5 ms·

A large exception would be Russia, and to a lesser extent, all of Eastern Europe. The extreme cold in Russia helps suppress parasites, yet it has historically b

A large exception would be Russia, and to a lesser extent, all of Eastern Europe. The extreme cold in Russia helps suppress parasites, yet it has historically been authoritarian. It’s also worth noting some of those countries that for awhile provided interesting exceptions, such as Liberia from 1860 to 1990, a famously free country though surrounded by authoritarian territories.

Mediterraneo10 7y ago
> such as Liberia from 1860 to 1990, a famously free country though surrounded by authoritarian territories. Liberia wasn't particularly free as most of us here might understand the term. While the freed slaves’ constitution was modeled on the US Constitution, civil and political rights applied only to the freed slaves who came over from North America and their descendants, while Liberia’s indigenous population was neglected at the best of times, oppressed at the worst. (And even among the freed slaves’ descendants, those connected with Monrovia’s Masonic Lodge formed a political elite that others could never hope to enter). To a considerable degree, the political strife of the late 20th-century was due to rage at this skewed system of government.
- blaser-waffle 7y ago
  > Monrovia’s Masonic Lodge I'd heard of the Freed-Slave-vs-Local-Pop thing in Liberia before, but never about the Masonic Lodge. Got a source?
  - Mediterraneo10 7y ago
    This is so prominent an aspect of Liberian history that a simple Google search "liberia masonic lodge" will give you a great deal of reputable reading material.
dandanua 7y ago
Even Russians know that there is Russia and there is Moscow. It's like two different countries. Moscow has 10% of Russia's population and 90% of wealth (probably even more). Moscow has moderate climate. This winter temperature was above 0C most of the time (though this winter was the warmest in centuries). Though I don't believe in that parasite bullshit. The only "parasites" that cause authoritarianism are a parasitic thoughts and parasitic mindset of the population. This is a dead circle since creative people leave authoritarian countries all the time (or being killed if they try to counter the system).

Mediterraneo10 7y ago

> such as Liberia from 1860 to 1990, a famously free country though surrounded by authoritarian territories. Liberia wasn't particularly free as most of us here might understand the term. While the freed slaves’ constitution was modeled on the US Constitution, civil and political rights applied only to the freed slaves who came over from North America and their descendants, while Liberia’s indigenous population was neglected at the best of times, oppressed at the worst. (And even among the freed slaves’ descendants, those connected with Monrovia’s Masonic Lodge formed a political elite that others could never hope to enter). To a considerable degree, the political strife of the late 20th-century was due to rage at this skewed system of government.

blaser-waffle 7y ago
> Monrovia’s Masonic Lodge I'd heard of the Freed-Slave-vs-Local-Pop thing in Liberia before, but never about the Masonic Lodge. Got a source?
- Mediterraneo10 7y ago
  This is so prominent an aspect of Liberian history that a simple Google search "liberia masonic lodge" will give you a great deal of reputable reading material.

dandanua 7y ago

Even Russians know that there is Russia and there is Moscow. It's like two different countries. Moscow has 10% of Russia's population and 90% of wealth (probably even more). Moscow has moderate climate. This winter temperature was above 0C most of the time (though this winter was the warmest in centuries). Though I don't believe in that parasite bullshit. The only "parasites" that cause authoritarianism are a parasitic thoughts and parasitic mindset of the population. This is a dead circle since creative people leave authoritarian countries all the time (or being killed if they try to counter the system).