Did the USSR Have Millionaires? (Short Animated Documentary)

[@Sulmor85]

I fall for the "Just kidding" line every time

[@kimothefungenuis]

I don't fall for it most of the time except in this case

[@darknessnight1115]

We have the best plot twists folks

[@apalahartisebuahnama7684]

Same

[@7zagazoo748]

This time it seemed pretty well hidden to me

[@aiiv7839]

Same here!

[@joermnyc]

Tarasov: “I’m a millionaire... in Rubles... time to flex on state TV... what could possibly go wrong?”

[@RedLancerMoto]

In a communist country of all places...

[@-argih]

You can be a millionaire in Venezuela with ~ $5 usd right now

[@shindari]

@@-argih So I could literally take the thousand usd I have to my name, right now, and live like a freaking KING, in Venezuela?? What am I waiting for?...

[@AECcomputers]

@@shindari i cant tell if this is a joke or not

[@TheFi0r3]

@@shindari Nah, not any more as our prices have finally stabilized at around similar prices to first world countries, so 1000$ isn't going to make you live like a king, just a middle class dude in one of the most dangerous countries of the continent. However, given salaries are still single digits USDs a day or double digits a week, you could still get something like, an informal business up an running with that money (rent is also pretty cheap as real state is simply in shambles because most of the country is basically in ruins compared to a decade or two ago)

[@pridelander06]

Stalin: "Sorry, babushka, I'm pretty strapped for cash!" Old woman: 😐

[@lamotou4banana383]

Don't worry well get James Bissonnette

[@thekaiseroftheeast3895]

That's not very cash money of you, comrade.

[@PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

Bruh even the Soviet dictator was poor lol

[@rockstepguy3524]

@@PremierCCGuyMMXVI More like "too rich to even bother about having money" lmao

[@apalahartisebuahnama7684]

@@PremierCCGuyMMXVI in normal capitalistic democracy people bought power using their money to influence public election but in USSR only through the party you can elevate yourself.

[@jonathanherring2113]

The credits animation with the guy in the photograph being erased was really smart 2:42

[@NuggetInc]

Stalin: " *helps old lady cross the road and wants to give her money but can't* " Also Stalin to his kid: "who?"

[@Iason29]

Now we know why his daughter left him, she never got any pocket money

[@ewadfe3705]

@Igor Senkin the bourgeoise have neither of these 5 so shut up

[@hrotha]

@Graf von Losinj Every single dog in a 200-mile radius is barking after reading this post

[@LøvæFråNordn]

The duality of man

[@SouvenTudu1]

😂

[@Malvikins]

The disappearing of the minister during the credits is such a chilling touch.

[@sail2byzantium]

Stalin--greatest airbrusher of history ever!

[@ellieadele3769]

Well spotted I completely missed it.

[@Kerriangel]

Comrade; I don’t feel so good...

[@FirstNameLastName-ig2im]

What minister? Where? What are you talking about?

[@ellieadele3769]

@@FirstNameLastName-ig2im rewatch the credits.

[@Esure101]

"And then fled to the UK" You said that like that'd be an issue for the KGB

[@CallieMasters5000]

UK = Moscow West For the KGB & successors, it's just a longer commute.

[@brandonlyon730]

There wasn’t much of a KGB left after there coup failed and the Union dissolved.

[@_raresis5405]

after 89 it was out of reach, before 89 tho...

[@kamanashiskar9203]

@@CallieMasters5000 The UK is the millionaires' destination of their home country wants them in prison.

[@resterdebout57]

Chepiga and Mishkin: well, no, but also yes

[@DanielGalimidi]

Everybody's saying how James Bisonette has so much money, but nobody's talking about the real oligarch here: Kelly Moneymaker. It's literally in the name, wake up sheeple!

[@ecurewitz]

you mean it isn't Spinning Three Plates???

[@somethingelse516]

The sheeple bit cracked me up

[@davesy6969]

It takes money to keep those 3 plates spinning.

[@Killerbee4712]

moe: exists

[@ManfredBlasser]

they all conspired to get rid of Danny Maloney by "retiring" him

[@hinababy624]

You don’t have to be a millionaire to experience the life of the rich, you just need to have the right connections and everything will be handed down.

[@pplayer666]

The prime value in possessing wealth is the ability to have it inherited by the posterity.

[@igorsmihailovs52]

Mark Twain, "1M Pound Sterling Ticket". YASSS!

[@angelb.823]

This is the realistic "power of frienship" in full effectiveness.

[@thomasbravado]

Castro used to sleep with three new women per day. His soldiers would find them for him and bring them to him and he used to sleep with a new woman in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

[@rapatacush3]

Not the same

[@grim_2000]

Tarasov wrote a book about his life. It's a pretty fun read. There he talks about his early businesses, inner workings of Soviet system, etc. There's a chapter about that first million too. Basically, his enterprise made too much profit & they couldn't really use it. So Artyom assigned himself a million rouble salary, and then paid taxes from it accordingly. Technically, that legalized his million. They were audited like crazy after that TV stunt (the host didn't plan to reveal his name, but Artyom voluntarily turned to the camera & said "my name is Artyom Tarasov"). Funnily enough, their records were perfect & precise to the dime (or kopeck, in this case). Reason for that was simple: his accountant was getting super nervous at the large amounts of money they had & became super paranoid not to be off, cause she was thinking _Is that even legal?_ and was afraid that she's gonna get arrested any day. IIRC they were doing mostly import-export at the time. However, Tarasov was involved in many endeavors. For example, prior to that, one of their first startups, that didn't get to live long, was something of a matchmaking service that would help people to find potential spouses/partners. They got an overwhelming amount of clientele, but were soon shut down by the government with multiple accusations that were just a bit short of propagating prostitution (or something like that). I don't know, if his book is available in English, but I definitely recommend it, especially if you want to better understand the later period of USSR (before the collapse). It's called _Millionaire: confessions of Russia's First Millionaire_

[@dday881]

Awesome man, ill look at it

[@CoolManCoolMan123]

So Soviet Union was the birth place of the idea for tinder?

[@z1npk798]

@@CoolManCoolMan123if you read the history or watch like we just watched then yes but technically they wouldn’t say so unless u did the research like we did just now

[@hufficag]

Funny how matchmaking apps are advertised everywhere when you read news articles now, with approval from the communis party because they want people to have more sex. I live in China.

[@elshan581]

It certainly did. My gradfather was in charge of most of silk factories in USSR, their job was to produce the demanded amount of silk annually, and if you managed to outproduce the demand you would be left with bunch of materials that you can sell to government (indirectly and sometimes unofficially). And when other owners of silk factories weren't able to meet the demand( which in USSR meant that if you can't produce the demand you are corrupted and will be sentenced to jail) they would simply buy from my Grandfather. To hide the wealth he bought a lot of homes and cars but almost none of them were "officially" bought by him. And to not arouse suspicious the documents said that 1 mansion was owned by 3 or more people since at that time you were not allowed to own such a big home. He used to tell me stories about how KGB agents were bothering them every 2 weeks about why there is a such a big mansion in a small village and everytime they showed the documents of multiple people owning the mansion, they would eventually stop having suspicions. There were actually lots of tricks he told me but unfortunately I can't mention all of them

[@thedwightguy]

Kind of like China when my mother-in-law was busy collecting "licensing fees" for her husbands' name on the idea. And the $$$ went to his friends in Japan. He did his eight years in labor re-education camp and met all his buddies.......there. When they got out?? Ka Ching!!!

[@hugoflores5806]

That makes me remember the thing with georgians buying the right for buying a car

[@elshan581]

@@thedwightguy good one. But unfortunately for my Grandfather, after USSR got dissolved, the Nagorno Kabarakh war (1992-1994) broke out and he had to flee from his home place and all the mansions he built and cars he bought had been abondened and destroyed during the war. The worst part is after 2 years he became blind and couldn't continue his business anymore and had already spent all of his money on buying houses for his children so they won't live in refugee camps.

[@GetToHellOut]

He was not a millionaire, he was just rich. But, as you can see, you could not even legally own a huge mansion in USSR, so there could not be any real millionaires in USSR, or else they would've been found by KGB and sentensed to death. As your example shows, even being rich and having a huge house and some cars would resoult in living in a constant fear that the KGB may arrest you, and all of the property would have to be illegal registered on other people in order to not to raise suspition. Owning huge house and few cars is pathetic compared to any western or even modern Russian millionaire (if we say that millionare is a person who has more than 100 mil rus ruble). And keep in mind, that ruble exchange rate to dollar is 74:1. So was your grandfather a rich person, especially by USSR standarts? He sure was. Was he a millionaire or an oligarch? Not really.

[@elshan581]

@@GetToHellOut it seems that you haven't experienced soviet times and don't know much about it. Your point on no one could own huge mansions is completely false. There were lots of ways to bypass the law and the most popular was via bribery. I myself have visitied one of the remains of my grandfather's mansion which consisted of 22 rooms when it was built

[@FerKzrs]

I'm here for the "just kidding" transitions.

[@sviatoslavs.1305]

1:53 you have one.

[@R-H-B]

Yes. And the most prosperous Soviet millionaire was James Bisonette

[@haciendaddy]

was?

[@acanadiancapitalist2107]

@@haciendaddy it’s probably a joke

[@almann4187]

most obviously, Kelly Moneymaker

[@bubble4072]

@@haciendaddy es gibt immer einen obligatorischen James Bisonette comment.

[@jackorooney1469]

Or Marvin Casal

[@samgamgee7384]

One time Leonid Brezhnev's mother came to visit him in Moscow. He welcomed her into his fine apartments. He served her champagne and caviar. They rode about town in one of his Rolls Royces. He showed her his 100-car garage, all his cars, and all his masterpiece paintings. They took a Lamborghini to one of his many dachas outside the city. He invited her into the heated swimming pool, and then his chef served them a sumptuous gourmet dinner. As he tucked his beloved mother into a four-poster bed in a bedroom he had prepared just for her, she said, "But Leo, what if the communists come back?"

[@AntonDDimov]

For real

[@cageybee7221]

leonid brezhnev was in power in the 1970's. Rolls Royce did not begin building cars until 2003. cool story bro.

[@winnienguyen4420]

@@cageybee7221 not sure if that's a joke or your just stupid. Rolls-Royce was created in 1904 in Manchester, England. In fact Rolls-Royce was the only car company to successfully withstand the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Secondly Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet union from the 60's to the early 80's.

[@Gothic7876]

@@cageybee7221 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost not real then according to you? First produced in 1906.

[@Lena-1312]

@@winnienguyen4420 its a JOKE for Lenin's sake

[@wildfood1]

"Lengthy unemployment was against the law." People who didn't work were considered "social parasites" and jailed. Not only did property belong to the state, but labor too belonged to the state and you could not withhold it.

[@TheTrex9000]

and people seriously want this back 💀

[@Cyborg_Lenin]

As opposed to capitalist countries, where you just starve on the streets if you dont work? Oh how truly brutal the USSR was.

[@taiwandxt6493]

@@TheTrex9000 Because to many in Eastern Europe, it was much better than what they have now. It's said economically, many of the former Eastern Bloc and Soviet states need at least 50 more years of economic growth in order to even be comparable to the days of communism. Most people's gripes with the Soviet system had more to do with the authoritarianism, not with the communist system itself.

[@sympathiser_of_Germans_in_40s]

@@taiwandxt6493 then why don't they go back to being communist again? Certainly seems to be cool these days

[@taiwandxt6493]

@V Well, because a lot of these countries' governments are autocratic dictatorships or flawed democracies. And as well, some of these countries literally ban communist symbols and activities, so it's kinda hard for the people to go back.

[@timfortune9]

"Everything the Soviets ever told us about communism was a lie. Unfortunately, everything they told us about capitalism was true." - Russian joke

[@concept5631]

Sounds about right.

[@andrewmoore7014]

Another: "What did capitalism do in one year that communism couldn't do in 70? Make communism look good."

[@concept5631]

@@andrewmoore7014 Seems legit.

[@F22onblockland]

When go from an authoritarian monarchy to an authoritarian communist regime to an authoritarian capitalist regime Everything changed and nothing changed.

[@concept5631]

@@F22onblockland A good way of describing the last 2 centuries of Chinese history.

[@looinrims]

I cried when there wasn’t a glass shatter sound at the USSR

[@johantoreld3419]

James Bisonette did not live in the USSR so no millionaires, sorry.

[@bakthihapuarachchi3447]

Kelly moneymaker did though

[@romanrocha7532]

@@bakthihapuarachchi3447 💀💀💀💀

[@HontounoShiramizu]

Plenty of millionaires actually, just the ones that were in the party. I personally know of a man who "bought" (was in fact given, but formalities) multiple flats with a combined value of over 2 million (modern rate) for his party loyalty. These cases were never allowed to go public though.

[@MirzaAhmed89]

How do you know he didn't?

[@ThePikminCaptain]

@@HontounoShiramizu thanks for ruining the joke

[@iamsheel]

2:13 that banner really made my day. Thanks

[@salavat294]

Well, this video only covered the “legitimate” business millionaires. It completely overlooked the “black marketeers”. The example of Armenian shoe manufacturers springs to mind. During the “stagnation of the 1970’s” shoes were a deficit item, particularly fashionable women’s shoes. Several, enterprising Armenian shoe-factory directors created a secret additional shift that specialized in the manufacturing of the deficit shoes. Selling the shoes at exorbitantly obscene profits (by Soviet standards) on the black market. These factory-directors had villas, vacation properties, vineyards, and several automobiles. However, if they got caught it would, surely, be a automatic firing squad for them. But, then again, he, who, does not risk, does not drink Champagne.

[@salavat294]

@@kristopherjames1742 : Ya, but that was one of the best known and easy examples. In fact, during “stagnant 1970’s”, if you had a skilled trade (tailor, carpenter, cabinetmaker, butcher, baker, etc), and were talented at it, you could potentially make ten times the salary of an engineer. The catch was DON’T GET CAUGHT. But, it’s the gulag (if you are lucky), or a firing squad, if caught.

[@idotso]

He means millionaire in a traditional and working sense.

[@salavat294]

@@idotso : The answer is a categorical YES. Soviet era millionaires had to be discreet, so as not earn the hatred/envy of their neighbors, or peek the interest of Soviet Union’s various “alphabet” law enforcement agencies (KGB, MVD etc.). To become a Soviet era millionaire through legitimate legal means, was virtually impossible. So, there were usually some sort of machinations involved (bribery, theft, fraud, corruption, etc)

[@idotso]

@@salavat294 idc

[@salavat294]

@@idotso : Well then, I don’t care that you don’t care!

[@aleidius192]

Commissar: "We are taking all of your money for...uhh...the people..."

[@LibertarianLeninistRants]

wdym "his money", he got it by cheating the system so basically he stole it from the people

[@brandonlyon730]

Worker: say can we actually control the factories or businesses for once? I mean that was what Karl Marx wanted for us and you keep quoting him and his works in your propaganda? Government: Absolute nonsense, stop complaining and get back to work!

[@RenzoM2811]

Commissar: Kulak, we're in the middle of a drought, don't burn your crops and kill your animals. Kulak: How about I do, anyway?

[@RenzoM2811]

@@brandonlyon730 Read State and Revolution by Lenin

[@duo496]

I don't believe in private property, now gimme your house

[@frozengansit0]

Gorbachev: ok a little bit of capitalism Tarasov: IM A MILLIONAIRE Gorbachev: NOOOOOO NOT LIKE THAT Tarasov: I'm the monster you created >:)

[@DanielGalimidi]

I like to imagine that Tarasov paid Gorbachev to appear in that Pizza Hut ad.

[@jackilotl]

nice

[@urmumgae4245]

Nice

[@icecold1805]

Nice

[@motianton]

@White Wolf "the progressive left stand for capitalism" ??

[@107suhas]

Did the USSR Have Millionaires? Well yes, but actually no.

[@Sunbeam020]

Yesnt

[@georgeamesfort3408]

Nes

[@marcodepril4888]

Actually bookwriters were kind of rich cant say they were mil but they had a better life

[@nikitaavdeev9681]

@@marcodepril4888 Same goes for Scientists

[@aldhizak]

@@nikitaavdeev9681 wrong

[@krealyesitisbeta5642]

Tarasov: "I'm rich!" KGB: "That isn't how you're supposed to play the game."

[@loveg0110]

Short and simple video explaining everything it set out to do. Great work, no dragged out 12 minutes of blabbering and instead straight to the point. Great content

[@bennutter3341]

Me: trying to find valid comments Comments: JaMeS BiSSOnEtTe

[@steelbear2063]

Ironic.

[@mankytoes]

You know who can find comments? James Bissonette because he has moneys!

[@augustuscaesar8287]

*Plot twist* The original commenter in his strenuous search for valid comments, ending up dismayed and disgruntled by the James Bissonnette comments, ends up making an invalid James Bissonnette comment. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@db3536]

Why Mo only get 4th mention?

[@colltonrighem]

Rob Waterhouse is better anyway

[@MonsieurDean]

Yuri: How many Kalashnikovs do you have? Uncle Dimitri: Forty thousand. Yuri: [Glancing at the paper on Uncle Dimitri's clipboard] Is that a four? Doesn't look like a four to me. Looks more like a one. Uncle Dimitri: No, it's a four. Yuri: It's whatever we say it is, because no one else will know the difference. Ten thousand Kalashnikovs for a battalion... your stocks are badly depleted, Dimitri. You should order more from the factory. Uncle Dimitri: Someone will work it out. What happens then? Yuri Orlov: We'll cut them in.

[@centazo7569]

Only 5 minutes ago? Nice

[@MonsieurDean]

@@centazo7569 Early bird catches the worm.

[@dismantledhenry5006]

Damn you fast

[@Myles452]

True

[@aaronhpa]

If only the democratic system that stalin vouched for in 1936 hadn't been stopped by the wars in spain and the military plots :( He was harsh but he was wanting to reduce corruption :(

[@ToadComrades]

This is in my opinion your best video yet. The stalin helping an old lady cross the road by carrying her with was hilarious. The just kidding they were pissed line was great and the just kidding line gets me all the time in your videos. And the part where you were reading the patrons and the 2 men standing next to stalin were erased was amazing. Great work as always!

[@spaceyote7174]

I find the idea of Stalin, a guy who killed millions of people and was a massive abusive asshole to his family and colleagues, taking time out to help an old lady across the road extremely and inherently funny

[@rolandojragbayani4285]

i mean he still has a heart and even wanted to give her money but didnt have any

[@preyhunter4179]

All the worst people/dictators do that. Hitler for example strictly outlawed cigarettes.

[@dieptrieu6564]

Humans are complicated. You rarely see someone who full on evil in real life

[@xiijinpingthesupremeleader1349]

@@preyhunter4179 and loved animals too

[@someoldytaccount]

@@xiijinpingthesupremeleader1349 Right! Although, I don't think using a frog as fishing bait is equal to being sent to a concentration camp, Hitler certainly was an Animal Rights' supporter.

[@PhantomFelix211164]

I laughed when Trotsky was jumping around in the background while Stalin was helping the old lady cross the street

[@slewone4905]

How do you know he's Trotsky, and he might of been jumping like that to get away from the Assassins.

[@Jacob-lv6zy]

I think that is kaganovich... he seemed weirdly happy about the fact they could not help that woman, I guess he must have had the time of his life in the ukraine then.....

[@sooryan_1018]

@@slewone4905 dodging from sniper fire be like

[@lashlarue7924]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂🏖🤣🤣🙊🙊🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂. Aghhaaahhhhaaaaahhgsaaaaaa, IM DEAD !!!! AAAASSAHHHHHAA🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂

[@ezefinkielman4672]

Definitely Kaganovich since he was bald and had a mustache.

[@epicgamerzfail4575]

If I had a dollar for every james bisonette comment, I'd be a millionaire too

[@poke-champ4256]

youd make jeff bezos jealous

[@heysiritellmeacoolprofilen7296]

i’d have 2 dollars then

[@Dayvit78]

From the looks of it, you'd actually be the richest man on Earth.

[@warrenlehmkuhleii8472]

Considering this counts as a James Bisonette comment, you are contributing to your hypothetical wealth. You are big brain.

[@jorgeh.r9879]

Suggestions: -Why didn't Bulgaria join Yugoslavia? -Reactions in places like Persia, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Thailand (in WW1), Nepal, Buthan and Latin America to both world wars -Yugoslav wars -Lybian civil war Click like if you agree so he'll see this and add something if you want

[@mikklustmets4239]

What happened to natives in Australia/ New Zealand?

[@Toonrick12]

To answer the first question, because Stalin. Also, Bulgarians and Serbians don't have the best relationship which each other.

[@archimedes5172]

I didn't even think about what south america thought about the world wars nice suggestions.👍

[@hueylongdong347]

Bulgaria probably didn't join Yugoslavia because it and Serbia, the country most determined and able to form it, were on opposite sides ever since the Second Balkan War.

[@r7ahtesham885]

Bangladesh: I have been forgotten in the list of the forgotten. Oh hey, I just made a new meme template

[@Cestuasa7]

When i think to ussr i imagine bald and bankrupt saying: "this thing is so soviet".

[@alexconti7932]

That last bit with the history cleaning is just gold.

[@player1641]

1:05 Wow, Stalin was such a nice guy

[@CcpCcp-sk6dt]

Wow, he is so nice

[@gegecry]

He's so nice that He even gave all the people He didn't Like new Houses...in siberia.

[@tf2664]

Russian Billionaire: Yes, I’m a billionaire. Yes, I live in the USSR. USSR: not for long

[@lancegideondiokno1774]

Does the USSR have millionaires Answer?: *Yesn't*

[@Blackstormeagle]

USSR: Okay, we can have a little bit of Capitalism to make the government lots of money Citizens: Starts making lots of money USSR: Wait, that's illegal

[@billbuffalino6741]

Yeah...it’s the citizens making loads of money. Definitely not the oligarchs.

[@Kyle-gw6qp]

"citizens" did not make money. A few wankers made money and screwed everyone over.

[@hugoflores5806]

That would be for the georgians buying lada, mozcovich and even ZAZ tickets

[@carso1500]

@@billbuffalino6741 yeah because everyone nows those arent people they are eldritch abominations that eat puppies

[@abduking.]

@@billbuffalino6741 the oligarchs didnt exist yet...... they started to rise from the capitalist transition. If you mean high members in the party BECAME oligarches then you'd be correct

[@altanenbaum7708]

Thanks!

[@fogareuaquelecaradaportari3386]

Stalin: Murders 30 million people Also Stalin: Helps an old lady cross the Road

[@nematolvajkergetok5104]

But only because it's not sportsmanlike to shoot at a target that close.

[@philthefinadelphian4830]

If you read on Stalin a bit you can find some rather wholesome moments, like his dog and how he genuienly felt defeated when learning his country was being invaded, isolating himself for days at one point cause of the turmoil. Also by any metric I don't think people would claim Truman to have killed millions of Japanese from the bombings or Churchill for his neglecting the Bengali famine. The correct stat would be 5 million, but really everyone in the 20th century fucked up.

[@SkyguyFilmsZooruvfilms]

That number is a Cold War era propaganda myth.

[@SkyguyFilmsZooruvfilms]

@@philthefinadelphian4830 true, but even 5 million is too high because that number number includes the famine of 32-33 which we haven’t found any evidence to have been ordered or engineered. After the archives opened up they found documents showing that the Soviet government knew about it and were trying to alleviate it, only problem is that the only thing they can export was grain so they didn’t fully stop exporting, but decreased it about 300% Stalin is responsible for the victims of his cutthroat politics and purges

[@nematolvajkergetok5104]

@@SkyguyFilmsZooruvfilms Indeed. The amount of old ladies Stalin helped to cross the road is actually zero.

[@_vallee_5190]

Yes my family lived in the Soviet block (Romania), bureaucrats and party members were essentially billionaires. If you wanted to climb the ladder you went through the party, ironically these were the same people buying up companies when the soviet block fell.

[@freppie_]

in the west we have that too, but the rich pretend to give us the idea we are in control and can become or must become rich too.

[@hienable6933]

"Ironically" because as communists, they weren't supposed to have the money to buy. But also unironically because it was expected that the people in power would continue to stay in power

[@rapatacush3]

​@@freppie_you can if you're not a lazy ass cry baby.

[@soybasedjeremy3653]

​@@freppie_I think he's saying Socialism is inherently harsh and full of hypocrisy.

[@spacecommie7447]

Not billionaires, but millionaires yes. At least regular people were provided decent salaries, blocks to live in, free education and health care, food, fuel utilities at subsidised prices and cheap holidays to go on. Infrastructure and cultural projects were also launched to benefit the nation, not capitalists. Și da după mulți din CC, alături de securiștii mari, cei din import-export și infractori mai dibaci proapsăt ieșiți de la facultate au devenit ăi mai mari bogătani ai țării. I do hope you understand our native tongue since you speak so authoritatively on it.

[@roguenetwork27]

I gotta say: 1. You pick the best topics 2. That just kidding was the funniest thing I saw all day

[@Stormy_Boi]

I really love these videos you make. There some of the few things I can watch over and over again and still be entertained. There informative and have so much interesting knowledge while still having plenty of humour and fun in them too. I hope you keep up the this great work. Also the little phrases on the signs in every video will always make my day

[@Ynhockey]

There were stories of some Soviet citizens who were able to get their hands on a lot of cash through shady deals, and become millionaires. They couldn't display their wealth though. In fact, one of the most famous Russian novels in the early Soviet Union is precisely about a situation like this: The Little Golden Calf, by Ilf and Petrov.

[@Mortebianca]

Jamez Bisonette was one of them apparently

[@lerusthe7046]

wow xd

[@thejaerd4881]

Mortebianca sei qua ? Grande

[@Dragoon77]

1:17 Zavyalov Island: I'm freeeee!

[@raceris7309]

I remember I was told stories on how Lithuanians managed to earn money when USSR had collapsed. Most people drove to Poland to get various items (I am talking pretty much anything - sweets, CDs, electronics, kitchen utensils, toys and so on) and would re-sell those items on car bonnets at a higher price. This craze is what exactly laid foundations to still popular shopping centre in Lithuania - "Gariūnai". I still go there to find some cheap Playstation 2 games, as they are pretty difficult to find elsewhere these days.

[@erraticonteuse]

I always think about the time Garry Kasparov won some fancy car in a chess match and he says everyone was mad at him for keeping it.

[@JPDuval-xy4yy]

The 'just kidding' transition is undeniably this channels' staple. I anticipate it every time I watch these videos

[@jamesfreeman4884]

Why are you actually so good at what you do? It's admirable. :)

[@user-fi7tb1xz3d]

This Stalin guy sound like a very kind person hope he will do more good things

[@CallieMasters5000]

Hitler was a vegetarian. Look how that turned out!

[@hoffwell]

@@CallieMasters5000 Urban myth, the vegatarian thing. He loved liver and dumplings.

[@teatimegaming971]

@@hoffwell “ oh yeah, I love animals, I’m vegetarian, what do I have on my plate? Oh it’s just liver”

[@vocesdelrioriourbano7236]

@@hoffwell Actually Hitler was a vegetarian and he loved animals. He will fit in with the current Twitter crowd.

[@anonymouscausewhynot]

@@hoffwell he still made laws against animal cruelty.

[@baronDioxid]

>Stalin helps an old woman cross a road Ohhh, what a nice guy!

[@Wenving]

"Did the USSR have Millionaires?" Well yes, but tecnically no

[@NathanDudani]

Yesn't

[@littleumbrella1763]

The answer to 90% of his videos ngl

[@Dylan-bc2po]

*not anymore*

[@Vincent.Morreale]

THE END CREDIT !!!! I love this channel sooo much haha

[@tommo7645]

One of the most succinct and entertaining episodes to date. I learnt a lot in a very short space of time. Nice one.

[@cerberus6996]

Everyone there were equals but some were more equals than others

[@bushi_joelgamster9614]

They were equal to the other milionares

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

That quip of Orwell's isn't about millionaires, it's about who gets to have decision-making power. It's about politics. There simply were no wealthy people in the USSR.

[@lubu2960]

What the fuck does that mean lol

[@magdavillafuerte505]

@@annaclarafenyo8185 you're ignoring the nomenklatura, a lot of people had made clear in the past that they were an oligarchy and as such they could be considered wealthy as thay had more benefits and better life conditions in conparison to the working class of the ussr.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

@@magdavillafuerte505 They had only SLIGHTLY better conditions, they were not wealthy in any Western sense of the word.

[@semotari311]

Gorbachev: ok you can make private companies Tarasov: *makes very successful company* Gorbachev: *you weren’t supposed to do that*

[@CallieMasters5000]

On the Ushanka Show, he talked about people who were able to amass huge fortunes doing illegal things like taking bribes & kickbacks, running side businesses at work, and stolen goods. Their problem was they couldn't put the money in a bank, it was all in cash, they couldn't get it into hard currency, and they really couldn't buy anything, so in the end some people were caught with huge amounts of rubles in cash at home with no way to spend it.

[@090giver090]

And having this much of amassed wealth effectively removed from economy is another reason why soviet economy collapses.

[@HTTRforLIFE]

Love these videos!! Keep it up!!

[@LesPauloCaster]

I enjoy these 3 minutes videos so much, I’ve been binging for a week now. Worth becoming a patreon. Listing your patreons sups at the end is such a flex, for such a short video.

[@zap3231]

1:02 That's the sweetest thing I've ever seen Stalin do...

[@YourLocalMairaaboo]

One thing to remember is that his atrocities were not done out of hunger for power, but paranoia. Like, *EXTREME* paranoia. He tried to resign multiple times.

[@YourLocalMairaaboo]

@Collin Champagne don't remember right now.

[@guagualon1436]

@Collin Champagne The Central Committee rejecting it. He tried to resign 4 times.

[@3st3st77]

@@guagualon1436 Oh, sure. You know, Caesar also rejected 3 times to be crowned as king.. after setting this event up, of course.

[@guagualon1436]

@@3st3st77 I mean, that could be argued. I do think, as Anthony Beevor, that Stalin could well have been sincere in his intentions.

[@emucitizen5892]

The outro is hillarious the guy with stalin gets erased

[@r3dum877]

The Little Golden Calf (Золотой телёнок, Zolotoy telyonok) is a satirical novel by Soviet authors Ilf and Petro is about underground Soviet Millionaire

[@oliversherman2414]

I love your channel keep up the great stuff!

[@modoesstuff]

this channel is everything i feel i've ever wanted out of KZbin. learn something. be entertained. & do it around 5 min. or less. i just...luv this channel. 😅

[@ARIXANDRE]

-How did the Soviet people react? -Well, they all congratulated Karasov and... ...I'm just kidding, they were outraged. " 😂😂😂

[@onanthebarbarian9883]

I always laugh at the "run through the daisies" bit. Always.

[@BobBob-cy9cu]

These are types of questions I had no idea I needed answers to.

[@coloneldoggo]

Future Video Idea: What did Napoleon do in Exile

[@matiasrisso5917]

He became quite good at knitting

[@NotaTechGuy177]

Loved the anecdote in this episode! I hope to see more in the future!

[@kainaluhikalea4641]

Stalin helping old ladies cross the road thats a first

[@thiccluigi6906]

That surprised me too. I didn't know him like that.

[@davidrenton]

@@thiccluigi6906 she was crossing the road to visit her family who Beria was interrogating at the time.

[@CallieMasters5000]

She was supposed to be building the road at the time.

[@command_unit7792]

They where not hearless monsters...They where Monsters with a heart...

[@apalahartisebuahnama7684]

Is that true or just fictional anecdote?

[@calragnarok]

"Well most people congratulated Taras.............just kidding they were outraged!" Genuinely LOL'D 🤣🤣

[@scanida5070]

0:30 So toilet paper was regulated? The Soviets seem to have predicted the future...

[@soulmorf12]

Toilet paper was a luxury, most people used newspapers for you know what, and only limited toilet paper was around.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

@@soulmorf12 This is a Western myth. Toilet paper was available until the very late 80s.

[@soulmorf12]

@@annaclarafenyo8185 western myth ha, I was born in Latvia, right after the soviet collapse. Maybe I did not had all the soviet cliches, but the one thing, all of our elders told us - no toilet paper, no problem, use newspapers "because we didn't have any back in the day"

[@CallieMasters5000]

Toilet paper wasn't made at all in the USSR until the 1960s, I heard. Until then, just newspapers. Check out the Ushanka Show video on this.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

@@CallieMasters5000 I don't know anyone that old. People I met said there was plenty of toilet paper until 1990.

[@manueldesousa5054]

"Pravda. Printed in English for some reason." Oh god, this guy is the best xD

[@stevemc01]

Tarasov: "Hey guys! I'M A MILLIONAIRE" Soviet High Command: *opening coffin* "Ok get in."

[@RackHasAttacked]

Yeh their names were: James bissonette

[@2prize]

USSR: Riots over millionaires USA: Worships billionaires

[@stephenjenkins7971]

I guess one worships being poor and the other worships being rich? xD

[@missk1697]

@@stephenjenkins7971 one worships a normal life, other worships a delusion of "temporarily embarrassed millionaire" mentality

[@stephenjenkins7971]

@@missk1697 I guess only the Russian mentality settles for having their elites smushing their faces into the dirt. Americans must be made of sterner stuff.

[@alexb9969]

@@missk1697 the USSR is your model for reasoning? lol

[@sooryan_1018]

@@alexb9969 why not :p

[@ingsnaut_7006]

Hey do you think you could do a video on Montenegro? It’s a country rarely talked about but it has some interesting history.

[@williamtheconqueror7807]

Why is Montenegro?

[@robertlakay88]

Is that where all the Soviet millionaires are?

[@r8rgtrs]

I agree! I would like to learn why Montenegro exists (and is not Serbia)

[@drug_radovanovic]

@@r8rgtrs You see, when Serbia fell under Ottoman rule, Serbs migrated literally everywhere and many of them went to the mountains by the south Adriatic coast, which they referred to as "Crna Gora" - meaning "Black Mountain" in Serbian. "Montenegro" also means the same thing but in Italian. And the Ottomans could never really directly conquer Montenegro due to its mountainous and fortified nature so Montenegro became a kind of a vassal state. It still paid some tax to the Ottoman Empire, but they did their own thing in the mountains. Fast forward to the Berlin Congress in 1878, Montenegro and Serbia get their independence and Serbia gets a territorial expansion southwards. But the southernmost parts like Kosovo and today's border with Montenegro were still under Ottoman rule. This eventually led to another series of wars, the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) where Serbia, Montenegro (now a kingdom ruled by Nikola I, the first and last king of Montenegro), Greece and Bulgaria created an alliance to fight against the Ottomans. They had tons of success but the alliance with Bulgaria was short-lived as there was a disagreement between Serbia and Bulgaria over who gets to control Macedonia. Montenegro and Greece backed Serbia and so they united against Bulgaria and pushed them back. Near the end of the war Romania and Ottomans also went against Bulgaria. At the peace treaty, Serbia got its southern territories and Macedonia, Montenegro expanded eastwards forming a border with Serbia, Greece got (also) Macedonia and Chalkidiki, Romania got Dobruja and Ottomans got Edirne back from Bulgaria. This treaty also created an independent Albanian state under the pressure of Austria-Hungary. Now there were some ideas of uniting Serbia and Montenegro after this but both countries had to shift their attention to a different problem: World War I. You probably know how that went and after Montenegro's capitulation, King Nikola I went to Italy. After WW1 Montenegro was given a choice: remain and independent kingdom or join the newly founded Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. And they chose the latter. After WW2 they became a part of the SFRY. Fast forward to 1991 and I'm probably gonna fast forward over that too cause I cannot even try to begin to explain what happened in the 90s in a youtube comment. Long story short, Montenegro was the only one who remained in Yugoslavia all until 2006. As for why Serbia and Montenegro split in 2006, that's a question you have to ask the EU, NATO and their puppets like Milo Djukanovic who orchestrated the "independence" "referendum" "results". So in conclusion the reason why Serbia and Montenegro aren't united today are the general instability of the Balkans, corrupt politicians and EU/NATO. Cheers!

[@r8rgtrs]

@@drug_radovanovic thank you very much! Do the Montenegrins nowadays see themselves as Montenegrin, or Serbian, or both? I recall they used to have a flag that was like Serbia's, but nowadays Montenegro has a most un-Serbian flag, and they're introducing their own alphabet, too. Is it a genuine desire from the Montenegrin people to differentiate themselves from the Serbs or was it just a ploy from politicians who got to rule their own little country?

[@carloscampo9119]

Amazing job as always

[@eternalvibe9083]

Imagine being some old lady who hears all of the most powerful men in Russia say that they can't help you because they're broke.

[@wilkescude5682]

Stalin: *Helps an on lady cross the street “Just because you are bad guy does not mean you are bad guy”

[@rickynoodles2816]

I would really love if you made a peak mug for Italy encompassing her former borders as Rome

[@lahabitaciondelatrapado4621]

1:10 Got Squat? Meaning?

[@davidt1d]

She got zilch

[@adamkerman475]

She got nothing.

[@taylormanes5492]

I wish these videos were on a regular release schedule

[@reaperfellsans8478]

Anyone else still disappointed at the lack of glass breaking sound when the USSR splits up?

[@dave9308]

I was genuinely surprised when I heard that Stalin helped an old lady to cross the street.

[@jeandos1371]

Yeah its always more complexe than propaganda

[@haciendaddy]

Our boy James Bisonette owns most of the tracksuit and vodka outlets there.

[@CallieMasters5000]

3 stripes for life

[@MDMAx]

1:46 not yearly but monthly*

[@lukesalazar9283]

I like the touch at the end of the vid

[@ferencmarcellpalyi220]

Amazing videos!

[@FilmSkylar]

We all know that James Bissonnette is our millionaire here.

[@Muhammed552]

*So it Seems ... So it seems*

[@Nimish204]

He can put Jeff Bezos to shame

[@Неопознанный3950]

Is it me or the Baltic states looks like a German flag 2:35

[@1993Redemption]

Soon...

[@enchantedbread9915]

It's a prediction

[@Stanl3y_]

Your colorblind

[@Ned-b1b]

@@Stanl3y_no it kinda looks like it

[@TailsIsDisappointed]

Yes, they were called "Stalin".

[@grvajhccjehtbk5083]

He was not Rich.

[@TailsIsDisappointed]

@@grvajhccjehtbk5083 Gulag for you.

[@animationguy2204]

Oh ho

[@antoniokovac5170]

@@grvajhccjehtbk5083 Yes he was..he was so rich that money became irrelevant concept to him.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

@@antoniokovac5170 He died pennyless, he left nothing to his children. his daughter defected to cash in on his celebrity. He wasn't close to rich.

[@dirtyvinyl8817]

Even when I know the answer I still watch the videos because you always manage to find a way to teach me something new.

[@pedroharres]

Interesting topic. Please make a video about who bought big state companies when the whole USSR economy had to be privatized

[@kellie8969]

The richest person in the USSR was clearly James Bissonette.

[@Mitjitsu]

I find it interesting that ever since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Majority of the richest people in places like Bulgaria are former top communists or are closely related to one.

[@soggmeisterlasagnagarfield]

They were some of the few people able to buy up state assets in exclusive auctions with western billionaires at the collapse. Somehow private property continues to establish itself in its grossest form even after the revolution.

[@Meirstein]

"Ivan, I am rich!" "Did somebody say kulak?"

[@hristijanzdravkovski5970]

"All animals are equal, some animals are just more equal than others" George Orwell.

[@tigermunky]

A bit before the USSR, but there's a story that Tsar Nicholas II said that he didn't know which was worth more; his expensive watch or 100 rubles. He had no concept of money or it's value because he'd never actually had to buy anything himself.