• PolandIsAStateOfMind
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    It is truly astonishing to consider how anyone could believe that Russians would rise up over frivolous matters like this.

    To be fair, western baubles and treats have been notable factor in the fall of socialism 35 years ago, but 35 years passed and now they aren’t this attractive now and back then it was huge mistake from socialist governments to allow propganda penetration of their countries.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      2 months ago

      I very much agree, the whole perestroyka and glasnost business that Gorbachev started was ultimately what fucked USSR over.

      • PolandIsAStateOfMind
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 months ago

        Yeah, though it started much earlier, in '68 and the subsequent opening in Poland for example. In 1980 we were already prepared to demand Pewex (imported) goods.

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          2 months ago

          That’s true the trends go back further, but I think it was still possible to turn things around in the late 80s if more competent people were in charge. In my opinion, the most important aspect of USSR that needs to be analyzed going forward is how to improve the political system in order to keep opportunists and the incompetent out of positions of power. It’s a general unsolved problem pretty much all human societies have that quality of leadership declines when the times are good.

          • PolandIsAStateOfMind
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            2 months ago

            I doubt if it could be just entirely averted, but if we got Deng instead of Gorba… on the other hand, USSR and Warsaw Pact wasn’t China, imperialists were way too invested into toppling and looting it, they would never left us just be there and rule ourselves on the promise of capitalism.

            • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              2 months ago

              For sure, USSR was put under far more stress than China. The other aspect was that, unlike China, USSR was seen as an ideological threat.

          • Sodium_nitride
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            2 months ago

            A lot of it was the aging of the population and leadership, combined with loss of political knowledge caused by the loss of an entire generation during ww2.

            • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              2 months ago

              Right, but the question remains of how to make sure things stay on track even under such conditions. Catastrophes like WW2 will happen sooner or later, and the ability to recover from such disasters is a critical aspect of ensuring the continuation of the system.