Despite the massive demobilization after the end of the war and the return of millions of former front-line soldiers to the national economy, a new demographic catastrophe was uncontrollably approaching. It was associated with huge human losses during the war years. Until now, these losses cannot be fully taken into account. The official figures were incomparable with the true scale of the human tragedy. First, more than 7 million human losses were named, then - 20 million, and in 1990 it was officially specified - more than 27 million people. But even these figures do not correspond to the real picture. There is no accurate data on the birth and death rates in the temporarily occupied territories, as well as among those driven to work in Germany. The death rates during the post-war famine of 1947 are not always taken into account, and this, according to some estimates, is about 1 million lives. The repressive machine continued to operate, albeit at lower revs. Therefore, when using statistical data on life expectancy in this period of our history, in our opinion, it is always necessary to take these factors into account and apply correction factors. Otherwise, mistakes cannot be avoided.
These demographic "holes" in our post-war history are repeated at intervals of 18-20 years, which roughly corresponds to the average age of those who died in the war and did not have time to have children. If we consistently add these years, starting from 1945, then with an accuracy of plus or minus 1-2 years we will get approximate periods of crisis phenomena in our economy as a result of waves of demographic recessions. Of course, mathematical and demographic calculations will give more accurate results. According to the demographer A. Vishnyakov, the pre-war population of Russia was restored only in 1956, 11 years after the end of the war.
Peacetime social adversity
In addition to the demographic, the socio-economic consequences of the war were also growing. The problem of unemployment has become acute in the country. The front-line soldiers returning home could not find a peaceful life. The financial situation of even working people was difficult. Added to this was the drought and the ensuing famine in many regions of the country. The monetary reform of 1947 and the simultaneous abolition of the rationing system for products and manufactured goods, even with the establishment of uniform prices, led to an increase in retail prices for different groups of goods. The exchange of money within one week under confiscation terms led to the actual loss of the savings of many citizens. In terms of improving the financial situation in the country, it was possible to reduce the inflationary pressure of excess cash on the market not provided with goods. And from the point of view of the population, this approach has led to the impoverishment of a large mass of people.
The average monthly wage in the country has grown at a significant rate since 1940. Then it was 339 rubles, and after 5 years already 442 rubles. In 1950, it grew significantly again - up to 646 rubles. Subsequently, its growth did not exceed 10-15 rubles. in year. The highest salaries in 1950 were for water transport workers - 786 rubles, in industry - 726 rubles. and on the railroad - 725 rubles. And the lowest salaries were in public catering - 231 rubles. and on state farms - 213 rubles. These amounts were taken into account when calculating the pension.
According to the decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) of December 14, 1947, simultaneously with the monetary reform and the abolition of the rationing system, a reduction in prices for basic products and goods was envisaged. New prices were introduced by the order of the Minister of Trade of the USSR dated December 14, 1947, with the division of the country's territory into 3 price zones. For example, let's give some prices in rubles and kopecks per 1 kg for the 2nd belt. For food: rye bread - 3 rubles, and wheat 1 grade - 7 rubles; refined sugar - 15 rubles, beef meat - 30 rubles, Caspian herring barrel - 20 rubles, beluga caviar, sturgeon, granular - 400 rubles. Manufactured goods cost more: a woolen dress for women - 510 rubles, a men's two-piece half-woolen suit - 430 rubles, and a woolen one already cost 1400 rubles. Men's low shoes cost 260 rubles. "Kazbek" cigarettes cost 6 rubles. 30 kopecks per pack. A wrist watch "Zvezda" was sold for 900 rubles, and a camera "FED" cost 110 rubles. Salaries and pensions were sorely lacking. After a budget survey of workers' families in 1954 and 1955, the Central Statistical Administration of the USSR reported that the share of food, clothing, and housing costs accounted for 70% of a worker's family income, and the cash balance was often zero.
In many ways, the situation was negatively influenced by the "social course" of G. V. Malenkov, aimed at reducing budgetary social spending. Since January 1955, the conditions for sick leave payments have worsened significantly. Partially I had to pay for my treatment, and for the hospital I had to pay in full. The medical facilities lacked beds, medicines and medical staff who worked with overload. There were not enough schools, canteens and kindergartens. To a large extent, this was due to the lack of premises, which was destroyed by the war. There were many departmental residential buildings, and the loss of a job entailed inevitable eviction. Many were forced to rent "corners" and rooms from private owners, which took up to 50% of the salary. True, the payment for state housing remained at the level of 1928 and amounted to no more than 4.5% of the family's budget. But there were few such apartments in the country.
The social tension in society was somewhat reduced by the change in political course after the 20th Party Congress and the Khrushchev thaw that began. Concrete steps to improve the lives of pensioners also contributed to this.
Pension socialism: state pension for all workers and employees
The situation was corrected by the law on state pensions, which entered into force on October 1, 1956. In it, for the first time, all the main pension areas were combined into a single system. Preferential pensions began to be assigned according to the degree of hazard and hazard of production in accordance with the lists of positions and professions No. 1 and No. 2.
The following persons received the right to state pensions: 1) workers and employees; 2) conscripts; 3) students of universities, technical schools, colleges and schools; 4) other citizens who have become disabled in connection with the performance of state or public duties; 5) family members of the listed persons in the event of the loss of the breadwinner.
The law fixed the already existing age parameters and requirements for the length of service upon retirement by old age: men - 60 years and 25 years of work experience; women - 55 years and 20 years of experience.
Three types of pensions were established: for old age, for disability, for the loss of a breadwinner. Pensions under the new law have increased - for old age almost 2 times, and the rest by about 1.5 times. The size of old-age pensions in 1956 was set in the range from 300 to 1200 rubles. Continuing seniority allowances were introduced. At the same time, 2 options were established for accounting for earnings for calculating pensions - the last 12 months of work or any 5 years in a row out of 10 years before retirement. With full seniority (25 years for a man and 20 years for a woman), the pension was at least 50% of the previous earnings. However, with the minimum wage of 350 rubles in the mid-1950s, a pension was assigned at the rate of 100% of the salary. After the 1961 monetary reform, the minimum wage was set at 50 rubles, and the maximum wage was set at 100 rubles. Accordingly, in the first case, the replacement rate was maximum - 85% and the pension was 40 rubles. And with the maximum salary, the pension was 55 rubles. The difference between the minimum and maximum pensions was only 15 rubles. This is how the Soviet principle of social justice and pension equality was implemented. And the workers of those years were sympathetic to this pension practice.
For the first time, the law established old-age pensions with incomplete seniority. They were calculated in proportion to the actual operating time. At the same time, the pension could not be less than a quarter of the full pension. Those who had the right to several pensions on various grounds were assigned only one pension - at the choice of the pensioner. A norm was introduced - an old-age pension was awarded only upon reaching the established age, even if the employee already had the necessary length of service.
This pension law was amended and supplemented 18 times during the Soviet era, but its basic norms and provisions remained unchanged until the early 1990s.
As before, pensions for military personnel and scientists were assigned for length of service by separate government decrees. But pensions for writers, composers and artists from August 1957 began to be assigned according to general rules. The author's royalty was taken into account as earnings. Since insurance premiums were not paid for creative workers, the pension came from the treasury.
Old people have a road to the machine
The law was established retroactively and, due to this, the pensions of almost 15 million pensioners were increased. However, the new pension rules did not encourage retirees to work longer, as the recalculation reduced total income. So, a pensioner-beneficiary of a miner or steelmaker was paid only half of the pension.
Working pensioners were paid an old-age pension in the amount of 150 rubles if their earnings did not exceed 1000 rubles. Pensions assigned for incomplete seniority were not paid to working pensioners at all. These conditions turned out to be disadvantageous. The number of working pensioners has almost halved over the period from 1956 to 1962. At the same time, the number of non-working old-age pensioners has tripled. The situation worsened and at the end of 1963 less than 10% of pensioners were already employed. Only after 7 years of deliberation did the authorities change the working conditions of old-age pensioners. A decree adopted in 1964 allowed the employment of pensioners with a guarantee of payment of the entire pension or part of it in excess of salary. The stimulus worked. The number of retirees in production has increased by about 3 times in one year.
In 1969, a "ceiling" was established on the income of working pensioners - the amount of pension and earnings should not exceed 300 rubles. In the 1st year old-age pensions continued to work about 49%. Small pensions forced retired people who were still able to work to look for a job or part-time job. Looking ahead, we note that in 1986, 61% of old-age pensioners were already working. This was also facilitated by an increase in overall life expectancy, which has exceeded 70 years since the late 1960s.
We got a pension in the village
By a decree of the USSR Council of Ministers of August 4, 1956, the "Regulations on the procedure for the appointment and payment of state pensions" were enacted. As part of the new pension legislation, norms were introduced that determine the amount of pensions "for permanent residents of rural areas and associated with agriculture." Since December of the same year, old-age pensions have been accrued to them in the amount of 85% of pensions for workers and employees. This category of old-age pensioners included those who permanently lived in the village. At the same time, the pensioner had to be somehow connected with agriculture - be a member of a collective farm or have a personal plot of 0.15 hectares or more. If you came from the city on vacation, to visit relatives or for treatment for up to 1 year, then the pension was not recalculated. Since the mid-1960s, recalculations of pensions were canceled when a pensioner moved from city to village and back.
The party program, adopted in October 1961, said that old-age pensions would also apply to collective farmers. In July 1964, for the first time in Russian history, the Law "On Pensions and Benefits to Members of Collective Farms" was adopted. In its preamble, it was noted that over time, the pensions of collective farmers will be equal to the pensions of workers and employees. True, the retirement age for villagers was set 5 years higher: 65 years for men, 60 years for women. 4 years later, the age criteria of collective farmers were equalized with the retirement age of workers and employees.
However, there were also pension differences. So, the chairman of the collective farm was assigned a pension on the condition that for the last 10 years of work on the collective farm, he had been the chairman for at least 5 years. The machine operator had to work out half of his seniority in this position. And collective farm specialists needed to have a higher or specialized secondary education and work in their specialty. A unified pension system for collective farmers was financed from a special union fund.
In general, the standard of living of villagers was gradually increasing and approached the urban indicators. But before the merger of the city with the village was still very far away. For example, in the secret (!) At that time statistical table of the Central Statistical Office of the USSR dated October 5, 1953, data on the consumption of basic food products in the families of peasants for different years were given. If we compare 1923-1924 with 1952, then the monthly consumption per person decreased by 3 kg for bread and bread products, and also 1 kg less was spent on cereals and legumes. For the rest of the products, the growth is in different proportions: milk and dairy products - 3 liters more, lard and vegetable oil - 100 g more, any meat - 200 g more, sugar and confectionery - 300 g more. Over the nearly 30-year period, this was hardly a significant increase in consumption. Perhaps that is why the table became secret, although it does not contain any important secrets.
In 1968, all pension parameters became the same for workers, employees and collective farmers. This was a convincing victory for the USSR and, perhaps, the only success in the world in building such a large-scale, long-term and socially oriented pension system.
The national pension program is not limited only by financial and social frameworks. Budgetary or demographic balancing, for all their importance outside a single integrated approach, will not give the final expected result and will not preserve the stability of the pension system in the long term. Pension systems are formed with an application horizon of 30-50 years and should take into account the interests of that generation of future pensioners who are just starting their labor activity.
