I don’t think we can call all of the Soviet Union a failure. There were many problems and struggles faced by it, but many of these problems are ones that other AES states have learned from as a lesson, while keeping some of what made it such a progressive movement for the working class to begin with. Free, high quality healthcare, education, and childcare, democratization of the economy and not just government, dramatic reductions in wealth inequality and improvements in production, all showed some of the major benefits of a centrally planned and worker-focused economy.
Of course, it did collapse. It had numerous issues, especially later on as liberal reforms worked against the centrally planned economy. Planning was by hand in an increasingly computerized world, the millitary expenses from the Cold War siphoned resources, the economy was more publicly owned than necessary (Marx believed you need to develop out of private property relations, ie the NEP should have been reintroduced after World War II when Heavy Industry had been developed enough to tackle it), and more.
Overall, we can’t simply dismiss it outright, it serves as a very valuable lesson on both good and bad, and anyone building Socialism needs to study it rigorously.
The USSR came with many huge benefits, like doubling of life expectancy, free and high quality education, healthcare, and childcare, an expansion in women’s rights and democratization of the economy, and more. It also had numerous problems, but that doesn’t change that it was the first Socialist state, and Socialism is the way to go, eventually Communism.
The Black Book of Communism was debunked long ago, from including Nazis killed during World War II as “victims of Communism” to literally making up numbers to get to 100 million dead to being outright disproven once the Soviet Archives were opened up.
I don’t think we can call all of the Soviet Union a failure. There were many problems and struggles faced by it, but many of these problems are ones that other AES states have learned from as a lesson, while keeping some of what made it such a progressive movement for the working class to begin with. Free, high quality healthcare, education, and childcare, democratization of the economy and not just government, dramatic reductions in wealth inequality and improvements in production, all showed some of the major benefits of a centrally planned and worker-focused economy.
Of course, it did collapse. It had numerous issues, especially later on as liberal reforms worked against the centrally planned economy. Planning was by hand in an increasingly computerized world, the millitary expenses from the Cold War siphoned resources, the economy was more publicly owned than necessary (Marx believed you need to develop out of private property relations, ie the NEP should have been reintroduced after World War II when Heavy Industry had been developed enough to tackle it), and more.
Overall, we can’t simply dismiss it outright, it serves as a very valuable lesson on both good and bad, and anyone building Socialism needs to study it rigorously.
Removed by mod
The USSR came with many huge benefits, like doubling of life expectancy, free and high quality education, healthcare, and childcare, an expansion in women’s rights and democratization of the economy, and more. It also had numerous problems, but that doesn’t change that it was the first Socialist state, and Socialism is the way to go, eventually Communism.
Removed by mod
The Black Book of Communism was debunked long ago, from including Nazis killed during World War II as “victims of Communism” to literally making up numbers to get to 100 million dead to being outright disproven once the Soviet Archives were opened up.