Well-removed from the clash of opposing social systems on the grand stage of history, the relentless progress of "developed socialism" towards the communist future and the other epic themes of official Soviet ideology is an identifiable component in the creed of the party-state which is confined to much more modest matters. Its project involves immediate, palpable improvements in the everyday lives of Soviet citizens: its concern is more with the availability of such things as kitchen utensils or housing space than with the millenarian visions associated with "the construction of communism".