• Cowbee [he/him]
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    9 months ago

    Cuba has higher literacy rates and life expectancy than the US, the USSR doubled life expectancy compared to Tsarist Russia and went from Feudalism style farming to space in less than a century. Let there be no misconception, none of these states were ideal, and all had a good deal of issues, but what you’re describing just didn’t exist. All of them improved upon previous conditions.

    Venezuela is majority privatized, it’s a Capitalist state anyways.

    Again, not under Communism, but under Socialism.

    • El Barto@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Ok. Thanks. And what sources did you use to assert that? I’m not being pedantic or contrarian. It’s just that if I type “did communism improve people’s lives in the USSR and Cuba?” I don’t know if I can trust the answers (whether yes or no.)

      • Cowbee [he/him]
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        9 months ago

        Literacy rates by country: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate

        Life expectancy (looks like the US overtook Cuba as of 2021, likely due to the COVID problems within Cuba and the blockade against them): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy

        Life expectancy of Russia over time (note WWII as a significant dip): https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041395/life-expectancy-russia-all-time/

        Again, I’m not at all a Marxist-Leninist, I’m more of an Anarchist. I think we need to learn from what did and did not work.

        • El Barto@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Thanks, man. I’m a pursuer of the truth, even if it challenges my own deep-rooted beliefs, so this is helpful.

          One more question: what is it with those nations being overtly oppressive of its people? Would it be a coincidence and have nothing to do with communism? Or is it that authoritarian regimes somehow like the idea to promote communism so they get the people’s support?

          • Cowbee [he/him]
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            9 months ago

            A mix of reasons, a little of A, a little of B, a little of C. Generally, with the Soviet Democratic structure, the upper level Soviets weren’t as accountable to the masses as the ones below, leading to corruption in the Politburo. At the local level, things were fairly democratic, but the higher up you go the less the citizens can influence you directly.