There is always this claim going around that Eastern European State Socialisms were bad and there were many negative things.
It is always the same, political camps, atrocities, people robbed of even little property they had, shortages of stockings and proper medical care, and so on.
Was it really that bad? What are these claims based on? Are they all complete fabrications? I know that political camps did exist, it is a necessary step in fighting counterrevolution.
No
That’s not a very satisfying answer, though. If you want the asker to close the question feeling confident, you have to offer something more substantial.
Thank you for the link, comrade!
No as in “claims are all nonesense” or no as in “claims are not complete fabrications”?
No as in response to the question in the title
So all the mentioned claims are complete fabrications?
Mix of fabrications and extreme exaggerations/misrepresentations.
OK, what were simply exaggerated, with no misrepresentation or fabrication?
“exaggerated with no misrepresentation” is a weird expression
Anyway, in Romania, at least, we did have labour camps for reactionaries, mainly Nazi collaborators and legionaries
Also tightened rationing during the 80s, but nowhere near as extreme as pro-capitalist media loves to make it out to have been
Ironically it got really bad after the transition to capitalism, but the media either paints a rosy picture of “newfound freedoms”, or just goes “communism is to blame for capitalism’s failures, actually”
Anyway, in Romania, at least, we did have labour camps for reactionaries, mainly Nazi collaborators and legionaries
good
Is there even any difference between a labour camp and a modern prison?
Well, in our case, they were held in dedicated buildings near construction sites, primarily the Danube-Black Sea canal. But forced labour was largely dropped in favour of regular imprisonment by the mid 50s.
Yes