(A/E) — ffect

Reagan’s inflammatory speeches and massive military expenditures frightened the Soviet society from leader to peasant. Fear was the overarching concern, it covered everything and permeated into everyday life. Reliable, accurate information was hard to come by in either society. Propaganda was put to great and effective use in conveying the opposing side in the most disturbing light. Citizens on both sides genuinely thought that the end could come any moment. That nuclear war was just minutes away and they would have almost no warning nor was any preparation really going to help them. Though the press was more open in the United States propaganda was just as prevalent and not many journalistic sources covered cold war events from an unbiased standpoint. Both countries wanted to win and this included the journalists. Most Soviet citizens lived in the countryside working in jobs selected by the state living in state provided housing or in communal apartments furnished by the state in cities. Residences were communal, bland, and unappealing. Limited space and many people meant community areas such as bathrooms were areas of contention and conflict.  This lifestyle for the average Soviet citizen was vastly different from the consumerist America.  The state and communist party’s control over every aspect of life lent to much monotony, boredom, and inefficiency. The lack of markets based in supply and demand meant huge disparaties in consumer goods. Waiting in long lines to acquire basic goods was a common occurrence in Soviet society. The divergence of much needed resources to the military further increased hardships on the average citizen.

Soviet Apartments outside Novogrod

Sinks in a communal bathroom