this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2024
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Communism
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_socialism
Which particular actually existing socialism are you referring to as being functional and not actually capitalistic?
There's not really a list there, but generally, places like Cuba, what once was the USSR, Vietnam, Laos, the PRC, etc. There are also Socialist-adjacent areas like Chiapas and Rojava.
Cuba is a great example of where socialism shines. The government is small enough and the culture is contiguous enough that it's a take good option there. Good call.
What one was the USSR led to what now is Russia - many States being away and associating to greater degrees with the west, and corruption spreading like a plague. Not that the US is doing well on that front right now, but it has lasted slightly longer than the USSR without becoming total shitshow. We're getting there, though.
Capitalism can, with a discontiguous culture, 'hold it together' longer than socialism can in a similar situation before shitting the bed - particularly when there are options for some socialistic services present.
PRC isn't precisely a shining example of socialism, but is doing a great job of adopting a lot of ideas from capitalism. If any nation sorts out the balance of socialism and capitalism via praxis, it will be the PRC. Their human rights record isn't great, though, and really doesn't seem any better than western counterparts. I can accept that the PRC is a power, but I don't think it truly fits socialism, regardless of its roots.
Again, though - cultural contiguity is really key to really successful truly socialistic states - but that has greater difficulty dealing with diversity - and that shows in larger states, where excessive cultural colonization occurs (as with the PRC), or corruption results.
Thank you.
The USSR beat the current Russian Federation on nearly every quality of life metric until recently. The RF is not a consequence of the USSR, but of the killing of the USSR. The USSR, like Cuba, was good for the vast majority of citizens.
Actually ahistorical, the USSR was far more resiliant in times of crisis. The USSR didn't collapse, so much as it was killed from within. It had issues, all states do, but it was not in a time of crisis.
The PRC is a transitional Socialist economy. It has a very large public sector, and though it is no longer Maoist, it is still Socialist overall. You may wish to read China Has Billionaires.