• merc@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    The USSR wasn’t really socialist at its core, and the new Russia really isn’t capitalist at its core.

    In the former system, the theory was that the people / workers owned the means of production. The reality was that it was the leader and those close to him who really “owned” them in the sense that they had power over them. It was all about who you knew in that system. In a true socialist system, it should have been up to the people to make decisions, but in the USSR it was up to the party’s elites, and the people just had to live with it.

    In the current system, it’s Putin and his close circle who own everything. While they allow capitalist type activities to happen, the capitalists don’t really own anything. If they displease Putin anything they have can be taken away on a whim. If you stay on Putin’s good side, or at least stay beneath his notice, you can operate as a capitalist. But, become too successful and you’ll be reminded who’s in charge.

    Both true socialism and true capitalism require that the rule of law apply to everyone, even the leaders. If the leader can just ignore the laws and seize the “means of production” without facing consequences, it’s authoritarianism, not capitalism or communism / socialism.

    • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      The USSR was a flawed form of Socialism, but was fundamentally Socialist. The majority of the economy was run by Worker Soviets, in a process called Soviet Democracy. The Politburo, ie the highest Soviet, had a massive amount of influence and power, but day to day decisions were made locally. I would agree, I don’t think it was a particularly good form of Socialism, but I would still consider it Socialist.

      Modern Russia is absolutely Capitalist at its core, that’s the entire foundation of the Russian Federation. The Capitalists are the Oligarchs! The Inner Circle are Capitalists! just because it’s a higher stage of Capitalism doesn’t mean it ceases to be Capitalism.

      • merc@sh.itjust.works
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        8 months ago

        The USSR was a flawed form of Socialism, but was fundamentally Socialist

        Was the rule of law strong enough that decisions were being made by the people, or were they being made by authoritarians? Because if key decisions weren’t being made by the people, it wasn’t socialist.

        The Capitalists are the Oligarchs!

        The Oligarchs are feudalists, not capitalists.

        • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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          8 months ago

          Yes, it actually was. The Politburo had outsized power, but the local Soviets ran most things. Again, incredibly flawed, but still Socialist.

          Oligarchs are not land owners that take a portion of what food is grown by the Russian people, the Oligarchs are Capitalists.

          • merc@sh.itjust.works
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            8 months ago

            Oligarchs are not land owners

            Oligarchs control the exploitation of Russia’s natural resources. Can’t get much more “land owner” than that.

            • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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              8 months ago

              Capitalists can do that as well, without being feudalists. You’re tying an ancient peasant-aristocrat structure to modern Capitalism just to avoid acknowledging that Capitalism has failed Russia.

              • merc@sh.itjust.works
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                8 months ago

                You’re trying to pretend that an oligarchy / dictatorship has something to do with capitalism because you hate capitalism.