Continuity and change in Russian alcohol consumption from the tsars to transition

Continuity and change in Russian alcohol consumption from the tsars to transition During the recent social and political changes in the countries of the former Soviet Union, a rapid and massive deterioration of public health has been observed. The causes of this are still not sufficiently understood, but increasing alcohol consumption seems to have been associated with the changes in life expectancy in the 1980s-1990s. While it is important to investigate the transition period, it is also necessary to keep sight of the long-term changes in alcohol consumption. This article, therefore, attempts to identify relative changes (and stabilities) in alcohol consumption at a regional level in imperial Russia in 1910 and the corresponding area in 1989 by comparing the rank order of specially constructed geographical units. Despite some major changes in the distribution of high- and low-consumption areas, a degree of stability is present. Changes in the regions' positions are associated with urbanization-a most important societal process during the Soviet period.