a.) In 1919 Russia was not nearly as advanced as the US or Europe. b.) Unlike the US, Soviet Union came out of WW2 with cities destroyed, and 20% of its popula

a.) In 1919 Russia was not nearly as advanced as the US or Europe. b.) Unlike the US, Soviet Union came out of WW2 with cities destroyed, and 20% of its population killed, most of them able-bodied men in their prime. Yet, by 1984, the USSR had: - free universal healthcare - largely egalitarian society with very little inequality - free, excellent education system, from K through PhD - women treated equally in the workforce unlike the West - walkable cities with very good public transit What the free world had: - Start of Reagonomics and Thatcherism era - Plenty of cheap consumer goods to buy and waste - Fantastic entertainment industry - White flight and suburban sprawl - Beginning of War on Drugs, sponsorship of Islamic extremism in Afghanistan I guess my point is that one should probably define "advanced" before proceeding to discuss it.