What Soviet Russia was like in 1975 (PHOTOS)

The 1970s generally went down in history as the era of 'Brezhnev's stagnation'. However, during the Soviet era, this time was referred to as the time of “developed socialism”. 

The Brezhnev era was the heyday of Soviet officiousness and observance of all the symbolic ceremonies and attributes of socialism. There were banners with pathetic slogans everywhere.

Large-scale futuristic parades were held on May 1, Labor Day.

And, in summer, large-scale culture parades. In the photo below, athletes carry the inscription “Communism” (“will win” was left out of the photo frame).

Pioneers were marching…

In 1975, the 30th anniversary of the Victory in World War II was celebrated. The photo below shows war correspondents who went through the entire war with the Soviet troops. Among them (third from the right) is the famous writer Konstantin Simonov, author of the most poignant poem about the war – ‘Wait for Me’.

The 1970s were a time of romance. Today's older people remember this time as the happiest, because it was the time of their youth. The photo below shows White Nights in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), a guitarist, his muse and the Neva River.

First Soviet hippies also started to appear. 

Students played guitars and were actively hiking with tents. 

Soviet people read a lot, listened to poems and sang songs written by Soviet bards. The photo below shows famous poet Andrei Voznesensky reciting his poems in front of an audience. 

Another legendary personality of the era was the bard Bulat Okudzhava.

And below is Vladimir Vysotsky, an A-list celebrity, a famous actor, poet, musician and singer.

In 1975, ‘Yunost’ (‘Юность’, or ‘Youth’) magazine, which was read by the whole country without exaggeration, turn 20. The anniversary was celebrated with great pomp and scale. The magazine had a circulation of almost 2 million and also printed many literary novelties. 

Actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov on the set of the movie ‘White Bim, Black Ear’, which would go on to be released in 1977. The plot is more powerful than that of ‘Hachiko’, believe us!

Moscow is a city of contrasts. Where Stalinist high-rises neighbored old barracks with sunflowers.

Industrial aesthetics of Cherepovets metallurgy…

Artistic gymnastics was one of the most popular sports in the USSR, which even became part of the school physical education program.

A waiting line for draft beer.

Moscow at night. 

The first electric vehicle (with the entire back the battery!).

Cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov during a training session at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

Valentina Tereshkova, the first female cosmonaut to fly into space, is working on her PhD thesis at an aviation institute.

Scientists and education were highly honored and the state was not stingy in allocating money for it. Teachers and researchers were prestigious and highly paid professions. The photo shows the scientific library of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

In 1975, academician Andrei Sakharov was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Five years later, he would be expelled from the USSR for condemning the Soviet troop deployment to Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, big construction work continued in Siberia. The construction of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam, one of the longest Soviet construction projects, was in its active phase. In 1975, the Yenisei River was blocked off for the plant. The inscription on the stone says: “We will conquer you, Yenisei!”

Arctic development continued, as well. The photo below shows an ice reconnaissance airplane flying past the ‘Arktika’ icebreaker in the Arctic Ocean.

Views of Russia. The Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross in the town of Palekh, Ivanovo Region. In Soviet times, it was not damaged, because it immediately became a museum. And there were even icons left there to serve as examples of “pre-revolutionary art”. There was a strong and original icon painting school in Palekh, but, after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, all artists were retrained to make Russian fairy-tale themed lacquer miniatures on caskets. 

Famous Soviet sculptor Ernst Neizvestny celebrated his 50th birthday in 1975. In the photo below, he poses in his studio. Read more about him here.