Socialism

Stalin was correct about industrialization in the 1930s, especially considering the external conditions and environment the soviets found themselves in. The incredible rates of industrialization were unprecedented in history, and the fact that industrialization was completed is why the heroic Red Army was equipped and able to defeat the Nazi menace.

One does not seek good when one already has it.

I am referring to Stalin’s decision to abolish the NEP, viewing it as a poison for a socialist society.

When the NEP first emerged, the common people were starving—literally swelling up from hunger—while the "NEPmen" sat in restaurants, feasting on black caviar and washing it down with Abrau-Durso champagne.

The people loathed the NEPmen; they regarded them as a hostile class.

Do you understand that the NEP represents an abyss between private enterprise and the people—both in a social and a material sense? As a temporary measure, the NEP is, of course, necessary in certain specific situations; however, if allowed to drag on, things can go so far that there is simply no turning back.

That Platoskin fellow I mentioned yesterday—well, in the wake of Putin’s crackdown, he’s had a change of heart about staging a revolution... ))) Now he wants to do everything legally, through the electoral process. Furthermore, under his proposed model of socialism, he intends to retain private business ownership. It would certainly be fascinating to see how he manages to pull that off...

"Mao’s economy was also fantastic at getting rapid growth."

A real roller coaster... )))

It seems to me that the biggest disaster was when Mao had all the sparrows killed off.

In case you didn't know—and whatever a snake Khrushchev might have been—he actually sent trainloads of sparrows to China once Mao realized that he had been a bit too hasty in getting rid of them.

Mao wanted war constantly. He was forever pushing the countries of the Socialist Bloc toward it. Castro and Czechoslovakia were the most outraged by this. Mao was extremely belligerent; he was constantly provoking the USSR.

It was strange to observe: on one hand, there was the practically boundless aid being provided to China, yet on the other—manifestations of outright hostility.

In the USSR during the 1970s, China was portrayed in a rather unfavorable light on television—specifically in the wake of the Damansky Island conflict and other events. Brezhnev feared that China might launch a nuclear strike. All forces were placed on combat alert, and troops were massed along the borders. Thank God, the situation was ultimately resolved peacefully. It was at Damansky Island that the BM-21 "Grad" multiple rocket launch systems were deployed for the first time—a move that, in fact, played the decisive role.

And take a look at the graph: leading up to the Damansky Island incident, China was at its peak; immediately afterward, however, it went into a sharp nosedive.

"they still did not have the same impact of undermining western production and accelerating technology transfer that Reform and Opening Up brought."

Everything produced in the 1930s and thereafter was a copy of Western designs. Why bother developing original technology? They simply bought the product in the West and copied it.

Incidentally, there is a story relevant to this point: Khrushchev once went to Sweden on a state visit, where he saw an electric shaver for the first time—and was presented with one as a gift. He was utterly astonished and took a real liking to it. As soon as he returned to the USSR, he ordered that an identical one be manufactured—only domestically produced. His staff asked him, "How?" He replied, "However you see fit!"

The engineers dismantled the device down to the last screw, copied it, and thus the first electric shaver in the USSR was born at the FED factory. This factory holds a special place in my heart; it adjoins the aircraft plant where my mother used to work.

FED is an acronym standing for Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky.

Now, regarding "socialism with a Russian twist": on one occasion, Lenin ordered Dzerzhinsky to put an end to the problem of homelessness among children. Dzerzhinsky was a monumental figure; he was entrusted with the most complex and daunting tasks (Beria, in essence, was much the same).

Dzerzhinsky traveled to Kharkiv, rounded up all the homeless children... took them out to a ravine, and had them shot! ...)))) That’s just a joke, of course...

In reality, the first labor colony for homeless children in the USSR was established. A precision electronics factory was built on the grounds of this colony, where the homeless children both worked and studied. Ultimately, the people who emerged from that institution went on to become scientists and cosmonauts... Since then, the factory has borne the name FED—though it has now been bombed by the Russians. However, had the Ukrainians realized what the acronym FED actually stood for, they would have renamed the factory long ago...))))

As for the goods that were supposedly meant to "displace" Western products in the global market: under socialism, there is no such thing as competition—there is only "socialist emulation." Goods manufactured in the USSR could be seen en masse throughout the countries of the Socialist Bloc. They should have first ensured they had everything they needed themselves—so that, perhaps, they could compete later on.

I do not care for the “soul”

That is what sets you apart from a Russian. It sounds stupid, but it’s true.

His insistence that the USSR had abolished class was also shortsighted. These fundamental errors weakened the CPSU, and created the foundation for further errors in Gorbachev’s reforms. The CPC watched and refused to make the same mistakes.

Note that in both the first and the second case, it all began with contact with the United States. Leprosy—if one may put it that way.

Note that in both the first and second instances, it all began with contact with the United States—a sort of leprosy, if you will.

Those reforms were dictated by the West—roughly speaking. The U.S. led both men by the nose... and subsequently began leading Putin by the nose as well. Sooner or later, this had to come to an end—yet it hasn't. Now we have the "Spirit of Anchorage" all over again; it is truly laughable to watch.