Memes

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[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

Lemmy is federated, Lemmy.world is more of a "liberal echo-chamber" while an instance like Lemmygrad.ml is going to be more Marxist-Leninist. There's also Hexbear.net, which has Marxists and Anarchists alike in a united anti-Capitalist space. I don't personally agree with the idea that a Communist echo chamber in the West can exist, all Communists in the West exist in a system that overwhelmingly demonizes us at every turn, we can't shut out liberal ideas even if we wanted to. Meanwhile, liberal echo chambers can exist, as liberalism is the status quo.

As for Lenin, I admire him greatly, overall. His analysis of Imperialism, contributions to the National Question, and creation of successful revolutionary strategy are critical to the Marxist Canon. Lenin helped create the world's first Socialist state, itself a tremendously progressive force for its own working class and a liberatory movement globally in areas such as Cuba, Algeria, China, Korea, Angola, Vietnam, Palestine, and more.

He's also a really funny writer, in that he always manages to shit-talk Kautsky for his opportunism, and the ultimate betrayal of the Working Class by Kautsky's Second International.

I wouldn't call Marxists creating our own spaces outside corporate-controlled media like Reddit "wild," it's a natural conclusion. If Marxists are demonized in corporate media and censored, we will create our own spaces where we won't be silenced.

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[–] Letsdothisagain@lemmy.world 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

Who is in this federation?

It's a lot to respond to, but it's all very interesting. Not really what I meant by "wild"... more like, this is surprising to find all this, but also I shouldn't be surprised.

It's all a cycle, in the political sense. We all want balance, but things get out of balance, and we try to fix it. It's because our memories suck lol.

I have seen ex soviets pine for the old bolshavik days. I have also seen interviews with those who barely survived starving to death, like millions of others had.

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[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"Federated" like email is. There are different "instances," you are on Lemmy.world, I am on Lemmy.ml. We can talk to each other because Lemmy.world and Lemmy.ml are federated, ie linked, just like Lemmy.world is linked with many other instances. Unlike Lemmy.ml though, Lemmy.world is defederated from instances like Hexbear.net and Lemmygrad.ml, so while I can see them and interact, you cannot. That's a good thing for some people, and bad for others, the "free speech absolutists" tend to like Lemm.ee or other general purpose instances federated with as many instances as possible.

Each instance has its own rules, communities, and flavors, so each can provide something unique. Lemmy.world is a generalist instance, like Lemmy.ml.

As for nostialgia for the Socialist system, it's well-documented. Polling is consistently favorable towards the Socialist system, even if we check different polls. There are a number of reasons for this, from simple nostalgia to the old days to simple fondness for youth, but the most consistent answer is economically.

Contrary to your suggestions of mass starvation, outside of the struggles with collectivization in the 1930s and World War II, where the Nazis took Ukraine (the USSR's breadbasket) at the start of the war, food was secure. The CIA even documented this internally, favorably comparing the nutrition to US nutrition. This is also supported by a doubling of life expectancy from the Tsarist system, gradually increasing over time.

The biggest reason why Soviet nostalgia exists, is because life was easier for the working class. There was comprehensive and free healthcare, education, and childcare, housing was affordable, economic growth was consistently rapid and positive while wealth inequality was low, and there was a general degree of hope throughout. Scientific achivement was celebrated, including the first man and first woman in space, despite being feudal half a century before. Stephen Gowens has a good article titled Do Publicly Owned, Planned Economies Work? that goes over the myriad strengths of the Soviet Economy, as well as where it faltered, and partially why the USSR was eventually dissolved.

With the dissolution of the Socialist system came a collapse of the economy. Prostitution, drug abuse, crime, and poverty all skyrocketed. New luxuries were available for those who could afford them, but an estimated 7 million people died from the lack of food security throughout the world due to the economic collapse.

The reasons behind its dissolution included the following problems:

Liberal reforms that gave the Bourgeoisie power over key industries (such reforms were actually a major desire of the 1968 Dubcek platform, in even greater quantity, hence why it was shut down by neighboring Warsaw Pact countries)
A firm dedication to planning by hand even as the economy grew more complex and computers too slow to be adapted to the planning mechanisms
A huge portion of resources were spent on maintaining millitary parity with the US in order to dissuade US invasion
80% of the combat done in World War II was on the Eastern Front, and 20 million Soviets lost their lives, with no real economic support from the West in rebuilding despite taking the largest cost of war
An enclosed, heavily sanctioned economy relied on internal resource gathering, closed off from the world market

Countries like the PRC have taken to heart what happened in the USSR. As an example, the PRC shifted to a more classically Marxist economy, focusing on public ownership of only the large firms and key industries, and relying on markets to develop out of private ownership. This keeps them in touch with the global economy without giving the bourgeoisie control of key industries, and thus the bourgeoisie has no power over the economy or the state.

The PRC is where the USSR is really succeeded. It's an astounding achievement, and proof that Socialism not only works, but excels, and is indisputably the way foward, all the way into Communism. There are also other Actually Existing Socialist states that carry the torch, such as Cuba, the DPRK, Vietnam, Laos, and to a smaller extend Kerala, the Sahel States, Venezuela, Belarus, and more.