• Wertheimer [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
      2·
      8 days ago

      I’m definitely influenced by Western propaganda here, as I’m mostly familiar with the gerontocracy jokes from the end of his tenure. But a quick refresher from Wikipedia reminds me that there are good reasons to remember his time fondly:

      Although difficulties in the Soviet economy became apparent as early as the late 1960s, the population’s living conditions continued to improve. The majority of the population earned what it considered an acceptable wage and lived in decent apartments. The state provided education, medical care, housing, and paid leave free of charge. Most families also had free access to daycare and after-school activities. Full employment, generous and free disability insurance, and the lowering of the retirement age with full benefits (55 for women and 60 for men) all contributed to an improvement in living standards.

      • Collatz_problem [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        2·
        8 days ago

        the gerontocracy jokes

        Compared to the current world leaders, Brezhnev and others were much younger, although they tended to have shitty health, because they fought in the Great Patriotic War, many were wounded and generally had many health compications.

        • Wertheimer [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
          1·
          8 days ago

          The main joke I remember is from 1980, so five years after he had a stroke, in which he begins a speech by saying “Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh” and an aide has to tell him that those are the Olympic rings.