Red Front
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- Jul 7, 2022
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I never said that American principles exclude socialism. The U.S. has been semi-socialist for a very long time. Only posturing idiots believe that we're pure Capitalist.
However, those posturing idiots are trying hard to turn this into a Neo-Monarchy.
As far as Communism...it's been a complete failure everywhere it's been tried. It only survives by a brute force police state. The USSR was a police state for most of it's existence, when it liberalized it collapsed.
Even China couldn't survive as a pure Communist state. They had to rely on mass executions to maintain stability. Finally, they introduced some degree of capitalism & free market as the only way they could continue.
Note: There is no single text that lists American Principles like the Ten Commandments. You'll have to do some reading to figure them out. Sorry, but the founding Fathers were not simpletons and none believed they had all the answers.
As far as Communism...it's been a complete failure everywhere it's been tried. It only survives by a brute force police state. The USSR was a police state for most of it's existence, when it liberalized it collapsed.
Unfortunately, you're allowing your emotions to undermine your reasoning. Communism is the objective of socialism, hence there are socialists like myself, who identify as "communists", as a way of keeping the goal in view and reminding us of what is at the heart of our socialism. The desire for a stateless society, without socioeconomic classes or the need for money. That is the raw definition of communism. If the USSR was a "police state" then it wasn't actually "communist". The term "communist police state" is an oxymoron, a misnomer.
USSR = UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
Do you see the word "communist" there anywhere? No. They were socialists, not yet communists. They might have used the term communist or communism in Russian, "kommunizm - коммунизм ", but they weren't actually, politically, economically, communist. They were on the path of socialism to communism. Many Soviet citizens proudly identified themselves as "kommunisty", for the aforementioned reason of simply identifying with the objective of their socialism. Communism.
In addressing the claim that communism has been a "complete failure" and that the USSR was predominantly a police state, it's essential to consider the broader historical and geopolitical context.
- Historical Context: The portrayal of Soviet Russia in the West, particularly during the Cold War era, has been heavily influenced by capitalist propaganda. While it's undeniable that the USSR had its authoritarian tendencies, it's crucial to understand the reasons behind them.
- Foreign Interventions: Immediately after its inception in 1917, Soviet Russia faced invasions from multiple countries, including the United States, Britain, and France. The newly formed Red Army had to defend the nation against both foreign invaders and internal adversaries like the Tzarist bourgeoisie. This state of constant warfare persisted into the 1920s, delaying the nation's economic development until the late 20s.
- Centralization of Power: The centralization of power in the USSR was, to a significant extent, a response to these external threats. When a nation is under siege, it often resorts to more authoritarian measures to ensure its survival. This phenomenon isn't unique to socialist states.
- U.S. during WWII: For instance, during World War II, the United States, a beacon of democracy, took measures that could be deemed authoritarian. The internment of Japanese Americans and the imposition of rationing and price controls are a testament to this.
- Economic Achievements: Despite its tumultuous beginnings, the USSR made remarkable economic strides. By 1970, it had become a nuclear superpower with the world's second-highest GDP. This transformation from an agrarian society with a significantly illiterate population to an industrial juggernaut is noteworthy.
- Stalin's Five-Year Economic Plans: While controversial, Stalin's economic policies played a pivotal role in industrializing the nation. The five-year plans, in particular, significantly improved the standard of living for many Soviet citizens.
- Comparison with the U.S.: It's also worth noting that the USSR's industrial achievements were realized in a much shorter timeframe compared to the U.S., which had a head start of over a century in terms of industrialization.
Even China couldn't survive as a pure Communist state. They had to rely on mass executions to maintain stability. Finally, they introduced some degree of capitalism & free market as the only way they could continue.
Firstly, it's important to clarify a common misconception: China was never a 'pure Communist state'. According to Marxist theory, communism is a stateless, classless society without the need for money. So, it's contradictory to label any state as 'communist'. What China and the USSR were striving for was socialism, a step towards the eventual goal of communism.
Now, addressing China's historical trajectory:
- Famines: China did face famines during the Cultural Revolution, but it's essential to remember that famines were historically frequent in China. By the late 1960s, under socialist leadership, these famines were eradicated, marking a significant achievement.
- Living Standards: Post the socialist revolution, there was a noticeable upliftment in the living conditions for the majority of Chinese citizens, a stark contrast to the challenges they faced under British colonialism, feudalism, and the dynastic systems.
- Economic Reforms: China's economic pivot in the late 20th century wasn't an outright embrace of capitalism. It was more of a shift towards a mixed economy, where the state still held significant sway. This approach has been pivotal in China's meteoric economic rise in recent decades.
Now, let's contrast this with Russia post the dissolution of the USSR:
Russia, in the 1990s, underwent what's termed 'shock therapy', a rapid transition to free-market capitalism. This led to the wholesale privatization of its economy. The result? The nation's assets were essentially plundered by oligarchs, buying up resources at a fraction of their value. By the late 1990s, Russia was in economic and social turmoil. It was Putin's intervention, applying socialist principles, that stabilized the nation. Nationalizing key sectors, especially energy, played a pivotal role in this recovery.
Your claim that capitalism 'saved' China can be juxtaposed with the argument that socialism, in many ways, 'saved' Russia post the USSR's dissolution.
Furthermore, it's worth noting that many Western European nations, despite not labeling themselves as such due to geopolitical pressures, have effectively integrated socialist principles into their governance. Countries like Germany, Spain, and Portugal, led by socialist parties, have policies that heavily lean towards social welfare.
As far as your scary campfire stories about Mao the monster who supposedly massacred millions of people. There's plenty of information exposing this Western Cold War rhetoric against Mao and communism in general:
Watch this video for more info:
Wars, especially class warfare are bloody. A lot of people die. Civil wars kill millions of people. Britain lost 20% of its population in the English civil wars of the 1600s. Death toll arguments against communism, made by capitalist apologists are disingenuous at best. Capitalism has its own mountain of rotting, stinking corpses. You have no moral high ground upon which to stand and point your crooked, feculent finger at communists. You're just as prone to violence, if not more so than we are. Look carefully in the mirror, you don't have a halo glowing over your head, and neither do we.
Death toll arguments don't work, especially when presented by the defenders of capitalism.
Note: There is no single text that lists American Principles like the Ten Commandments. You'll have to do some reading to figure them out. Sorry, but the founding Fathers were not simpletons and none believed they had all the answers.
“We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying.”
– Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
Sounds like the MAGA idiots got their playbook from the Soviet Politburo!!!
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