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> Totalitarian systems excel at execution, but they are not creative. Having survived the Soviet Union, I say with full certainty that you could not be more wr
by Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago
> Totalitarian systems excel at execution, but they are not creative.
Having survived the Soviet Union, I say with full certainty that you could not be more wrong about the execution part.
- Andrew_nenakhov 6y agounless, of course, by 'execution' were meant actual executions (of people) - that's what totalitarian systems excel at, indeed.
- api 6y agoWhat about the USSR in the 1950s? I understand that by the 1980s it was a basketcase, but there was a time when it at least seemed to be the most rapidly advancing nation.
- Andrew_nenakhov 6y agoUSSR had rapid progress in some areas only because of the systematic plundering of the workers. Behind a majestic facade, it was a country of extreme poverty. In 1950s peasants were basically slaves who could not even leave their kolkhoz without party permission. The vast majority of citizens lived in atrocious conditions in communal flats or barracks [1] (a type of temporary housing with no sanitation and basic heating). [1]: https://ribalych.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/baraki-_552.jpg https://ribalych.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/baraki-_552.j... - such buildings can be commonly found in Russia even today.