{"id":1353,"date":"2021-11-12T09:39:30","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T13:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/?p=1353"},"modified":"2021-11-12T09:39:30","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T13:39:30","slug":"the-1991-project-november-6-12-economic-anxieties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/2021\/11\/12\/the-1991-project-november-6-12-economic-anxieties\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1991 Project: November 6-12. Economic Anxieties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>By Colton Powaski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the week of November 6th, 1991, the Soviet Union existed only nominally. Articles about economic issues and anxieties dominated headlines. The headline on the front page of the November 10 English-language <em>Moscow News <\/em>reads \u201cRouble is Rubble\u201d and expresses concern about the economic prospects of the country. The picture below the headline depicts a young boy playing with rubles, with the caption, \u201ceven kids can print it.\u201d Inflation appears to be a significant concern of Soviet citizens at this time, and rightly so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-722x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1354\" width=\"-100\" height=\"-141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-722x1024.jpg 722w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-768x1089.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-1083x1536.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-1444x2048.jpg 1444w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-1-scaled.jpg 1805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Economic coverage continues on page four of the <em>Moscow News<\/em>, with an article titled, \u201cOnly the Dollar Stays Ever Green.\u201d This article addresses interest among Soviet citizens surrounding prices of goods. \u201cThe tidal wave of roubles has already submerged two Moscow\u2019s major department stores and paralysed the Central Market, where eggs sell at 25 cents and have no small change,\u201d the article reads. An opinion piece directly below this article titled, \u201cFreedom Demands\u201d includes many short articles by businessmen. One of these sections by Tobobank board member Boris Sergeyev predicts hyperinflation should economic liberalization occur as is expected. He writes, \u201cIf the reform is carried out according to the plan: liberalization of prices and wages plus the indexation of incomes, we shall most likely be sucked into a whirlpool of hyperinflation.\u201d He calls for state programs to be open to commercial bank competition. Another section by James Niel, the vice president of Business International in London writes, \u201cIt is quite obvious to the Western world that the Soviet Union is entering a period of hyperinflation.\u201d Neil predicts, \u201cjudging from his statement, Boris Yeltsin would like to turn to monetary shock therapy.\u201d\u00a0 This collection of articles almost unanimously predicts hyperinflation and economic hardship for Russia in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-4-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-4-370x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1355\" width=\"173\" height=\"474\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Even the page devoted to sports captured the economic worries. Page fourteen of the <em>Moscow News <\/em>includes an interesting article about Soviet football titled, \u201cChampions on Sale.\u201d This article discusses many Soviet footballers leaving Russia to play abroad. The article specifically focuses on the recent champions, CSKA Moscow, which was the official club of the Soviet Army. The club lost many key players to foreign clubs in the past season, and manager Pavel Sadyrin expressed concern about the future of the team. Sadyrin stated, \u201cI\u2019m not even particularly happy. I think the team will fall apart.\u201d In fact, Sadyrin himself received offers to manage clubs in Europe, but chose to remain at CSKA. The end of the article mentions that firms were beginning to buy and invest in football clubs. This was a new phenomenon in Soviet football, as historically clubs had been affiliated with state enterprises such as the Soviet Army or the Ministry of Transportation. However, liberalization of the Soviet economy allowed for large business firms to purchase clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-493x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1356\" width=\"-34\" height=\"-71\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-493x1024.jpg 493w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-145x300.jpg 145w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-768x1594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-740x1536.jpg 740w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-987x2048.jpg 987w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/11\/Moscow-News-11-10-PG-13-scaled.jpg 1234w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Clearly, massive economic changes were unfolding in early November of 1991. Hyperinflation was beginning to impact the Soviet populace&#8211;an occurrence they would have to endure throughout the 1990s. Economic changes even began to impact sport, with many Soviet athletes leaving for more lucrative opportunities abroad and large firms beginning to purchase football clubs and run them as business ventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Colton Powaski is a junior majoring in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and International Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gorbunov, Alexei. \u201cChampions on Sale,\u201d (1991, November 10). Page 13. Moscow News Digital Archive. Retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/dlib-eastview-com.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu\/browse\/doc\/49796422\">https:\/\/dlib-eastview-com.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu\/browse\/doc\/49796422<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only the Dollar Stays Ever Green (1991, November 10). Page 4. Moscow News Digital Archive. Retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/dlib-eastview-com.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu\/browse\/doc\/49796422\">https:\/\/dlib-eastview-com.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu\/browse\/doc\/49796422<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rouble is Rubble. (1991, November 10). Page 1. Moscow News Digital Archive. Retrieved from https:\/\/dlib-eastview-com.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu\/browse\/doc\/49796422<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sergeyev, Boris and Neil, James. Freedom Demands (1991, November 10). Page 4. Moscow News Digital Archive. Retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/dlib-eastview-com.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu\/browse\/doc\/49796422\">https:\/\/dlib-eastview-com.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu\/browse\/doc\/49796422<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Colton Powaski By the week of November 6th, 1991, the Soviet Union existed only nominally. Articles about economic issues and anxieties dominated headlines. The headline on the front page of the November 10 English-language Moscow News reads \u201cRouble is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/2021\/11\/12\/the-1991-project-november-6-12-economic-anxieties\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":781,"featured_media":1354,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays","category-the-1991-project","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/781"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1353"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1357,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1353\/revisions\/1357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}