>>Actually Dragan lived in the former Yugoslavia which could be described as USSR lite
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>USSR (or Yugoslavia) is not a beer or a software application. Yugoslavia was much better off than USSR (in terms of standard of living and some freedoms). And to add to what Tracy asked you, I would like to know who you consider "upper class" in the USSR?
There, I guess, anyone from raikom and upwards. Anyone who had use of the official car, didn't have to wait to buy one, had the means to buy in privileged stores etc. Even though these guys didn't own these goods, they were available to them.
In SFRY, that would be anyone with a function in the municipal party HQ or higher, or bigshots in any of the affiliated organizations (like Socialist Youth, Socialist Union, trade unions and a few others), children of fallen fighters from WWII (who often gained the status by two paid witnesses). People who may never have done an honest day's work, but were always CEOs, CFOs or some such, who'd drive an enterprise to ruin and were then punished by getting an even better position in a larger enterprise, who didn't have to build their own houses or rent them, but lived in large villas of the defeated class enemies, who had vacations in party-owned places where mere mortals couldn't even peek (except as waiters and cleaners), whose kids were let out of jail by a phone call when they get caught stealing a car etc etc. Again, they owned almost none of that, but it was theirs to use until they retire, and even then they kept some of the luxury, if they were important enough. OTOH, ordinary people had to work to get by.