this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2024
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Yeah, though it started much earlier, in '68 and the subsequent opening in Poland for example. In 1980 we were already prepared to demand Pewex (imported) goods.
That's true the trends go back further, but I think it was still possible to turn things around in the late 80s if more competent people were in charge. In my opinion, the most important aspect of USSR that needs to be analyzed going forward is how to improve the political system in order to keep opportunists and the incompetent out of positions of power. It's a general unsolved problem pretty much all human societies have that quality of leadership declines when the times are good.
I doubt if it could be just entirely averted, but if we got Deng instead of Gorba... on the other hand, USSR and Warsaw Pact wasn't China, imperialists were way too invested into toppling and looting it, they would never left us just be there and rule ourselves on the promise of capitalism.
For sure, USSR was put under far more stress than China. The other aspect was that, unlike China, USSR was seen as an ideological threat.
A lot of it was the aging of the population and leadership, combined with loss of political knowledge caused by the loss of an entire generation during ww2.
Right, but the question remains of how to make sure things stay on track even under such conditions. Catastrophes like WW2 will happen sooner or later, and the ability to recover from such disasters is a critical aspect of ensuring the continuation of the system.