I doubt Russia is much better but it’s probably at least slightly better.
Regardless of what one thinks of the USSR (and there’s plenty to be critical of), its fall was disastrous and is the reason why it’s now filled with billionaires doing just billionaire things and at prolonged war with Ukraine. I can’t think of any way it is now better. The place was pillaged and the people screwed over even worse than they had before. “Shock therapy” is what they call the liberalization process.
With the exception of Belarus, the Eastern European states adopted shock therapy. Nearly all of these post-Soviet states suffered deep and prolonged recessions after shock therapy, with poverty increasing more than tenfold. The resulting crisis of the 1990s was twice as intense as the Great Depression in the countries of Western Europe and the United States in the 1930s.
The cost to human life was profound, as Russia suffered the worst peace time increase in mortality experienced by any industrialized country. For the years 1987 and 1988, roughly 2% of Russia population lived in poverty (surviving on less than $4 a day), by 1993-1995, it was 50%
People who argue life was better under the Soviets and want to return to it are no different from those who want to return to the confederacy.
Capitalist hegemony is just as oppressive, unless you’re valuing the rights of property owners above all others.
The fallout from the collapse and looting was worse than any supposed oppression anyways. In my lifetime factories went from running and employing people to shut down and their assets liquidated while any government supports disappear.
A minority of people profited greatly from that situation while others were forced either weather the storm (spoiler, many died) or to try and emigrate and find tenuous employment in often terrible conditions.
The capitalist slavedrivers won, stop trying to pretend that you’re also the good guys.
Regardless of what one thinks of the USSR (and there’s plenty to be critical of), its fall was disastrous and is the reason why it’s now filled with billionaires doing just billionaire things and at prolonged war with Ukraine. I can’t think of any way it is now better. The place was pillaged and the people screwed over even worse than they had before. “Shock therapy” is what they call the liberalization process.
Which is why all the post Soviet countries are champing at the bit to form a new union where they can be brutally oppressed again.
Makes sense.
People who argue life was better under the Soviets and want to return to it are no different from those who want to return to the confederacy.
Capitalist hegemony is just as oppressive, unless you’re valuing the rights of property owners above all others.
The fallout from the collapse and looting was worse than any supposed oppression anyways. In my lifetime factories went from running and employing people to shut down and their assets liquidated while any government supports disappear.
A minority of people profited greatly from that situation while others were forced either weather the storm (spoiler, many died) or to try and emigrate and find tenuous employment in often terrible conditions.
The capitalist slavedrivers won, stop trying to pretend that you’re also the good guys.
lol, k
👍