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As if the CCP's "miracle" of economic development hasn't already been done in South Korea, Taiwan, etc. without the authoritarians who also brought the wonders

As if the CCP's "miracle" of economic development hasn't already been done in South Korea, Taiwan, etc. without the authoritarians who also brought the wonders that are The Great Leap Forward and The Cultural Revolution. Or as if India isn't already basically replicating the same feat with a democracy, but 10 years delayed. It isn't a "Western view" to understand that governments that respect human rights generally lead to happier civilizations in the long run. It's simply observable from empirical data.

namelost 9y ago
Do you really think that China is capable of an easy and bloodless transition to a democratic system? Perhaps Chinese people know better than anyone just how violent revolution can be.
- DashRattlesnake 9y ago
  > Do you really think that China is capable of an easy and bloodless transition to a democratic system? I suppose that really depends on the Communist party...
- vkou 9y ago
  Was the Soviet Union?
girzel 9y ago
South Korea and Taiwan did do it with authoritarians. They were absolutely authoritarian governments, and they each had their own mini-revolution once their societies reached a certain level of affluence. The difference is that China's mini-revolution (June 4, 1989) failed, where theirs succeeded.
guildwriter 9y ago
What are you talking about? South Korea and Taiwan may not have had those stand out moments of mass murder, but saying they didn't go through an authoritarian period is just not true. It may not have been on the same scale, but it still involved mass oppression, murder, blackmail, kidnapping, and other unsavory methods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Taiwan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Taiwan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chung-hee#Legacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chung-hee#Legacy That being said, I don't necessarily disagree with the principle of your statement about free societies being better.

namelost 9y ago

Do you really think that China is capable of an easy and bloodless transition to a democratic system? Perhaps Chinese people know better than anyone just how violent revolution can be.

DashRattlesnake 9y ago
> Do you really think that China is capable of an easy and bloodless transition to a democratic system? I suppose that really depends on the Communist party...
vkou 9y ago
Was the Soviet Union?

girzel 9y ago

South Korea and Taiwan did do it with authoritarians. They were absolutely authoritarian governments, and they each had their own mini-revolution once their societies reached a certain level of affluence. The difference is that China's mini-revolution (June 4, 1989) failed, where theirs succeeded.

guildwriter 9y ago

What are you talking about? South Korea and Taiwan may not have had those stand out moments of mass murder, but saying they didn't go through an authoritarian period is just not true. It may not have been on the same scale, but it still involved mass oppression, murder, blackmail, kidnapping, and other unsavory methods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Taiwan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Taiwan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chung-hee#Legacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chung-hee#Legacy That being said, I don't necessarily disagree with the principle of your statement about free societies being better.