To each according to his need

While on the canals of St. Petersburg, Russia, this building was pointed out to us:


It's an apartment building, on the surface not too different from any other of Soviet construction, but in a great location. There's some interesting history behind this building.

Note the two statues atop the building, in the center, representing a soldier and a sailor. It turns out these apartments were built just after the Revolution, as housing for those who fought for the victorious Red army.

My thought? "Wow. It sure didn't take long for the Soviet government to take the equality that supposedly underlies Communism and throw it out the window." "To each according to his need?" Somehow, I don't think the people who most needed housing were all part of the army.

In a sign of the victory of capitalism, there is now something else atop this building. At the right is a sign for Megafon, the Russian telecommunications giant.