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I'm also from (western) Europe and we for sure don't live in "totally equal" societies :) Eastern European communism created a much more equal society, but it'

I'm also from (western) Europe and we for sure don't live in "totally equal" societies :) Eastern European communism created a much more equal society, but it's difficult to argue that people there enjoyed a better quality of life than we did in the West.

r00fus 11y ago
> Eastern European communism created a much more equal society I question that assertion. The problem is that in communism, (not unlike our financiers in capitalism) the people closer to the resources or decision-making process were inherently more well off - in fact, probably closely modeling a power-curve. Part of this is human nature, the other part is lack of technology for transparency.
- danmaz74 11y ago
  From what I know from people who actually lived under communism: yes, there were those who had more and those who had less. But the inequality was still much lower than even in the most social-democratic Northern European countries (this is not to say they were better societies, just that they actually were less unequal).
Mikeb85 11y ago
In the 1950's, the USSR was the second largest world economy, the first into space, and living conditions were arguably far better than what preceded it in Eastern Europe, especially when you consider they lost ~20% of their population in WWII. You can't compare anywhere on earth to the 'West' because the 'West' started out ahead of everywhere else in the world in the 1900s, partially a result of colonialism and various conquests. Communism created some of the fastest growth rates in history, albeit at a cost, and of course as time went on, corruption became a problem. If you want to see how poorly capitalism can function, go visit a 3rd world country. Most are capitalist, and they fail because of massive corruption, and anyone with a brain simply flees for the West.
- grinnbearit 11y ago
  I disagree, take India and China, both developing nations with populations that are significantly better off after adopting some form of Capitalism.
  - Mikeb85 11y ago
    China still has a great deal of central planning. And India is a lot more socialist than most people realize.

r00fus 11y ago

> Eastern European communism created a much more equal society I question that assertion. The problem is that in communism, (not unlike our financiers in capitalism) the people closer to the resources or decision-making process were inherently more well off - in fact, probably closely modeling a power-curve. Part of this is human nature, the other part is lack of technology for transparency.

danmaz74 11y ago
From what I know from people who actually lived under communism: yes, there were those who had more and those who had less. But the inequality was still much lower than even in the most social-democratic Northern European countries (this is not to say they were better societies, just that they actually were less unequal).

Mikeb85 11y ago

In the 1950's, the USSR was the second largest world economy, the first into space, and living conditions were arguably far better than what preceded it in Eastern Europe, especially when you consider they lost ~20% of their population in WWII. You can't compare anywhere on earth to the 'West' because the 'West' started out ahead of everywhere else in the world in the 1900s, partially a result of colonialism and various conquests. Communism created some of the fastest growth rates in history, albeit at a cost, and of course as time went on, corruption became a problem. If you want to see how poorly capitalism can function, go visit a 3rd world country. Most are capitalist, and they fail because of massive corruption, and anyone with a brain simply flees for the West.

grinnbearit 11y ago
I disagree, take India and China, both developing nations with populations that are significantly better off after adopting some form of Capitalism.
- Mikeb85 11y ago
  China still has a great deal of central planning. And India is a lot more socialist than most people realize.