> The notion that these were reached by plucky engineering and can-do spirit rather than, largely, oppression and coercion is absurd. All the oppression and co

> The notion that these were reached by plucky engineering and can-do spirit rather than, largely, oppression and coercion is absurd. All the oppression and coercion in the world will not produce good engineering without competent engineers. The USSR, for all its faults, did produce some impressive weapons -- such as the T-34, Il-2 or AK-47.