Soviet socialism during its existence as the dominant ideology has gone through several stages of its development. Like a living organism, he passed a stormy and painful childhood, the dramatic period of puberty, gained the thoughtless strength of youth, then that maturity came, which they say "demon in the ribs," and in the end the system began to age. Approaching old years, every creature longs for peace, realizing that "there is no happiness in the world" ... The Land of Soviets, of course, in the person of their leadership, began to realize this mood in the mid-sixties. Managers wanted stability, which is why this period is called the "golden age" of nomenclature.
What it is
In fact, the nomenclature is a certain set of items from which to choose something suitable. The commercial analogue of this term is the assortment, and industrial production - the assortment. In relation to living beings, to apply such concepts earlier, in the 19th century, for example, was somehow not accepted. After Stalin's words that all citizens of the USSR serve as cogs in a huge state mechanism, such terminology became justified. So, the party nomenclature, which arose long before L. I. Brezhnev came to power, was a certain set of cadre workers who could be operated by the country's top leadership, direct them to the most important things with the goal of “strengthening”, “strengthening”, “pulling up” and etc.
Stalin's nomenclature
In the Stalin years, not a single responsible worker could vouch for his future. Today, he held an important post in some head office, was the director or chief engineer of a large industrial enterprise, the secretary of a district or regional committee in a prosperous region, and tomorrow ... From Saratov, the chief engineer could be "transferred" to Spassk-Dalniy, the head of the city committee sector was traveling from Odessa to Khabarovsk. And this is not the worst option, everyone should always remember this. Nobody thought about refusing a new appointment. An order was given to him - to the west. Or east. Or north. And go ahead.
After many years, major Soviet leaders wrote in their memoirs of the many difficulties they experienced far from their native places. They recalled the romance and unprecedented enthusiasm of those grand decades, but between the lines, as a rule, there was a feeling of great satisfaction with the pleasant fact that all this was already behind.
Nomenclature under Khrushchev
Exposing, however, a very peculiar Stalinist abuse, N. S. Khrushchev did not at all reject some of the managerial technologies of his predecessor. The virgin saga and some other events, conceived as a means of "catching up and overtaking" Western political opponents, demanded their "skirmishers". “Directions” to the front line again went into action. Meanwhile, the position of the party-state nomenclature was gradually strengthening, and the responsible comrades were increasingly annoyed by the genuine youthful enthusiasm, so poorly combined with a bald head and a full-bodied figure. Discontent was ripening in the Central Committee and the Politburo, and the leadership and ordinary citizens wanted simple human happiness, of which peace is an indispensable condition. And Khrushchev decided to remove.
Times of prosperity
Under Brezhnev, the USSR did not immediately begin to plunge into the abyss of stagnation. Factories and factories were working, harvesters were gradually sailing through endless fields, steelworkers were in full swing with some kind of long piece of iron illuminated by sparks of molten metal, and spacecraft went up from Baikonur. The cotton growers in skullcaps joyfully squinted, oil fountains beat in Siberia and Azerbaijan. At least, everything looked like this on newsreels. The fact that the quality of most consumer goods did not meet the growing needs of Soviet citizens did not really care about the country's leadership, they themselves often used imported things. The world oil market situation favored the growth of foreign exchange earnings; in general, the macroeconomic indicators of the USSR were quite decent.
Distribution system
The main reason why this period is called the “golden age” of nomenclature was the huge difference between the way of life of leading workers, some representatives of creative professions who gained access to special distributors, and the so-called “common people”. And it was not about some special salaries (although they did take place), but about the opportunity to spend the money earned. The quality and quantity of material goods provided by the Soviet ruble from the salary of a worker or engineer was incomparably more modest than that of the same kind of piece of paper, but issued at the box office of a city or regional party organization. The land of universal equality has become the mainstay of the most sophisticated segregation based on the principle of access to the “feeding trough”. It was truly the "golden age" of nomenclature, and everyone who fell into it considered himself one of the few, exceptional and outstanding.
The Relativity of Party Luxury
Marxism as a science is based on a materialistic foundation. This is one of its cornerstones. But not only material factors are the reason why this period is called the "golden age" of nomenclature. In the second half of the sixties, a certain leadership style began to take shape, dictating the lifestyle of Soviet celestials. The fulfilled dream of stability degenerated into the timeliness and predictability of the steps of careers, institutes into which the children of "close associates" entered, and even cemeteries where they were to find eternal rest. However, all this could take place only subject to certain rules, violating which was very fraught.
Today, when people can spend their money without fear of someone asking where they come from, many do not understand why this period is called the “golden age” of nomenclature. What was considered a luxury even in the early eighties, today many wealthy people can only cause an ironic grin (sheepskin coat, Zhiguli, voucher to Bulgaria, etc.). Goods for which people committed meannesses were grossly flattered and made other very unseemly actions, nowadays each owner of the corresponding amount can buy in the nearest supermarket. And then to get into the nomenclature was the cherished dream of all careerists, and the prospect of "falling out" of it frightened worse than death.
Today everything is decided by money. Perhaps so honest.