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Oasis of socialism where cows listen to Tchaikovsky

Published: 01 May, 2009, 09:27
Edited: 26 January, 2010, 05:41

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TAGS: Russia, Holiday


A village in Russia’s south has successfully adopted a model of socialism and survives with no problems in the 21st century market economy surrounding them, and celebrate Labour Day with all the Soviet traditions.

The Frunze household in Bessonovka village in Russia's southern region of Belgorod is by all accounts not the typical farm one would normally think of. Irrespective of the fact that it has been 18 years since the Soviet Union collapsed but this farm could be seen as a microcosm of socialism.

Cows here like the finer things in life: organic food, twice-daily massages and, of all things, classical music. Local dairymaids say the bovines are inclined towards Italian arias and the works of Tchaikovsky. Amazingly, cows at the Frunze farm give twice as much milk as those at neighboring farms.

“Life and work at our homestead is like in the times of the USSR. Things have not got worse, but better since then. We only boast of improvements. For a two-ruble coupon we can get a full-course meal – borsch, a steak or even two, and get as much milk as we want,” says dairymaid Galina Semenets.

Two Russian roubles is less than ten cents. One can't even get a packet of matches for this money. The average monthly salary of a milkmaid like Galina at this farm is $700. It is no wonder that locals don't rush to leave their farm for the big city, as children can dream of becoming something more romantic than just another lawyer or an analyst.

“I want to be a tractor driver,” one little local boy dreams. “And I want to be a soldier,” says another.

A month at a kindergarten with English classes, dances and piano costs parents in the village as little as fifteen cents.

To support this paradise, a quarter of the farm's annual profits, some two million dollars, are spent by the farm annually on social programmes alone. What the cows and pigs produce is enough to provide a living for its workers.

The man who has turned Lenin's dreams into reality is 87-year-old Vasily Gorin and has been running the Frunze farm for half a century now. In this time, Vasily has managed to do in a microcosm what the whole Soviet Union failed to do – build a society of equal and happy people.

“I've always tried to give people what they wanted to get, what will be good for them. Even in the hardest times we do our best so that people are not hungry, are well dressed, are not cold and have jobs. This is most important. We live in a capitalist society. We’re quite comfortable in a market economy. So what is it? Well, capitalism of course!” says Vasily Gorin.

In addition to the farm work, there are ten different bands that play at the farm. Several of their alumni are now leading musicians at the Bolshoi Theater and in the President's state orchestra. Recently the farm's choir got the addition of a dozen local truck drivers.

Before their audience had consisted mostly of cows and pigs, now they will sing for several thousand villagers who will gather for the Labor Day demonstration. Men say that if one day someone invited them to perform in Red Square they would not hesitate.

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T.R.Halasa January 25, 2010, 21:30
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We are proud of such examples. We love you Russia !!

Casper U November 28, 2009, 04:06
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This is not socialism, but collectivism. In a free society, everyone is free to form a collective if they want to. The village collective definately has nothing to do with Soviet communism.By the way, in most western countries we have similar benefits: we go to work, we pay taxes, and in return we get schools, hospitals etc. But we are allowed to choose our own food (not just borshch and steaks). If people in that village are content, it is good. I guess those who are discontent have left. However, I agree Russia could improve some aspects of capitalism. Russians have a tradition for common spirit. It is good, with moderation. It works best in free people. You should never confuse the common spirit with the State.

Vasily October 28, 2009, 14:17
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Old Soviet dreams are hard to give up. I am 62 and left Russia in 1970 by jumping ship in Houston, Texas. This glorifies the Old Russia. In the old Russia one never made decisions for themselves, others were appointed to make life's decisions for the individual. I am sure the old communist who at 87 has kept this commune going has dedicated his life to keeping this going with, you guessed it, the profits from the farm. He is like an Abbot running a religious order or a commune where the individual hands over their freedom for a bowl of soup. This is an example for anyone who wants to live that life and a caution to anyone who wants FREEDOM. In the old Soviet system if you wanted freedom you got slavery. Its best not to go back there.