Abstract: For the years leading to the Great War and the Russian Revolution as well as for the early years of the Soviet Regime, we have limited data with which to assess the living standards of the Russian population which, in turn, limits our understanding of certain key developments in the country’s history. This session discusses the current situation of the literature on living standards and what affected them.

Four papers that have been proposed for this session. The first two papers by Ekaterina Khaustova, Vadim Kufenko and Vincent Geloso (see paper #1 below) and by Ekaterina Khaustova and Robert Allen (see paper #2 below) will discuss living standards in Russia as far as 1937 (in the latter case) and the role of population pressures on wages (in the case of the former). The other two papers will discuss the role of certain key events on living standards. Natalia Rozinskaya (see paper #3 below) will discuss the role that civil wars played on living standards by comparing the Russian Civil War with the Spanish Civil War. In the paper, Rozinskaya also provides further evidence about Russian living standards. Finally, Gani Aldashev (see paper #4 below) will discuss the role of the 1917 revolution and effects of economic reforms in Central Asia in the 1920.

Expected Participants: Vadim Kufenko (University of Hohenheim), Vincent Geloso (Texas Tech University), Ekaterina Khaustova (Arizona State University), Natalia Rozinskaya (Moscow State University), Robert Allen (New York University at Abu Dhabi), Gani Aldashev (Université libre de Bruxelles),Zhudyzbek Abylkhozhin (National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan)