HOUSING IN THE USSR SINCE 1917

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110326-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 15, 2011
• Sequence Number: 326
• Publication Date: June 2, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
CENTRAL INTEL INFORMPLTION
AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Economic - Construction, housing
HOW
PUBLISHED Books; monthly periodicals; daily
WHERE
PUBLISHED Mo?cov; Warsaw
DATE
PUBLISHED 1932 _'1952
LANGUAGE Russian; English; Polish
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INFORMATION 1917 - 1955
REPORT
CD NO.
DATE OF
DATE DIST. R dun 1953
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Books, periodicals, and newspapers as indicated.
HOUSTIG IN THE USSR SINCE 191
he following report is divided into two sections: a brief
historical-sketch of how the Soviets have tried to organize the
construction and operation of housing resources, and a table re-
porting housing figures for the USSR from Soviet sources and one
Polish source.
Numbers and letters in parentheses refer to appended sources
A. :lHistm:lLod1 Sketch
Since 1917, the Soviet government has formulated several policies for
organizing-the construction and operation of housing resources.
Even though a decree of 20 August 1918 liquidated the private ownership
of land and housing in cities (1), two categories of housing have continued
to exist in the Soviet Union up to the present: publicly owned housing, which
includes by far the greater part, and privately owned housing. 1?he civil code
of 1921 divided publicly owned buildings into two types: nationalized struc-
tures which came under the immediate Jurisdiction of cent'-al state organs and
their enterprises, and municipal structures which came under local soviets.
The municipalities turned the administration of housing over to the people as
quickly as possible. In 1921, Moscow and other towns began to organize coop-
eratives to which they leased structures under their Jurisdiction (2) By 1924,
the municipalities had turned over the main portion of housing to the zhakt;r
(zhilishchnoarendnyye kooperatirnyye tovarishchestva, cooperative housing as-
sociations). The zhakty were autonomous cooperative organizations subordinate
to state regulations in regard to rent and space. They were lessees, while
the municipalities acted as lessors. Only a small part of municipal housing
remained directly under municipal organs.(3)
After 1921, the Soviet government encouraged private initiative. 4
was evidently an effort to meet the acute housing ( ) This
to private persons.(5) Problem. Loans were issued
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The Bolsheviks abolished rent in the beginning but soon had to return to
it as a source of income for housing. In 1921, Lenin issued a decree,makiag
rasidents responsible for the houses in which they lived. A decree of 20 April
1922 reintroduced rent payments, with the amount of the rent depending on the
worker's income.(4) On 4 June 1926, the Council of People's Commissars acknowl-
edged the need for working out principles of rent, but left the job to the union
republics, The PSFSR worked out a system for establishing rents based on the
cost of maintenance, repair, and amortization of improvad living space. The
system was approved in 1928, has remained approximately tially uniform for the USSR.(6) (For a recent, detailedtdiscussionnofithisssys-
tem,
The Soviet government vacillated in maintaining the basic policies it had
outlined in the 1920's. Sometimes it supported private housing or state-owned
individualscooperativesw,ereandstoppedsometi,mebuts ,Froml1939 to private
fi-
nancing of all individual construction was carried out through industrialhenter-
prise- which not only furnished loans, but plans, estimates, technical aid, ad-
vice, etc.(5)
A decree of 17 October 1937 revised the whole system of housing administra-
tions and invested local soviets and state institutions as well as industrial s with systemrofecoope rativeresponsibilitasies for
abolished
cooperatives except those which could repay state loans received within 6
months. At present, housing construction cooperatives can build only if they esourc
wc with haveeirrhou eseforftheeuseoof statewIhich to do so.
and Local
enterprises soviets on can the anbasisd do long-term leases which transfer maintenance responsibilities. Local soviets are
charged with the immediate administration of municipal. resources, technical and
sanitary supervision, and control of maintenance.(7)
Theoretically, an over-all, centralized plan and control was and is sup-
posed to exist for housing in the USSR even though its immediate administration
has been decentralized. The discrepancies found in soviet figures for housing,
shown in the attached statistical table would seem to suggest that, at most,
such centralized control has been only partial.
The Stalin Constitution of 1936 imposed housing responsibilities on union
and autonomous republics, subject to over-all economic control from the center.
Plans for the growth of housing were to be developed in accordance with general
plans for the whole USSR. The credit system was centralized in the Tsekombank
under the Ministry of Finance.(8)
Each union republic has a ministry of municipal services which is charged
with leadership in the housing field. In addition, a large number of all-union
organs of state have special sectors, divisionc, admiristrations, etc., for
handling housing problems.(9)
Housing did not escape the destru.:tive impact of World War II. In Septem-
ber 1943, the Committee for Architectural Affairs of the Council of People's
Commissars was established for the reconstruction of cities dam..,,ed by the Ger-
mans. Administrations and divisions for architectural affairs were formed under
the councils of people's commissars of union and autonomous republics, in Moscow,
Leningrad, and K_ev, and a'.so under Oblast and kray executive committees. In a
number of towns, the office of chief city architect was established, "he duties
of the Committee for Architectural Affairs included approving plans for impor.
tant buildings, controlling the quality of construction, etc.(10) The committee
was apparently abolished or absorbed into the new Ministry of City Construction
in June or July 1949. On 9 May 1950, a ukase of the Presidium of the Supreme
Soviet USSR established the State Committee for Construction Affairs of the
Council of Ministers USSR, Another ukase of 14 March 1951 abolished the M~n~
of City Constri',;tion. (For further details on these changes,) try
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While these changes occurred in the over-all coordination and control of
housing'construction during and after World War II, the immediate responsibili-
ties for building and operating dwelling houses continued to belong to minis-
tries, state enterprises and institutions, and local soviets. (.11) To speed
the construction program, the Soviet government again encouraged individual con-
struction and ownership.(12) On 25 August 1946, enterprises were permitted to
build one- and two-family houses for sale to their workers and employees, who
could purchase them with the aid of state credit. A ukase of the Presidium of
the Supreme Soviet of 26 August 1948 allowed Soviet citizens to buy or build
one- and two-story houses with one to five rooms in towns and workers' settle-
ments.(13) In 1951, credit terms for individual construction were u~he~
liberalized. (For more details on idividua1 housi construction.
B. Table on Housing Construction
The following table is intended to provide a basis for developing a gen-
eral picture of housing developments in the USSR.
The table gives figures on housing construction, primarily in cities and
workers' sattlements, with a breakdown into public v.id private. Under each of
these, figures are given for (1) the total area and the year-to-year increase
(in millions of square meters); and (2) the total capital investment (in mil-
lions of rubles), with a breakdown into new construction and repairs. Some
figures on tie increase in the number of houses in rural areas are also given.
Frequent discrepancies will be noted between Soviet housing figures pre-
sented in the table. In some instances, the discrepancies amount to several
million square meters.
All documented figures are either taken as cited from thr sources, in
which case only the source is cited, or calculated on the basis of information
contained in the sources. In the latter case, the figures used es a basis for
calculations are quoted in the notes accompanying the sources to give the reader
an opportunity to check the calculations. Undocumented figures are arrived at
by sim,le arithmetic calculations of available figures.
All modifying terms such as "over," "about," etc., are used in the table
as they appear in the sources.
All figures in the "Total" columns are cumulative with the exception of
those under "Capital Investment," where each figure represents the amount in-
vested ?n a particular year or period.
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HOUSING CONSTRUCTION IN CITIES
AND WORKERS' SETTLEMENTS
72.266
72.531
72.921
73,688
75.07041.
.
_ 1 7i.~o
1928------i67.9ri6--4.9460- -
1929 174.805 6.859(x) 505(1:) 83.523
1930 180.805 6.0000 775(.1)
TOTAL
CITY TOTAL
1913
1917
20(x)
1918
191.9
1920
16(x)
1921
1922
151.635
1923
17(a)
152.721
1.086(0`
1924
153.921
1.200(x)
-70
1925
155.770
1.84914
156.5(9)
1926
26.3(x)
159.000(a)
3.230(x)
286.7(9)
1927
163.000(x)
4
379(')
POPULATION MILLIONS or 5LE t CAPITAL INVE RTMCNT
(MILLIONS OT RUBLE!) MILLIONS Of (MILLION! 2, RUBLES)
SQUARE METERS EV ON- SQUARE METER!
(MILLIONS) TOTAL IYCR[A!E TOTAL S NUC T.?I ON REPAIR! TOTAL INCREA
SE
T
OTAL STRUCTOON R
1931 187.205 6.400(d)I115( )
w
1932 195.000(a) 7.30O()1594(IR) 109.000()
EPAIR!
PRIVATE
CAPITAL INVESTMENT
MILLIONS OP (MILLION! Of? RUBLE!) MILLIONS or
~SQUAR[ METCFtS CV ON- HOUSES
TOTAL INCRC Sc TOTAL STRUCTION REPAIRS TOTAL INCREASE
11 1 1 80.190
53.636(P) 1680) 216(x) 82.082
99.731,01) 83.930
16582(v 81.90
- - -~ - - 6002
88.64o
91.282
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3.500(')
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7
1933 202.200 7.200(-) ------ ---
1934 208.200 6.ooo(-)
1935 215.000(k) 7.800
1936 225.000 10.000 (i)
220.00
1937 226.500
F938 -AB, 2i5. C;&6 - - - -
)939 55.9(?)
1940
'941---------
1942
1943
1944
--9-5 --------
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
L ADJOINS P k NENEJ
1% I
-----------
3o65(n
5280
------- i4o.oo0(+)-7.500 ---
135.000(')
70.
00090ESTROTED)
OVER 12.000(b)
)IN RECAPTURED
AREAS)
6000(1)
13.000(.) y000(j)
100.000(:)
84,400(') 9520(j)
21.000(g)
6.00o(e)
9.000(e)
72.4oo(s)
PLANNCD:
42300()
4,0(e)}45oo( )
PLANNED:
12.000(0
1.6ooO)
2.700(0
3.40o(d)
0.700(t)
1952
1953
PLANNED:
105.000(x)
1954
1955
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
AN
2.000(0
PLANNED:
--------- 3-- )5590 --------- 1oo00
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3. Bol'shaya Sovetskaya Enteiklopediya, Vol 25, p 450
4. Kure Ekonomiki i Organizateii Gorodskogo Khozyaystva, p
2. B. R. Veselovskiy, Kura Ekonomiki i Organizatsil Gorodskogo Khozyaystva
(Goatee on the Economy and Oraanixa+, a_ ...
1. Bol'sheya Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya, Vol 25, Moc w-, 1932, p 447
SOURCES FOR SECTION A
Ibid., p 141
10. Ibid., PP 174-175
12. Ibid., P 174
SOURCES FOR SECTION B
a. B. B. Veaelovskiy, Kura Ekonomiki i Organizatsii Gorodskogo Khozyaystva,
Moscow, 1951
b. Narodnoye.Khozyeyetvo SSSR (National Economy of the USSR), Vol 3, Moscow,
1950
c. Kratkiy Statisticheskiy Spravochnik (Short Statistical Handbook), Moscow,
1936
d. Ibid., 1935
e. Narodnoye Khozyaystvo SSSR, Vol 2, Moscow, 1948
f. Pravda, Moscow, 3 Feb 36
g. Ibid., 18 Jan 50
h. Steklo i Keramika, No:.7, Moscow, Jul 52
i. D. L. Broner, Kura Zhilishchnogo Khozyaystva (Course on the Housing
Economy), Moscow, 1948
k. SSSR Strana Sotsializma (USSR, Land of Socialism), Moscow, 1936
1. Pravda, 18 Oct 37
M. Arkad'yev, 0 Zhilishchnom Stroitel'stve v SSSR (on Housing Construc-
tion in the USSR), Moscow, 1949
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F-
50X1-HUM
m.
Sotsialisticheskoye Stroitel'etvo (Socialist Construction), Moscow, 1935
n.
o.
Pravda, 12 Jan 35
News (in English), Moscow,
12 Jun 41
P.
Gorodskoye Thozyaystvo Moskvy, No 10, Moscow, Oct 52
Bol'shaya Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya, Vol 25, Moscow,
1932
an workers settle-
ments made up 34.8 percent of the total, and private housing construction
65.2 percent.
r. Gospodarka Planowa, No 6, Warsaw, Jun 1950
s. Bol'shaya Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya, Vol 12, Moscow, 1952
In 1925, public housing construction in cities and workers settle-
ments made up 34.4 percent of the +'tal, and private housing construction
65.6 percent.
In 1926, public housing construction in cities d
-7-
CONFIDENTIAL
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