattnyak, also known as chanson, is the brainchild of gangster anti-culture. The time of incredible popularity of Misha Krug and other performers of prison songs. Street and restaurant musicians quickly learn “murka”, because the music is ordered by the one who pays, and back then it was the lads who had the money. A little later, the former Soviet songwriter Mikhail Tanich, who has nothing to do with the bandits, but who spent 8 years in the zone for anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda, gathers ordinary musicians who somehow perform music and makes of them the group “Lesopoval”, playing the strings subtle souls rich Pinocchios. Since millions and millions passed through prison in the nineties, it made economic sense.

Homeless people

This period of history gives birth to homeless people, who were completely absent from the Soviet Union before it. Homeless people - yesterday's neighbors, acquaintances and classmates, go from house to house and beg for alms, sleep in the entrances, drink and go to the toilet in the same place. A homeless person was something so wild for a homo-Sovietist that even the then redneck Yura Khoy wrote a song about it:

“I will raise the bull, I will inhale the bitter smoke,

I'll open the hatch and climb home.

Don't feel sorry for me, I live a great life.

Sometimes I just want to eat.”

Gaza Strip, Homeless, 1992

Video salons

In fact, the phenomenon arose and became a cult in the eighties, otherwise where would we have seen Tom and Jerry, Bruce Lee, the first Terminator, Freddy Krueger and other living dead. And at the same time, eroticism.

In the early nineties, video salons reached a quantitative peak, but quickly began to fade away - the new Russians had their own VCRs, and everyone else had no time for it.

For today's youth, it should be noted that most video salons were distinguished by their basement-utility location (turning into real ovens in the summer), video quality, which causes chronic visual damage, and translations that are unsurpassed to this day in their artistry and correspondence to the original text (for example, two main translated curse words - “big white piece of crap” and “pots” replaced almost all rude foreign expressions). As a result, a whole series of films and characters got mixed up and crossed in the minds of visitors. Almost all films of the “action movie about space” type were called Star Wars.

Hazing

“Day and night we rivet holes

Holes, wells and hungry mouths

What we have left from the armies are commanders,

And also admirals from the fleets"

Black Obelisk, “Who are we now?”, 1994

They simply didn’t care about the then Soviet army and left it to rot. Most of it turned into Russian army and continued to furiously and furiously decompose, which naturally, in addition to the loss of combat effectiveness, led to such an interesting phenomenon as “Hazing.”

Killer

Killer (from the English “killer” - killer) is the name of killers for money who appeared in the 90s. With the advent of “wild” capitalism in our country, such wild ways of resolving conflicts as contract killings appeared. Anyone with whom it was impossible to come to an agreement could simply be ordered. You could order anyone - a journalist, a deputy, a thief in law, even the sky, even Allah. Fortunately there were plenty of killers. It got to the point that they would place advertisements in newspapers without warning like “Looking for a job with risk.”

Martial arts clubs

Since the people were experiencing a fair amount of pressure from marginal packs of gopotas, and the gopota itself was in great need of more significant ways of taking away other people’s property, enterprising comrades began to produce character leveling places in frantic quantities - Martial Arts Clubs. First of all, it was, of course, karate, which for some unknown reason was driven underground back in the 80s.

But then such new-fangled trends as kung fu, Thai boxing, taekwondo and other kickboxing began to timidly raise their heads. People happily grabbed it, because it looked solid and sounded impressive. It was difficult to find a basement that was not occupied by some “teacher”, “sensei”, who had studied a couple of samizdat books of toilet quality and watched a dozen cassettes with Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, and was now chasing joyful hamsters until they worked up a sweat.

To be fair, it is worth noting that there were also real gurus and senseis who had actually worked for a certain number of years under the supervision of the corresponding overseas masters. Those who in time began to use their heads (not only for breaking objects), subsequently began to represent something of themselves both in terms of collapsing other people's jaws and in terms of obtaining monetary and material profit... Most of the hamsters did not receive anything, and some individuals even left along the “slippery slope” and got acquainted with the work of Misha Krug in the original sources. But that's a completely different story.

Lump

Derived from "thrift store" in the eighties.

The popular abbreviation for “commercial store” in the very early nineties was indicated on the sign in large letters. These were rare and very outlandish small shops for those times, where people went as if to the Hermitage, to look at things and products from another world.

Working in a commercial store was considered prestigious. Then, with the disappearance and repurposing of soviet stores and the general increase in the number of retail outlets, such a “name” began to be abandoned, what else could a store be other than a commercial one. Retail outlets now have their own names. Closer to the mid-nineties, a separate type sprang up - “night lights” or night stores, “24 hour” stores.

And finally, stalls, which received this name due to their relationship with commercial stores. They originated in the early nineties, in the form of cheap layouts and tents selling vodka, cigarettes, condoms, chewing gum, Mars, Snickers and imported cocoa.

New Arbat. At the end of the twentieth century, the capital and its center were engulfed in a monstrous plague of many thousands of chaotic and illegal retail outlets

Photo: Valery Khristoforov/TASS

Then the lumps became stationary. At first they had an abundance of glass, then they began to look more and more like armored pillboxes with loopholes. They just often had their glass broken, set them on fire, and even shot them. However, this type of entertainment is still alive.

Foreign consumer goods were sold in lumps, ranging from chewing gum to expensive water and cigarettes. In the lump you could buy playing porn cards, which the shkolota abused for the sake of fap. The lumps abounded in everything that the advertisement talked about. Snickers, Mars, bounty, huyaunty - there was all this in abundance. And what’s important is that the product did not have any excise stamps or stickers indicating compliance with Rosstandart; The now obligatory presence of inscriptions in Russian was also only an option.

Cops

For wide sections of the population, a policeman a la Uncle Styopa became a cop in the nineties, contact with whom for an ordinary citizen is dangerous for life, health and money in his pocket. As people familiar with the system first-hand said: “The bandits will simply rob and beat you up, and the cops will also jail you.”

Drug addicts

There were drug addicts, substance abusers and alcoholics in the late 80s. But the peak of drug addiction came in the 90s, when the fight was actually abandoned and when junkies of all ages appeared - from teenagers to men. During the period of a special rise in heroin addiction in the mid-90s, an overdose corpse was taken away from the dorms of our alma maters every week.

Nowadays, heroin is a marginal (and noticeably more expensive) drug, but then, in the beginning and middle of the decade, the golden youth, bohemians, and students “dabbled” in heroin...

Meanwhile, drugs have reached even the most distant corner of the country. How many types, varieties, names there were. How was it possible to figure it out and start taking it, where to inject and what to smoke? This is where TV came to the rescue. With his propaganda. Yes Yes. In the late 80s and early 90s, TV promoted everything. Morning broadcasts on Central Television featured Agatha Christie’s fashionable song about drugs, “Come on in the evening... We’ll smoke ta-ta-ta.”

TV series have appeared that supposedly tell about the problems of young people, but in fact explain what is going where and why. I especially remember the broadcast of “Up to 16 and older” and a similar program for teenagers, where they showed: they say this is a button accordion and a spoon over the fire, inject it here, but this is very bad, this is ugh, guys, never do that. And this is weed, they smoke it like this, but it’s ayyyyyy, scoundrel drug addicts, screw them. A drug dealer usually looks like this - but you never approach him. Need I mention that after these programs the flywheel of drug trafficking and drug addiction spun so much that it was only possible to slow it down? better case by the mid-2000s.

Moreover, society practically did not condemn this. Propaganda has made this problem a harmless feature, a national trait. Yes, they say, we are like that, we like to drink, break, steal. All the 90s told us that we were losers, this is ours best feature and because of this we are unique.

The invisible hand of the market

Finally, the “long-awaited” market has appeared in Russia. However, it was introduced through one place, which led to disastrous consequences:

. The disappearance of entire sectors of the economy.

Presumably, the RSFSR alone, not counting the other republics, lost 50% of GDP in two years. For comparison, The Great Depression cost the United States 27% of GDP over three years. A decrease in real incomes of the population and high unemployment in the bargain, oddly enough. The exact figures (taking into account the share of the black market and postscripts before and after the collapse) have been ground into dust by time; no one has studied this scientifically.

. Fierce, furious unemployment.

In fact, there are much more unemployed than there are nominal ones: enterprises are standing still and many work part-time, part-time, part-time, with less than a full year of pay.

. Original “know-how” - issuance at enterprises wages manufactured goods.

For example, furniture, canned food, linen, whatever! But in fact, they sold goods to their own employees at commercial prices under the pretext of “no money.” Here he delivers, bringing the situation to the point of absurdity. An even more kosher scheme worked like this: the plant bought refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, TV sets and sold them with VAT to its employees for a conditional salary. And the profit received from the sale of the plant’s products not only remained entirely in the director’s pockets, but also increased! That's the same!

“What is Russian business? “Steal a box of vodka, sell the vodka, drink the money.”

Non-traditional methods of treatment: Chumak and Kashpirovsky

Healers who took away the last things from the disabled, lovers of horoscopes and astrologers, UFOs, snow and universe people and other science fiction bloomed in full bloom. Also at this time, all sorts of pseudoscientists were chopping cabbage.

They say that once, when Kashpirovsky had just gained popularity, he was invited to give a “closed lecture” for MGIMO employees. There were no healings. Kashpirovsky simply talked about his method and somehow casually mentioned that he also treats obesity. Hearing this, the ambassador's wives and ladies from the teaching staff trickled off the stage after the lecture. Kashpirovsky looked carefully at the suffering women crowded around him and said: “I give instructions - you need to eat less.”

It must be said that Chumak was a very influential person, since his program was part of the “120 minutes” program (originally “90 minutes”) on television, which was shown at 7 am. Thanks to this fact, the human brain was actively exposed to the daily phimotic precipitation of the television miracle worker right from the morning.

Alan Chumak Sessions 1990

Using the TV, he not only treated diseases, but also “charged” water and “creams”: millions of “hamsters” placed glasses of water near the screens. It was also possible to charge water via radio. It’s a pity there were no cell phones in the country back then, since Chumak also knew how to charge batteries.

Also, Chumak sold his photographs and posters, which had to be applied to sore spots for healing. Naturally, the more photos were attached, the more healing the effect. Healthy lifestyle publications sold “charged” portraits to increase circulation sales.

New Russians

In contrast to the socialist approximately equal distribution of income, the B part of the population began to receive much (several million times) more income than the rest of the majority. The reasons for this in the so-called “period of initial capital accumulation” were quite artificial, often not entirely decent and clearly illegal.

In fact, an elite class was created out of nothing in 10 years (1986-1996). This process went especially fast with the privatization of state property after Yeltsin’s coup in 1993, when former bandits, swindlers and their henchmen sawed up the people’s property for the pennies that they had stolen from them a little earlier.

Zhmurki

As a result, by 1996, 10% of the population had legal (or semi-legal) ownership of 90% of the national income, another 10-15% later formed their service personnel, who had the opportunity to live comfortably with an income of $ 500 per family person (corrupt media, managers middle managers, traders, corrupt officials, etc.), and the remaining 75% were doomed to live on a minimum wage in a state of semi-slaves and in conditions of total corruption with little chance of a serious rise. Given the complete collapse of the economy, there was no hope for the situation to improve.

Scumbags

“Fast gait and crazy look” - this is about them. common feature real scumbags - a look full of angry, joyful energy in a good mood.

Dashing 90s

At a time when everything becomes possible, they quickly multiply and gather in flocks, and in a flock, frosty character traits develop faster and manifest themselves more strongly. Before that, they probably somehow kept themselves under control, found peaceful uses of their powers, or ended up in prison. If they are involved in banditry, even if they immediately receive money from a person, they will still beat them without getting anything at all - they will maim or kill them. They are looking for any opportunity to disinterestedly deal with someone. The most desirable result of a showdown is for two or three or more people to attack one, shouting “... get him down!!!” and then the highest delicacy for any racially correct scumbag is to jump on the head of a person lying down (a composter), trying to deliver a strong blow with his heel so that the skull cracks.

A scumbag’s weapon is like a kitty’s new phone; it will often be in plain sight and will definitely be used. Bandit scumbags with weapons always mean a lot of corpses. As a rule, a scumbag does not have his own girlfriend, or there are one or two common girls in the company, frostbitten or weak-willed, narrow-minded girls who are not used to refusing anyone and believe that these particular boys have real power.

Prostitutes

“You see, guys, this is not a joke.

Remember, guys, Olya is a prostitute.

The girl is rich and lives well.

Who will find the guys to control her?

Group "Announcement", "Olya and Speed"

Massive and often very young, girls (and sometimes boys) are twelve years old, sometimes less. That's when there was a holiday on the street of perverts! Half or more of the schoolgirls, after a series of publications in the press about currency prostitutes and the chain reaction of conversations on this topic that began in the second half of the 80s and early 90s, began to consider the work of a prostitute the best women's career, full of romance and magnificent prospects, which, by the way, was greatly facilitated by the films “Intergirl” (even despite the fact that the film ends tragically for the main character, precisely as a result of her prostitution) and especially “Pretty Woman” (in general, in this regard, the most harmful film: millions of girls around the world, after watching this particular movie, decided to become prostitutes).

Prostitutes then were naive and unafraid. We walked with whomever and wherever we went. We often ran into thugs. As a rule, the life of a street prostitute is short-lived, much like the life of a drug addict, and ends horribly: death at the hands of bandits, practicing maniacal killers or thugs, sometimes under the wheels of cars, death from disease, overdoses.

Advertising

TV advertising was clearly divided according to picture quality and subject matter into imported and domestic. Import advertising was bright and imaginative. Back then they watched it as a short film, without bothering with what they advertised. Cigarette advertisements especially stood out: Marlboro, Lucky Strike. The domestic one was noticeably inferior in improvisation. The MMM videos alone are worth it: “I’m not a freeloader, I’m a partner.” Or stupid advertising of some pyramids with 900% profitability, “something there... investments,” funds that actively collect vouchers.

Meme of the early 90s - Lenya Golubkov

Most of it is just mumbling against the background of a static picture. The target audience was actively brainwashed (or whatever replaced it): the golden time has come when you don’t have to work - just put your money at interest. Moreover, in advertising, no one messed with the plot, picture, or sound. An average video of those times: on the screen, coins are pouring out, bills are falling, giant blinking inscriptions in “%” and the address with the phone number of the next pyramid. For the deaf, apparently the address was also read out in the voice of a Soviet radio announcer. That's all! The advertising worked and how. People stood in line to give away their banknotes. The very first commercials that went into the box en masse were Mars-Snickers-Bounty.

The still thin Semchev (the fat guy who later advertised beer) appeared on the screen in a Twix advertisement. Alcohol advertising: Rasputin winks, “I am a white eagle”, a bottle of Absolute with glitches. Powder rainbow with joyful schoolboy: Invite, Yuppie, Zuko. Coca-Cola vs Pepsi. Advertising for Imperial Bank “Until the first star...”. Advertising Dandy: “Dandy, Dandy, we all love Dandy, everyone plays Dandy.” From the advertisement it was impossible to understand what kind of dandy this was, what the cartoon elephant had to do with it and why they loved him, but gradually everyone got used to the fact that there was no need to look for meaning here, and then they decided that it was better not to look for meaning at all.

Or here’s the plot of one of the TV-Park magazine’s commercials: “Let’s place an ordinary newspaper in sulfuric acid, and TV-Park magazine in distilled water. You see, nothing happened to TV-Park magazine!” Remember?

Sects

Sad wandering along the street and handing out your printed materials to everyone.

The attack begins with a question like: “Do you know what awaits us?” or “Do you believe in God?” During the conversation they say that after a global cataclysm, when a little more than all of humanity is cut down, those who are in the know will receive another globe. Until this moment arrives, citizens who agree to join must also walk the streets of the city and spam passers-by.

The organization is a typical financial pyramid, where profits are received by the top, and dividends are paid to participants in spiritual food. Since the current is divided into many subcurrents, in an interesting way“Trolling” is the retelling of the dogmas of one movement to representatives of another.

Financial pyramids

After privatization, all sorts of financial pyramids sprang up like mushrooms after rain, offering former Soviets to make quick money. The end was naturally predictable, but not for the millions of suckers who gave their money to scammers.

Chernukha

Chernukha style, which originated at the very end of the eighties and reached its peak in the mid-nineties. It continues to exist now.

Like porn, chernukha gained popularity thanks to the principle “because now it is possible, but before it was impossible.” Distinctive feature black stuff: the obligatory presence of blood, perversion, violence, murder, devilry, aliens, anti-scientific dogma, prostitutes, drug addicts and prisoners.

ps:

I remember well how in those days in the West we were admired and praised for destroying our army and introducing “democratic values”. And they are so diligent in this

Russia in the 90s of the XX century

The 90s went down in Russian history as a time of democratic transformations in many areas of social and political life - the first congresses of people's deputies of the USSR, the formation of the Russian Federation, setting a course for the creation of a rule of law state, etc. Against this background, one of the main tasks facing the new Russia was to overcome the economic, social and political crisis. A course was set to continue the democratic and social reforms begun in the second half of the 1980s.

Changes in the government system of the USSR and Russia. On May 25, 1989, the First Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR opened, which was a major political event in the history of the Soviet state. For the first time, elections of deputies were held on an alternative basis (only at the union level a third of deputy seats were reserved for direct nominees of the party itself and public organizations led by it). The permanent Supreme Soviets of the USSR and union republics were formed from among the people's deputies. All this looked like a victory for democracy. The practical results of the First Congress were few. In addition to the election of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, several general resolutions were adopted, in particular the Resolution on the main directions of the domestic and foreign policy of the USSR.

Head executive power Russia became President B.N. Yeltsin, elected by popular vote. At the beginning of his presidency, B. N. Yeltsin “distributed” sovereignty “to each according to his abilities,” but promised to preserve the unity of Russia. But the unity of genuine, historical Russia, which existed since 1922 at the head of the USSR, was destroyed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on December 8, 1991 by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus B. N. Yeltsin, L. Kravchuk, L. M. Shushkevich, who announced the dissolution USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On December 21, at a meeting in Almaty, eight more republics joined the CIS. On December 25, M. S. Gorbachev resigned from the post of President of the USSR.

Domestic policy. Since the beginning of 1992, the situation in the country has remained extremely tense. The prices released in January caused a rapid rise in inflation, deepened problems in the social sphere, increased the impoverishment of the masses, a decline in production, and increased crime and corruption.

At the end of 1992, the privatization of state property began, which by the fall of 1994 covered a third of industrial enterprises and two-thirds of trade, consumer and service enterprises. As a result of the privatization policy, 110 thousand industrial enterprises passed into the hands of private entrepreneurs.

The economic crisis also had a negative impact on the country's agricultural sector, which led, first of all, to a drop in crop yields and a decrease in the number of large and small ruminants. The established farms continued to collapse due to a lack of agricultural equipment, insufficient attention to their needs by the leaders of a number of regions of the country, and exorbitant taxes.

Social and political life. The modern history of Russia, the beginning of which can be dated back to 1985, is one of the dramatic periods of its development. Behind a short time the communist regime and the CPSU collapsed, Soviet Union, and in its place new independent states were formed, including the Russian Federation.

On the one hand, Russian parties, movements and blocs are becoming a full-fledged element of the emerging political system, subjects of “big politics”, developing in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the federal law “On Public Associations”. This is evidenced by the election results in State Duma Russia on December 17, 1995, when predominantly the parties and movements of the “left,” “national-patriotic” and “democratic opposition” represented by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and the Yabloko association won.

On the other hand, the elections of the President of Russia on June 16, 1996 showed a clear division of the society of political parties into two opposing camps - supporters elected President B. N. Yeltsin and his opponents.

450 deputies were elected to the State Duma of the second convocation.

The current party activity is taking place in a transition period, which determines its inconsistency and unevenness: some parties have not only conquered the parliamentary Olympus, but have also firmly established themselves at this point, others have stopped at the near or distant approaches to it, and others have generally taken a wait-and-see attitude or are rapidly being marginalized.

The activities of parties and social movements turned out to be complex and ambiguous for the political life of Russian society. The socio-political life of Russia has in many cases become richer and more diverse. At the same time, the disregard by some parties, blocs and movements of an honest opposition struggle for power between themselves and the Russian state structures resulted in significant losses for society.

Foreign policy and relations with the CIS countries. The geopolitical realities of the modern world make it possible to consider Russia as one of the important centers of world politics, which, like all other countries, has its own interests in the world. The distribution of its foreign policy priorities is visible, first of all, in the diagram of concentric distribution of borders former USSR.

In determining its own foreign policy prospects, Russia is in a very difficult position: firstly, the resource base for supporting the country's foreign policy has been significantly reduced. In addition, Russia's borders turned out to be more open and less secure; secondly, Russia’s economic weakness and the difficulties associated with the formation of its own statehood (primarily the problems of regionalism) have noticeably reduced Russia’s authority in the international arena; thirdly, the struggle of internal political forces continues around the issue of the national and state interests of Russia. Despite this, the most important world problems (the Yugoslav crisis, Middle Eastern problems, etc.) cannot be solved without the participation of Russia.

At the end of 1991 - beginning of 1992, the President of Russia came up with his first foreign policy initiatives. He officially stated that from now on Russian nuclear missiles are not aimed at US targets. In January 1993, in Moscow, the START-2 Treaty was concluded between Russia and the United States of America, providing for a mutual reduction by 2003 of the parties' nuclear potential by two-thirds compared to the level established by the START-1 agreement.

Seeking a peaceful settlement of relations with Western countries, Russia withdrew its troops from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states. By 1995, more than 500 thousand military personnel, 12 thousand tanks, and a lot of other military equipment returned to Russia from East Germany alone. In May 1995, the Russian Federation, along with other states of the former USSR and the “socialist commonwealth,” joined the Partnership for Peace program proposed by the leadership of the NATO bloc. However, since then it has not been filled with specific content. Russia's participation in the Partnership for Peace program was rather symbolic and boiled down mainly to sending observers to joint exercises of other countries.

In May 1997, the Founding Act (FA) was signed between NATO and Russia, in which, after six months of negotiations, a concession was made to Russia and not only the “Danish-Norwegian model” was adopted, providing for the non-deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of the new NATO member countries, but the bloc’s obligation to limit the presence of conventional armed forces there and the mutual obligation of the parties not to use force or threaten to use it are also recorded - this act is extremely important from an international legal point of view, but insufficient in moral and psychological terms.

Russia joined the International Monetary Fund, which strengthened its economic position. At the same time, it was admitted to the Council of Europe, whose competence includes issues of culture, human rights, environmental protection, and the resolution of interethnic conflict situations. It was given the opportunity to integrate into the world economy. As a result, trade and industrial-agrarian relations intensified between Russia, the United States, the countries of the Middle East and Latin America.

The development of relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States occupied an important place in the foreign policy activities of the Russian government. In 1993, the CIS included, in addition to Russia, eleven more states.

In turn, the Russian government seeks to maintain integration ties. On his initiative, an interstate committee of Commonwealth countries was created with its headquarters in Moscow. An agreement on collective security was concluded between Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and other states, and the charter of the CIS was developed and approved. At the same time, Russia’s interstate relations with the former CIS republics are not always favorable. There is still no consensus regarding the Black Sea Fleet, the Crimean Peninsula, the Russian-speaking population, territorial problems, etc. However, issues of resolving economic, political, social problems The Russian government pays constant attention to Russia and the CIS countries. His efforts are aimed at achieving stability and prosperity for all peoples of the CIS.