This article uses anthropological data (letters from residents of the Lower Volga region) to assess the effectiveness of social security services in the USSR from 1953 to 1985. The analysis of these data reveals that this period was marked by significant progress in providing services to the elderly and other vulnerable populations. However, the study also highlights the limitations of the state’s ability to fully meet the needs and aspirations of its citizens due to the socio-economic development model that had been in place since the 1930s.
