@benroyce
The Western critique of the USSR and its conflation with Russian Imperialism is naïve at best. The Soviet socialist experiment is neither like today's nor Tsarist Russia. The soviet experiment has transformed that region holistically. Both culturally and economically, Soviet Republics (along with Warsaw Pact countries) have seen great development in industry & science. It should be, for a bit of fairness, worthy of interest to understand how the Soviet republics (and Russia specifically) which had almost 0 colonies outside of Europe were able to rival European and North American powers after suffering the many losses of the World Wars. Not to mention the successes of feminism and the economic empowerment of women in those regions that served to inspire 2nd-wave feminism.

Practice, however, remains the sole criterion of truth, and the truth is that we no longer have the Soviet Union. It had stagnated and collapsed for many reasons. It is rightfully dumbfounded to ignore its successes and its dynamics with the American-led empire. In theory, we can and should criticize both in hopes of improving both. In practice, we have to make critical alliances with one side over the other when interests are at extreme odds. Hating both, in such geopolitical climates, is contrarian at best, but far from practicable in the modest sense.

#marxism #Soviet_Union #capitalism #socialism #leninism #communism

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