were the food lines in the USSR caused by Communism or were they caused by sanctions???

Answer 1

They were caused by inefficient planning. People away from the cities had food, but lacked manufactured goods. People inside the cities had the manufactured goods, but were short on food. The transportation system lacked.

They could have used some independent truckers with big rigs who got paid for delivering goods.

Answer 2

Why would or should the economic system of the former USSR be influenced in any way by sanctions? Especially since the USA sold millions of tons of wheat for decades to the Soviets?

The fact of the matter is that planned economic systems, such as communism or nationalized economies, are ineffecient.

Just look today at what is happening to Venezuela's standard of living since Chavez nationalized the economy! Venezuela is now having food riots and bread lines. The Venezuela 'bolivar' (dollar) isn't worth two cents.

So the answer is NO, the food lines in the USSR were not caused by sanctions, but the failure of communism as a whole.

Answer 3

Actually they were caused by the reduction in oil prices at the beginning of the 80's but also by the grain embargo imposed by Carter was a big deal at that time for the soviets, even considering that it lasted less than a year.
In the 70's the rocketing oil prices made the soviet authorities trust in foreign sources for some of their food needs. When you are in war even in cold war trust your enemy is a big mistake.
Lines for food were really rare before 1981. The grain embargo started a shortage of wheat, bread, chicken, meat etc... it had a big domino effect in the planned soviet economy. To make things even worse the reduction in oil prices affected negatively the capability of acquiring foreign food. All this exposed the poor planning after 1974.

The 1980 embargo wasn't spontaneous, actually it was a well studied move, intelligence agencies detected this weakness in the soviet structure and they made coincide a bad year for soviet agriculture, low oil prices and embargo at the same time. It was a bad hit for soviet.

Anyway food shortages was not even as bad as it has been misrepresented in western media. The worst food crisis took place after soviet fall in 1991 and later in 1994. Compared with soviet times Russian production of food is still less than 80% than in 1982.

It's a very said but false myth that the soviet regime or communism have an inner incapability to produce food or other goods. The truth is that just a look to strategic documentation of the military and intelligence agencies in NATO countries suggest just the opposite.

Anyway the fact is that the USA was able to detect a weakness in its enemy and use it.

But the other fact is s the USSR didn't fall because of food shortage. There was not popular outrage. The USSR was dynamited from above by the ruling class of bureaucrats, those who didn't have to stand in line for food, those who then had a fat job the administration, a big apartment, a car, a "dacha", and paid holidays in the black sea, those who now are the new riches in Russia.

Answer 4

I'll answer with another question. Were the soup kitchens in the USA in the 1930s caused by Capitalism or by sanctions?

Answer 5

please tell me you are NOT serious, please...
are you by any chance the member of "Pamiat" party ?