Who talked about utopia? The USSR was far from a utopia, it was a state with flaws and lots of mistakes were made in the process. It is still demonstrably significantly more fair, egalitarian and less exploitative than anything we have in the west, which relies in the exploitation of the global south to sustain itself.
The whole “Utopian socialism” thing is a 200 years old argument that was dismantled back then, by the way. Engels himself has an essay called “Socialism: Utopian and Scientific”, explaining how early branches of socialism followed utopian goals and methods, but Marxism is scientific socialism based off historical materialism and empiricism. If you look at my comments above, I’ve talked about historical evidence with hard data, not about good wishes for the future.
I don’t see communism making any sustainable inroads anywhere in the world
That is if you ignore the main industrial powerhouse of the world (China), the island of Cuba, or the nations of Vietnam and Laos.
unless things get much much worse
As if, for example, the west started to support a genocide that murders over half a million people (most of them children), or if militarized police started kidnapping and disappearing random citizens without due process in the USA, or if fascist governments linked to Nazism and Fascism started to win elections in Italy or Germany?
Even then, it’s just temporary until capitalism takes hold again
To quote Ursula K. Le Guin: “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings”
The USSR is dead and cold, replaced by an authoritarian warmongering machine. It had its moment in the spotlight, but it failed, and it failed its russian and former citizens.
China promotes many good principles (in many ways so did the USA, cough cough), but it is heading in the wrong direction under Xi. It’s Communism with a human exploitative flavour, with the occasional public fig leaf of justice. That said, it could offer an umbrella of security for some more interesting experiments in the years to come. Watch this space, I guess.
Circling back to my original point, I maintain that communism isn’t going to gain popular support so long as the only viable way to achieve it is through violence and oppression, and so long as it buckles so easily under the pressure of outside forces.
I will continue voting and protesting for sensible left-leaning policies that promote fairness and well being for all, while steering clear of the extremists and simpletons who promote hate or explicitly or tacitly support genocides, wars of aggression, etc. The scales may tip enough one day to justify radical action, but not today - the risks of it going terribly wrong are too high.
Who talked about utopia? The USSR was far from a utopia, it was a state with flaws and lots of mistakes were made in the process. It is still demonstrably significantly more fair, egalitarian and less exploitative than anything we have in the west, which relies in the exploitation of the global south to sustain itself.
The whole “Utopian socialism” thing is a 200 years old argument that was dismantled back then, by the way. Engels himself has an essay called “Socialism: Utopian and Scientific”, explaining how early branches of socialism followed utopian goals and methods, but Marxism is scientific socialism based off historical materialism and empiricism. If you look at my comments above, I’ve talked about historical evidence with hard data, not about good wishes for the future.
That is if you ignore the main industrial powerhouse of the world (China), the island of Cuba, or the nations of Vietnam and Laos.
As if, for example, the west started to support a genocide that murders over half a million people (most of them children), or if militarized police started kidnapping and disappearing random citizens without due process in the USA, or if fascist governments linked to Nazism and Fascism started to win elections in Italy or Germany?
To quote Ursula K. Le Guin: “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings”
The USSR is dead and cold, replaced by an authoritarian warmongering machine. It had its moment in the spotlight, but it failed, and it failed its russian and former citizens.
China promotes many good principles (in many ways so did the USA, cough cough), but it is heading in the wrong direction under Xi. It’s Communism with a human exploitative flavour, with the occasional public fig leaf of justice. That said, it could offer an umbrella of security for some more interesting experiments in the years to come. Watch this space, I guess.
Circling back to my original point, I maintain that communism isn’t going to gain popular support so long as the only viable way to achieve it is through violence and oppression, and so long as it buckles so easily under the pressure of outside forces.
I will continue voting and protesting for sensible left-leaning policies that promote fairness and well being for all, while steering clear of the extremists and simpletons who promote hate or explicitly or tacitly support genocides, wars of aggression, etc. The scales may tip enough one day to justify radical action, but not today - the risks of it going terribly wrong are too high.