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107

Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West’s Fault (www.foreignaffairs.com)

submitted 11 months ago by yogthos@lemmygrad.ml to c/news@hexbear.net

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[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 53 points 11 months ago (2 children)

7 out of 11 countries believe the end of the USSR harmed their countries rather than benefited them

Reflecting back on the breakup of the Soviet Union that happened 22 years ago next week, residents in seven out of 11 countries that were part of the union are more likely to believe its collapse harmed their countries than benefited them. Only Azerbaijanis, Kazakhstanis, and Turkmens are more likely to see benefit than harm from the breakup. Georgians are divided.

Hungary: 72% of Hungarians say they are worse off today economically than under communism

A remarkable 72% of Hungarians say that most people in their country are actually worse off today economically than they were under communism. Only 8% say most people in Hungary are better off, and 16% say things are about the same. In no other Central or Eastern European country surveyed did so many believe that economic life is worse now than during the communist era. This is the result of almost universal displeasure with the economy. Fully 94% describe the country’s economy as bad, the highest level of economic discontent in the hard hit region of Central and Eastern Europe. Just 46% of Hungarians approve of their country’s switch from a state-controlled economy to a market economy; 42% disapprove of the move away from communism. The public is even more negative toward Hungary’s integration into Europe; 71% say their country has been weakened by the process.

Romania: 63% of the survey participants said their life was better during communism

The most incredible result was registered in a July 2010 IRES (Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy) poll, according to which 41% of the respondents would have voted for Ceausescu, had he run for the position of president. And 63% of the survey participants said their life was better during communism, while only 23% attested that their life was worse then. Some 68% declared that communism was a good idea, just one that had been poorly applied.

Germany: more than half of former eastern Germans defend the GDR

Glorification of the German Democratic Republic is on the rise two decades after the Berlin Wall fell. Young people and the better off are among those rebuffing criticism of East Germany as an “illegitimate state.” In a new poll, more than half of former eastern Germans defend the GDR.

28 percent of Czechs say they were better off under the Communist regime

Roughly 28 percent of Czechs say they were better off under the Communist regime, according to a poll conducted by the polling institute SC&C and released Sunday.

81% of Serbians believe they lived best in Yugoslavia

A poll shows that as many as 81 per cent of Serbians believe they lived best in the former Yugoslavia -”during the time of socialism”.

Majority of Russians

The majority of Russians polled in a 2016 study said they would prefer living under the old Soviet Union and would like to see the socialist system and the Soviet state restored.

The claims you have read in reddit comments are almost always made by Americans, whose brains are riddled with red scare brainworms and are completely devoid of any knowledge or understand of what the left thinks in Europe, because Americans do not have a left.

Let's end on something a bit more scientific than polls of people's feelings:

Socialist countries objectively provide a better quality of life to their populations than capitalist countries when compared at an equal level of development

In 28 of 30 comparisons between countries at similar levels of economic development, socialist countries showed more favorable PQL outcomes.

[–] dzsimbo@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Hey, thank you for bringing the data.

I cannot emphasize enough, that I am not against communism, or socialism. My initial comment was mostly against a blanket statement that Eastern Europe is where it's at, because of capitalism.

Even I remember the communist times fondly, even though I didn't live through it. I am working toward it myself, or at least the common win. Which just confusesed me further with all the fallout I got in this thread.

I also see our future along lines that implement the best of what we can from communism, but learns from the problems of the initial implementation.

So like how do we make sure to not have selfish assholes in places of power? Not live in fear because we have questions. And I am not saying this is ingrained in communism...just something people do.

I guess I'll have to read up on my dialectic materialism.

[–] m532@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So like how do we make sure to not have selfish assholes in places of power?

Thats what the revolution is for

[–] dzsimbo@lemm.ee 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yes, yes, I understand. But isn't there the phrase that the revolution eats its children?

Excuse me as it has probably been discussed into the ground, but I am worried about the same power struggles experienced during after 1917. People in power not trusting each other or wanting more power. Will it be just a continual revolution, or a refresh when someone malicious gets too close to the reigns? If we had most of the core literature back then, why did it turn authoritarian?

I don't need answers to my question (unless you got em!), I just wanted to share my main gripe with power structures in general.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

You should read this, "revolution eating its children" is mentioned there.