The US didn’t force them into the arms race, russia itself was more than willing to invest that resources to project a sense of strength. They just couldn’t compete economically and ruined themselves with it
I can’t find the source on Britannica, but it did mention that. I admit it could have been a misinformation or misunderstanding on my part about more tanks produced than cars.
That implies not many cars are actually available for many citizens despite the demand.
Well, don’t quote me on that, but I am pretty sure that the average soviet citizen couldn’t get a tank neither. In fact, it still was propably easier for them to get their hands on a car than on a tank.
The USSR was not a consumer paradise. But as long as public transport works, not having a car is acceptable. The important part is that we shouldn’t remember the USSR as a military dystopia as the initial relations could have suggested.
The US didn’t force them into the arms race, russia itself was more than willing to invest that resources to project a sense of strength. They just couldn’t compete economically and ruined themselves with it
The Soviets and their satellite states produced more tanks than cars. So, that shows where the actual priorities of the USSR were.
Hyperbole or fact?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_the_Soviet_Union
I can’t find the source on Britannica, but it did mention that. I admit it could have been a misinformation or misunderstanding on my part about more tanks produced than cars.
In the Wikipedia link you provided, it does mention that you have to wait for years to buy and own a car. That implies not many cars are actually available for many citizens despite the demand. There is a discussion about it on Quora https://www.quora.com/Why-did-the-Russians-during-Soviet-times-had-to-wait-10-years-for-a-car
Well, don’t quote me on that, but I am pretty sure that the average soviet citizen couldn’t get a tank neither. In fact, it still was propably easier for them to get their hands on a car than on a tank.
The USSR was not a consumer paradise. But as long as public transport works, not having a car is acceptable. The important part is that we shouldn’t remember the USSR as a military dystopia as the initial relations could have suggested.
I can see where Soviets are coming from, but not owning a car if you live in rural is impractical.
I don’t know the reality but they had those big industrial farms. So public transport could have been possible.