ABSTRACT
For all the outer trappings of a large Soviet city—Odessa's population nearly doubled in the aftermath of the war, exceeding 1 million by the mid-1970s—Odessa appears to have retained more color, more spunk, and more irreverence than most Soviet cities. A genuinely multiethnic city, and one with a considerable variety of religious institutions, Odessa also provides an opportunity to observe in action Soviet nationality policy as well as informal intercommunal relations. Odessa has also offered its citizens and visitors a number of very practical advantages. Its moderate climate stands in sharp contrast to that of most Russian cities, and Odessa is among the very few Soviet urban centers that is not only a seaport but actually has boardwalks and beaches suitable for bathing. Nepotism and corruption, of course, have a long tradition in Russia and is hardly a product of the Soviet regime.
