The first of these cartoons shows a barefoot man at a shoe store who asks a worker to just give him one boot out of a pair. He explains that he will buy the second shoe after his next payday. As the Soviet economy continued to be volatile and unpredictable, indicated by the high price of the boots, Krokodil<\/em> readers could easily relate to the man\u2019s plight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dubov\u2019s second cartoon shown here depicts two citizens in a fine dining setting, one of whom tells a waiter bringing a bottle that Cognac negatively affects one\u2019s eyes, as when you drink a bottle of it, you can no longer see your money. Unlike the shoeless man from the previous cartoon, the restaurant patrons seem well-off, not really worrying about the price of dining out, and making a joke about prices to a visibly unamused waiter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last is Dubov\u2019s cartoon that takes place at a boat ride station, when a man asks the box office attendant to give him a boat ride, and in exchange, he will leave his party card for a deposit. Again, Dubov focuses on the theme of finance in the context of October 1991. In this particular scene, it is evident that the ruble had lost value, but so too had a person\u2019s party card. Dubov\u2019s cartoons serve as snapshots that capture the unmaking of the Soviet economy as the USSR itself was dissolving. \u00a0It is clear that the role of money in Soviet society, along with what has value, has drastically changed over the course of a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the coup attempt, the Communist party of the Soviet Union had its activities suspended on August 29, 1991. Just over a month later, Dubov\u2019s cartoon illustrates how party tickets (red cards) were of no more use than rubles. Either the man has no money and hopes his party card still has value or he continues to believe that others will still think it has value. Regardless of how you view it, Dubov\u2019s caricature perfectly captures the unraveling of Soviet society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Izzy Tice is a senior majoring in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and Geography.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Izzy Tice Alongside The Moscow News and Pravda, the satirical magazine Krokodil was also continuing to publish during the time of the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Three times a month, Krokodil provided a humorous perspective on the events of the … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/10\/izzy1.jpg\")
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