What is the limit and where did it come from

The word "limit" has a strong negative connotation and is most often used as an ordinary curse word. It is synonymous with stupidity, limited interests and unreasonable aggression. At the same time, few people think about what a limit is and where it came from in Russia. And this, at least, is not without interest.

From the history of the question

The answer to the question of what "limit" means, is to be found approximately in the seventies of the last century. The capital of the Soviet Union, the hero city of Moscow, was traditionally attractive for the entire population of the country. The standard of living in the capital was very different from the average. Should we say that there were many people who wanted to settle in Moscow for permanent residence, but it was not so easy to do it? On the way, there was an administrative barrier, such as a residence permit. Without a mark in the passport to live in the capital and find a job it was impossible. Meanwhile, Moscow was in great need of labor, without its constant influx, a multimillion-dollar metropolis simply could not exist. Numerous construction and municipal services of the city would simply have stopped without working hands.

The Soviet way of solving personnel problems

Work on the construction sites and in the structures that provide the vital functions of the capital, the native Muscovites categorically did not want. For the owners of Moscow propiska, this was not prestigious, and not profitable. It was precisely these circumstances of an economic and social nature that were due to the involvement of a nonresident labor force in the capital. Its amount was limited administratively approved by the planned standard - the limit. It is from here in the Moscow colloquial vocabulary included the definition of "limit" (with emphasis on the last syllable). This is a common name for visiting workers who agreed to work hard and unsuccessfully to obtain a Moscow residence permit in the future, which was promised to them for their work for the benefit of the capital.

Moscow limiters

There were newcomers working in special hostels, mostly located in remote areas from the center, often behind the Ring Road. In order to decide to move to Moscow and readiness for hard work for the promised stamp in the future in the passport, it was necessary to have considerable strength of character. Or just do not have roots in your home area. Without an understanding of these circumstances, there is no answer to the question of what a limit is.

Places of mass residence of Moscow limiters often became centers of social tension and increased crime. Holders of Moscow propiska limiters, to put it mildly, disliked. The main motive of their aggression was a feeling of obvious social injustice. And the native Muscovites do not need to explain what a limit is. The negative attitude towards it can not be changed even by the simple fact that a significant part of modern Moscow was erected by the workers-limiters. But over the years, some of the limiters still got a Moscow residence permit and today prefers to call themselves "Muscovites in the first generation."

Labor migrants

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the question of what a limit is, has become more and more alienated in the sphere of history. At the beginning of the dashing nineties, in the midst of the economic crisis, construction projects in Moscow were not so many, and accordingly, the need for newcomers to the labor force fell sharply. The era of limits in its classical understanding ended. It was time for guest workers - visiting workers from now independent countries, formerly republics of the Soviet Union, mainly from Central Asia, as well as Ukraine and Moldova.