# During the Soviet Bloc days- was Russian a required language within the satellite states? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148 "2011-03-02T02:35:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148/41 "2011-03-03T18:08:31Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > (I asked what the Russian grammar was like in terms of difficulty - similar to Latin? Well, comparable, the teacher said. Our class, which was having a lot of difficulty with Latin - generally between D and E - immediatly lost interest). D and E? > [@Dan\_ch](#): > > I’m not sure about what the OP means by ‘Soviet Bloc’ Soviet Bloc was a recognized concept – the USSR and it’s Eastern European satellites (and sometimes a few other countries, such as Cuba and Mongolia). There were several Communist bloc countries that weren’t part of the Soviet sphere of influence – China, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148/42 "2011-03-03T18:53:05Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > D and E? D is a passable but low grade, and E a failing grade? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148/43 "2011-03-03T19:00:32Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > D is a passable but low grade, and E a failing grade? That makes sense. I thought he was making some kind of arcane Latin grammar reference. Dative, and E… ? Just FYI, we don’t have E grades in the U.S. It goes A, B, C, D, F. That’s probably why it didn’t occur to me. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148/44 "2011-03-03T19:22:42Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > While Albania is still pretty poor and messed up, it is not a hellhole. It’s very pretty and the people are extremely friendly and welcoming. I highly recommend it as a travel destination for a somewhat more adventurous traveler! (BTW, they love Americans in Albania.) /me scribbles down yet another interesting place to visit. I really need to win a lottery … I need to visit Poland, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Britain and now Albania _sigh_ My list is getting longer and my bank account is just not cooperating:( ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148/45 "2011-03-03T19:42:44Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > This. (Although “Commies” wasn’t used so much in where I grew up.) > > I was one of those a-holes who, when someone said, “Russia announced that blah blah blah,” would reply, “You mean the Soviet Union.” It was akin to correcting someone for saying “Holland” instead of “The Netherlands.” No one really cared, and everyone thought you were annoying. > > Wish I could say I’ve changed. One of those smarties who actually\* enjoyed\* looking at maps, were you? And you probably still do. (So do I.) Geography was always fun. Even that semester of Texas Geography we all took. At home, we often subscribed to _National Geographic_–which often included big maps. So I knew that stuff about the different SSR’s–& the other countries behind The Iron Curtain. Graduated high school in 1966–so I did some Duck & Covering in my day. But my father had served in SAC, so Mom took us to see _Doctor Strangelove_. No respecter of The Brass, she found it hilarious. Even as kids, we knew that there were a couple of fingers hovering over The Button. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148/46 "2011-03-03T20:35:27Z")
I’ve met quite a few ethnic Kazakhs who speak Russian far better than they do Kazakh. While Kazakhstan was under Soviet rule, people were encouraged to speak Russian, and if you wanted to get a quality education and get more opportunities, you had to speak Russian. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-soviet-bloc-days-was-russian-a-required-language-within-the-satellite-states/573148.md?page=2)