Why some are bashing communism? Did you live in communist countries?

Question

I lived in communist USSR and post-communist Russia. I was not poor in USSR and I am not poor now either. In communist Russia we had free education, appartments, medical services. I earned enough money to travel all over Russia and overseas. Now I live in post-communist Russia. I have my own business. I make around 5-7 thousands USD a month. I have my own appartment. Edecuation and medicine is not free but I have enough money to pay for all these services.The capitalism works good to me too. But there are a lot of poor people in Russia now. I would say communism is good because everybody has the most important things for free such: houses/appartment, lands, free education and medical care. All the other things are cheap (food etc). You could not be rich in communism. But you were not poor either. I think these two systems combined together in one country would be good. Your opinion?

In communist USSR everybody had a house/appartment or dormitory for a very low price. Everybody must work.If you did not work for three months they came to your home and gave you a job (usually ppl like beggars, drunards etc). Food was cheap and good. I lived in Russia all my life I know it in and out

Hey guys I am talking about the economics system -Communism or socialism if you like. People were killed when ruled Stalin and the Soviet goverment after his death said that he was a dictator. He was a fascist.

Nobody needed the freedom because all had life there. Freedom is needed when you opressed. Opressed were only those who critisized the governments (a few), who had relatives overseas (in the USA) and wanted to leave to become rich.

Packl, from what you are saying I can tell that you never lived in Russia (it is propaganda you are saying about). Sadly but what your saying is not true.

I do not say Communism is perfect. But I think there a lot of good things in it. What is lacking I think is the private sector in economics. Ppl should have right to have their own property if they want. As for the freedom I said that I am talking about economic system not the political one. Dictatorship can be in any country capitalistic or any other. Hitler was a dictator and he did not live in Communism

people had money in Russia.i was not alone who had them. I was a worker and worked on factory. I got 330 rubles a month

Answer 1

I don't believe in communism and I think communism is completely antithetical to the ideals of the United States.

I will say, if you truly are from Russia, thank you for providing your personal perspective. Too often we have people who have never lived under communism (or take your pick from any economic system that isn't capitalism) speaking as though they are experts.

Answer 2

Communism is a sick, twisted form of government. It is nothing less than slavery. At the top, you have the hypocritical, bloated Communist party bosses who enjoy all sorts of perks and luxuries that the average person will never be allowed to have.

The best political system is one which is most like a marriage. Communism is like a master and slave owner. The Communist Party bosses tell you where you could live, what you can study in school, if and where you can travel, etc. For good measure, they fence you in, just in case you think about escaping.

As an example, Soviet Communism was an attempt to create a new, selfless man. However, as any vibrant capitalist economy will show, an economy only works when people are working in their own self interest. Ayn Rand had it right when she extolled the virtues of selfishness.

Economically, the only thing Communism did was to make EVERYONE poor.

To show the level of apathy that Communism creates, here are a couple things you could always hear in those countries:

1) They pretend to pay me, and I pretend to work.
2) If you aren't stealing from your job, you're taking food out of your family's mouth.

Communism also depends on depriving people of their right to know what is happening in the outside world. When the people of Russia and Eastern Europe saw the great disparity between how they lived and the West, they were angry, bitter, and resentful. Communism could only survive on lies, so once people knew the truth, Communism was doomed due to lack of popular support.

If you want to see the true, vile nature of Communism, watch the movie DARK BLUE WORLD. It recounts how the brave Czech pilots who refused to surrender fled to England to join the fight against the Nazis. After the war, the Communists feared they had picked up dangerous Western ideas about freedom. So, they had these heroic Czech pilots thrown into a nighmarish prison, where some of the guards were the same Nazis they risked their lives to defeat.

Though I was born and raised in the USA, I am living in the Czech Republic now. The terrible effects of Communism can still be felt here. A lot of people here still fear talking to their neighbors (a vestige of the Communist era when you never knew who was a Communist snitch). Prague was literally crumbling because the Communists would not spend money to maintain the buildings.

My best Czech friend would have become some nameless, faceless auto mechanic under Communism. Instead, he will probably run a multinational corporation some day.

You talk about how everyone had the basics of life. Nonsense! People lived miserable little lives of mediocrity and deprivation. Would you say a bear at the Moscow zoo has a good life? He lives in some undersized cage, and is fed rotting food. You could say the same thing about the citizens under Communism. They may not have starved, but they certainly didn't have much to look forward to.

Still think Communism is good?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Addendum: You talk about how everyone had housing under Communism. Yeah, most people had the worst kind: in the Czech Republic they are called "Panelaks". The walls are as thin as cardboard, so you can hear everything your neighbor says and does, the building is so poorly constructed you can hear the elevator, there is no airconditioning, and Panelaks are the ugliest buildings imaginable. I think I'd rather pitch a tent under a bridge. Thanks, but no thanks to your "free" Communist housing. This country will bear the ugly scars of Communism for many decades.

You talk about poor people in Russia. Well, I have two solutions. #1: stop the corruption. Economies like Russia's suffer greatly due to rampant government corruption. As soon as you sold off your state industries, you instantly created multi millionaires, even billionaires. It's this type of thing that keeps the average person from prospering, or having the chance to.

#2: If you are making good money, share it with your relatives. The Mormons (a religion) have NO POOR PEOPLE because extended families always help one another. Do you have some elderly aunt or cousin who needs some money? Help them out! That's what families are for.

Answer 3

Socialism/communism in theory sounds very nice, and for the poorest in the soviet block it was OK in practice, too --- for a while.

Once the wealth which had been stored up had been spent, the system collapsed. The problem was that nobody had an incentive to replace the massive wealth that the system was depleting, so the ship finally ran aground.

It is like a large family which inherits the family money and decides not to work any more. If they spend faster than their investments or other income will support, sooner or later their system will collapse. Then, they will have to start over.

So, it is very nice in theory, and it can be very nice for some in practice for a while, but it is not a system which aligns well with human nature, such as it is. Unfortunate, but true.

If you, yourself, count the number of people who need support, then count the number in your situation, and divide, you will find that your income would not go very far to support the number of people you would need to support. If you really believed in communism/socialism you would give away your money until you only had as much as those you are worried about. But, of course, you would have to continue working as you are.

That is the problem! That is why the system collapsed!

Answer 4

I don't think communism works properly because it allows society to impose it's will onto the individual but I don't think capitalism works either because the individual is allowed to impose their will onto society. As for dapixelator who says he knew people who didn't like communist Russia, I had a couple of friends from the former Czechoslovakia, a soviet satellite, who said they remembered communism as being really nice...just like this guy who wrote the question said. I however would not like communism, I think although businesses should be divided up equally and publicly entitled to all citizens and managed by citizens, that people should be allowed individualist flexibility when it comes to the work place, and personal liberty and freedom...So I don't think a *workers movement* would work, I think an *owners movement* would be more effective at tackling the problems posed by capitalism while not upsetting individual rights...and it would provide the best of both worlds.

Answer 5

You must have been the exception to the rule. I know plenty of people who lived in communist countries and it sucks. Cheap food? Sure, if they actually had any.

Cheap Houses? Sure, if you can get one. Plus they were all horrible places to live.

Bottom line is communism doesn't work for the most part. It breeds entitlement mentality and in the end doesn't benefit those who are supposed to benefit-- the people. Those who benefit the most are those with political connections. How many people had dachas in USSR?

Answer 6

I Canada, I've met TONS of people who lived in communist countries!!! You make some interesting points tho, this is of course why many capitalist coutnries have socialist (rather than communist) parties. They want to have a bit of both.

Most of them were unhappy with that system which is why they came to my country. Of course mabye many were happy and stayed there.

Key complaints for such people:
1) corruption
2) inefficiency

Not all of them thought all was bad.

Answer 7

You paint a very rosy picture of Communist Russia, which I don't believe for a minute. Communism doesn't work because it goes against human nature thus requiring governmental coercion to get anybody to do anything productive. This is called totalitarianism, and people have never liked it. Socialism will not work for the same reason - people are not allowed to do their own thing, although it sounds good in theory. Final point: Remember the "Iron Curtain"? It was built to keep people in, not keep foreigners out! I don't believe I've seen where democratic and capitalistic societies have that problem!

Answer 8

My great grandparents lived there. Lucky you that you didn't suffer. Do some freakin' research over 20 million people were murdered. Looks to me like a good reason for hating communism! right? Oh communism is good really? Why is Russia a backward country right now? Because of communism. Russia was winning world war 1 until they pulled in the communists! Maybe if your family was murdered in front of your eyes you would understand. If communism was sooo good why did people run away to other countries?

Answer 9

Well that does fly in the face of all my pen pals what they had to say about the USSR.

I guess your experience was different.

I like the idea of freedom and open boarders no Checkpoint Charlie.

To be able to openly critize the government.

Oh well my guess you are just the typical troll that floats through

Answer 10

Freedom, we believe in freedom.

Look at the pres of russia, he's in bed with the most evil governments in the world.

Look at china, would you want to live there? We can leave this country anytime we want because we have FREEEEEEDOMMMM.

In China, you cannot even say GOD. Look at Cuba and North Korea, poor, so very poor indeed and no freedom.