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Unpopular opinion: The USSR was a good country

I'm not talking necessarily about Stalin's USSR, but the USSR had free healthcare, one of the best education systems and literacy rates in the world, guaranteed jobs, whilst maintaining a massively strong army that challenged the US. Without the USSR, there is no one to hold the US to account, and means that the US is now the only dominant power in reality, meaning war is actually more likely. I think the world overall was a better place with the Soviet Union. Many countries are now much poorer after the Soviet Union, such as Moldova, Tajikistan etc. Whilst some have benefited, for every success story there is a faliure. I know the USSR is often negatively portrayed but in reality, I don't think it was as bad as it was made out to be. Also, I don't see why socialism is so often associated with Stalin's atrocities. It's just as bad as associating religions such as Islam with terror. Just because someone does something bad in the name of an ideology or religion, doesn't mean that ideology or religion is bad.

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Original post by kali8603
I'm not talking necessarily about Stalin's USSR, but the USSR had free healthcare, one of the best education systems and literacy rates in the world, guaranteed jobs, whilst maintaining a massively strong army that challenged the US. Without the USSR, there is no one to hold the US to account, and means that the US is now the only dominant power in reality, meaning war is actually more likely. I think the world overall was a better place with the Soviet Union. Many countries are now much poorer after the Soviet Union, such as Moldova, Tajikistan etc. Whilst some have benefited, for every success story there is a faliure. I know the USSR is often negatively portrayed but in reality, I don't think it was as bad as it was made out to be. Also, I don't see why socialism is so often associated with Stalin's atrocities. It's just as bad as associating religions such as Islam with terror. Just because someone does something bad in the name of an ideology or religion, doesn't mean that ideology or religion is bad.


There are good and bad in every political system. The USSR had both.
Completely agree OP

To any liberal that wants to play a numbers game fine - but I include

-Western sanctions against regimes
- illegal wars
- coups
Reply 4
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kali8603
OP
14
Original post by Alt Tankie
Completely agree OP

To any liberal that wants to play a numbers game fine - but I include

-Western sanctions against regimes
- illegal wars
- coups

I would also include King Leopold of Belgium, who treated the Congo as his own personal property, and killed between 10-15 million africans, and took off their fingers to use for rubber when the rubber quotas weren't met. The mad cow disease outbreak in the UK was caused by the greed and profit motive of capitalism. 200 people died because of that. Not to mention all the people that end up starving to death
Reply 5
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Lewito
19
Popular opinion: You're f***ing nuts
Original post by kali8603
I'm not talking necessarily about Stalin's USSR, but the USSR had free healthcare, one of the best education systems and literacy rates in the world, guaranteed jobs, whilst maintaining a massively strong army that challenged the US. Without the USSR, there is no one to hold the US to account, and means that the US is now the only dominant power in reality, meaning war is actually more likely. I think the world overall was a better place with the Soviet Union. Many countries are now much poorer after the Soviet Union, such as Moldova, Tajikistan etc. Whilst some have benefited, for every success story there is a faliure. I know the USSR is often negatively portrayed but in reality, I don't think it was as bad as it was made out to be. Also, I don't see why socialism is so often associated with Stalin's atrocities. It's just as bad as associating religions such as Islam with terror. Just because someone does something bad in the name of an ideology or religion, doesn't mean that ideology or religion is bad.


As someone who was born and raised in a country that was under freaking communist USSR before 1989 - you have no idea what you’re talking about. Or are you a troll?
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by lastlullabyy
As someone who was born and raised in a country that was under freaking communist USSR before 1989 - you have no idea what you’re talking about. Or are you a troll?

Which country may I ask?
Reply 8
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kali8603
OP
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Original post by lastlullabyy
As someone who was born and raised in a country that was under freaking communist USSR before 1989 - you have no idea what you’re talking about. Or are you a troll?

There were no actual "communist" countries. Only socialist, and even then, most weren't even dictatorships of the proletariat (stage between capitalism and socialism).
Reply 9
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kali8603
OP
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Original post by Alt Tankie
Which country may I ask?


Probably one of the former Warsaw Pact countries, maybe one of the better off ones today like Czech Republic. @lastlullabyy go to Moldova or Bulgaria or somewhere in Central Asia and look how is it today. Most people say life was better under the USSR.
Today on TSR: a naive pampered middle class kid tries to explain why a totalitarian and authoritarian country was good from the comfort of his bedroom.

I'd anyone genuinely believes the USSR was a good country, I suggest you educate yourself as to the lengths that the USSR went to prevent its citizens from leaving.
Reply 11
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kali8603
OP
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Original post by Trotsky's Iceaxe
Today on TSR: a naive pampered middle class kid tries to explain why a totalitarian and authoritarian country was good from the comfort of his bedroom.

I'd anyone genuinely believes the USSR was a good country, I suggest you educate yourself as to the lengths that the USSR went to prevent its citizens from leaving.


I'm not a "naiive pampered" middle class kid. Do you really think i support everything the USSR did? Of course not. Gorbachev's reforms! Terrible! (ha, I don't mean just that, I do seriously believe it did do bad, but we focus on the bad more than the good. Without the USSR, Nazi Germany would not have been defeated. Of course it tried to prevent its citizens leaving. It had lost 26 million citizens, and to this day, Russia still has more women than men. At least the Soviet Union was founded on good intentions. I'm guessing you also forgot (or just too ignorant) that the USSR brought 400,000 Africans to the country to go to Soviet universities?
Reply 12
Avatar for kali8603
kali8603
OP
14
I've just picked up on your username. I don't know if you're trying to be ironic or something, or if you genuinely are a Trotskyist. I've met Trotskyists before, never had a real problem, but are you still holding a grudge from Trotsky being exiled from the USSR? Remember, Trotsky advocated invading Western Europe to "spread the revolution". Stalin, as bad as he was, did not do that, neither did any other Soviet Leaders.

Original post by Trotsky's Iceaxe
Today on TSR: a naive pampered middle class kid tries to explain why a totalitarian and authoritarian country was good from the comfort of his bedroom.

I'd anyone genuinely believes the USSR was a good country, I suggest you educate yourself as to the lengths that the USSR went to prevent its citizens from leaving.
They didn't know how lucky they were, back in the USSR.
You're seriously saying "the world overall was a better place with the Soviet Union"? Are you aware of the Cold War lmao?
Original post by kali8603
I'm not talking necessarily about Stalin's USSR, but the USSR had free healthcare, one of the best education systems and literacy rates in the world, guaranteed jobs, whilst maintaining a massively strong army that challenged the US. Without the USSR, there is no one to hold the US to account, and means that the US is now the only dominant power in reality, meaning war is actually more likely. I think the world overall was a better place with the Soviet Union. Many countries are now much poorer after the Soviet Union, such as Moldova, Tajikistan etc. Whilst some have benefited, for every success story there is a faliure. I know the USSR is often negatively portrayed but in reality, I don't think it was as bad as it was made out to be. Also, I don't see why socialism is so often associated with Stalin's atrocities. It's just as bad as associating religions such as Islam with terror. Just because someone does something bad in the name of an ideology or religion, doesn't mean that ideology or religion is bad.


What is your definition of good and bad?
Which USSR are you talking about?
If it was so good then why did it collapase?
If it was so good then why dont Russians revert to the USSR and communism?
What was the standard of living for the average russian?
What about all the countries it occupied?
Why is war more likely and war between who?
Which are the countries in which communism works and people are better off?
You dont have to pay reference to Stalin but its not something you should ignore either . Twenty million of your own people is a large number.
None of the above questions need or actually relate to Stalin.

etc etc.
Original post by kali8603
Probably one of the former Warsaw Pact countries, maybe one of the better off ones today like Czech Republic. @lastlullabyy go to Moldova or Bulgaria or somewhere in Central Asia and look how is it today. Most people say life was better under the USSR.

Bulgaria was a Warsaw pact country.
Original post by kali8603
I'm not a "naiive pampered" middle class kid. Do you really think i support everything the USSR did? Of course not. Gorbachev's reforms! Terrible! (ha, I don't mean just that, I do seriously believe it did do bad, but we focus on the bad more than the good. Without the USSR, Nazi Germany would not have been defeated. Of course it tried to prevent its citizens leaving. It had lost 26 million citizens, and to this day, Russia still has more women than men. At least the Soviet Union was founded on good intentions. I'm guessing you also forgot (or just too ignorant) that the USSR brought 400,000 Africans to the country to go to Soviet universities?

When do people ignore the fact of the USSR contribution to defeating the Nazis? They always get due recognition in all Histories that I have read or people I have spoken to.

Your idea that people think its black and white and they are like the Nazis is rather simplistic and incorrect in any History I have ever come across or been associated with. Even the Nazis arent a simple case.
Original post by kali8603
I'm not a "naiive pampered" middle class kid. Do you really think i support everything the USSR did? Of course not. Gorbachev's reforms! Terrible! (ha, I don't mean just that, I do seriously believe it did do bad, but we focus on the bad more than the good. Without the USSR, Nazi Germany would not have been defeated. Of course it tried to prevent its citizens leaving. It had lost 26 million citizens, and to this day, Russia still has more women than men. At least the Soviet Union was founded on good intentions. I'm guessing you also forgot (or just too ignorant) that the USSR brought 400,000 Africans to the country to go to Soviet universities?

Not wanting to play down the USSR's part in fighting Hitler but let's also not forget whose side they were on at the start of the war, it was only because Germany tried to screw the USSR over that they ended up fighting them.
Original post by kali8603
Probably one of the former Warsaw Pact countries, maybe one of the better off ones today like Czech Republic. @lastlullabyy go to Moldova or Bulgaria or somewhere in Central Asia and look how is it today. Most people say life was better under the USSR.


Poland actually.

I know many people from Bulgaria and not a single one of them holds this view. Great life, where free speech could land you in jail, you couldn’t access anything, whether you worked or not you were getting a wage... not being able to leave your country, being FORCED to learn Russian at school... I guess all of my relatives and other who fought and protested did it because they were bored :wink: People were living in constant fear of being arrested. Censorship was terrible - still is in Russia to this day. I could go on and on all day...

And read up a bit. 1989 was the fall of communism. Solidarity in Poland fought against authoritative communist government.

Nice world you live in where there were no communist countries.

Not even going to go into eg Katyn - and how Soviets denied responsibility for it until 1990 and blamed Germans. Russia STILL refuses to call it what it was: a war crime and a mass murder.
(edited 4 years ago)

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