The Collapse of the USSR

[toastedmonkey]

I dont remember the collapse of the USSR, i was only a little kid.

Does anyone on here remember it well, or at all?

How was it portrayed in the media, both pro and anti communist?
Were you a communist at the time? How did u feel about it? How did people treat you, ie did they take the piss out of you??

[New Tolerance]

Personal Experience:

The most I can remember about that was that my uncle bought me a new globe and I asked him why USSR looked smaller and he told me that it broke up a few weeks ago. My grandfather was a Commisar, and I don't remember him saying anything about it.

What they told me in school:

When the USSR broke up, there were celebrations all over the place, especially in the US.

[Comrade Ceausescu]

I was like two when it happend.However my dad(you all know the story about him!)would always tell me the stories of each seperate country in eastern europe where socialism collapsed.he fed me lies all my life about socialism.

[UnionofSovietSocialistRepublics]

They love the berlin wall commin down:angry: they think it shows freedom. fools.

[Comrade Ceausescu]

Freedom my ass.Most in Eastern Germany today are very nostalgiac towards socialism.The DDR was one of the most successful socialist societies ever.

[Soviet power supreme]

Freedom my ass.Most in Eastern Germany today are very nostalgiac towards socialism.The DDR was one of the most successful socialist societies ever.

Well DA.Isn't that obviously because those goverments were lot better than current ones.

[Iepilei]

I remember hearing very little about it, growing up in the US. I never realised it was a big deal - but I was like 6 at the time, so yeah.

I was talking to a guy from St. Petersburg the other day about his perceptions following the fall of the Union. He said, personally, he didn't notice much of a initial transition outside of the fact they switched currencies quite often. He said he remembers hearing much about violent protests in Moscow and the renaming of Leningrad. I remember him mentioning something about the displacement of people as far as jobs went. He said there were many affected, but he, himself, wasn't really.

[SonofRage]

I remember when it fell. It was potrayed as being a coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. I remember thinking to myself "Good riddance." Today when I think about it, I say to myself "Good riddance." :D

[YKTMX]

Who cares? It was a sideways movement.

[LuZhiming]

I doubt the reactions in Cuba were enthusiastic. Didn't Cuba lose something like 80% of its trades, with the USSR gone? :( Helping Cuba was the only good thing the tyrannical USSR ever did.

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

I was like 3 when the USSR collapsed. I don't remember much of it. We were in Taskent of Kiev, when at the end of our street the Lenin statue was downed by an angry mob. Damn hypocrit bastards

[Comrade Ceausescu]

Helping Cuba was the only good thing the tyrannical USSR ever did.

:lol:

[Kez]

The east germans were singing the internationale during the break up, they didnt want capitalism, they wanted change to socialism from deformed workers state

Sideways movement? i take it you subscribe to the "theory" of the Cliffites then??

Note how the collapse was a retrogressive movement for both the workers and communists alike

[ernestolynch]

Of course those arsehole Cliffites announced in their ever-absorbent trash-rag on the fall of Socialism in the Soviet Union -

"Communism is Dead - Something Every Socialist should Rejoice!"

Unspeakable fiends, the Social Workers Party.

[Kez]

Socialist Wankers Party

[LuZhiming]

Originally posted by [email protected] 14 2003, 09:49 PM

Helping Cuba was the only good thing the tyrannical USSR ever did.

:lol:
Are you laughing at my statement because you feel it was stupid or ridicolous? Or are you laughing because of the brutal truth of it? Do you agree or disagree with my statement?

[Comrade Ceausescu]

Are you laughing at my statement because you feel it was stupid or ridicolous?
yes. :lol:

[Bolshevika]

Originally posted by [email protected] 17 2003, 12:44 AM

Are you laughing at my statement because you feel it was stupid or ridicolous?
yes. :lol:
I second this statement. Cuba is almost identical to the Soviet model.

[El Brujo]

I was 7 years old at the time and on a long winter vacation in Argentina. All I really remember was coming back and my teacher (who was a Cuban-yankee worm) talked about the breakup and how people were "happy."

[suffianr]

All I can remember about the Soviet collapse was wondering what those red spots were on Gorbachev's forehead. No, really.

[Comrade Ceausescu]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[LuZhiming]

Originally posted by [email protected] 17 2003, 01:00 AM
I second this statement. Cuba is almost identical to the Soviet model.
I knew someone would bring this up. The difference between Cuba and the USSR is that Cuba has helped the people by means not as devastating to commoners as the USSR's. Cuba didn't waste all of its money on an unnecessary military budget, the Soviet Union did. Cuba's troops have been proven to give medicine to commoners, Soviet troops are well known as brutal rapists. Cuba didn't spend its time looting other countries, the USSR did. Cuba actually did bother to spend a lot of money and research for hospitals and medicine, the USSR didn't. It's really funny how people can call the U.S. imperialists and whine about their brutal invasions, while praising the Soviet Union. Such double standards! The U.S. and the Soviet Union were both overly competitive, hypocritical, imperialists. Besides, the only reason Castro ever became allied with the Soviet Union is to protect himself from the U.S., who were literally in the process of caring out hundreds of terrorist attacks against Cuba, and Cuban embassies in other countries.

[the SovieT]

after the collapse of the USSR two long date comrades meet on the street

"comrade! see all they told us about communism was wrong!"

"indeed, unfortunally all they told us about capitalism was right.."




this is just a litle "joke" i always like to tell, this because it basicly sums up the russian situation right now...


the Soviet dream isnt over comrades, the working class shall be victorious


"Vozes ao alto, vozes ao alto, unidos como os dedos da mão, havemos de chegar ao fim da estrada ao sol desta canção!"

[toastedmonkey]

Thanks everyone that posted, if you want to read more this topic had more success at Communist Corner (http://groups.msn.com/communistcorner/messageboard.msnw)

Heres the link... http://groups.msn.com/communistcorner/gene...st=5231&CDir=-1 (http://groups.msn.com/communistcorner/general.msnw?action=get_message&ID_Message=5172&ShowDelete=0&ID_CLast=5231&CDir=-1)
:)

[Soviet power supreme]

Russian communist party says that recreating the Soviet union is the ony way to go forward.

[New Tolerance]

Come to think of it.

Can anyone tell me what has been done so far to restore the Soviet Union?

[Comrade Ceausescu]

Well the Russian Communist Party is not in power,so there isn't much they can do about it right now.

[Indysocialist]

Don't know if you've heard this but I heard it somewhere and found it amusing:

"A train full of communists was riding through the field of life when suddenly it stops. Comrade Stalin suddenly awakens and says 'Shoot the driver!' Comrade Khruschev intervenes and says 'No no! We must reform him!' Comrade Brezhnhev pipes up and says 'No comrades, let us close our eyes, rock back and forth and it will seem as if the train is moving.' Then Comrade Gorbachev steps in and says 'No comrades, let us step outside of the train and yell at the top of our lungs THE TRAINS NOT MOVING! THE TRAINS NOT MOVING!"

Yeah, this isn't a political statement from me, just an interesting joke I read from a book in a library. Those crazy libraries... :ph34r:

[Soviet power supreme]

Yes I have heard that one.After Gorbachev Jeltsin says to Russians"Take your hats of your heads and start begging money from west."

[BuyOurEverything]

Cuba didn't waste all of its money on an unnecessary military budget, the Soviet Union did.

Unneccesary? You think that if the USSR was undefended the yanks wouldn't have destroyed them as soon as they were formed?


Cuba's troops have been proven to give medicine to commoners, Soviet troops are well known as brutal rapists.

I'm not really sure where you got this from but rape is common for soldiers in any army. Unfortunate but true. If you're going to say this though, how about some stats to back it up? Did the soviets rape more women per capita than average?

[Hate Is Art]

i dont have any hard facts but i saw a tv show on the history channel saying how the red army raped loads of women after the fall of berlin.

im unsure if they did more than usual, could just be propaganda

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

Originally posted by LuZhiming+Nov 18 2003, 04:41 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (LuZhiming @ Nov 18 2003, 04:41 AM)
[email protected] 17 2003, 01:00 AM
I second this statement. Cuba is almost identical to the Soviet model.
I knew someone would bring this up. The difference between Cuba and the USSR is that Cuba has helped the people by means not as devastating to commoners as the USSR&#39;s. Cuba didn&#39;t waste all of its money on an unnecessary military budget, the Soviet Union did. Cuba&#39;s troops have been proven to give medicine to commoners, Soviet troops are well known as brutal rapists. Cuba didn&#39;t spend its time looting other countries, the USSR did. Cuba actually did bother to spend a lot of money and research for hospitals and medicine, the USSR didn&#39;t. It&#39;s really funny how people can call the U.S. imperialists and whine about their brutal invasions, while praising the Soviet Union. Such double standards&#33; The U.S. and the Soviet Union were both overly competitive, hypocritical, imperialists. Besides, the only reason Castro ever became allied with the Soviet Union is to protect himself from the U.S., who were literally in the process of caring out hundreds of terrorist attacks against Cuba, and Cuban embassies in other countries.[/b]
First of all. The CA did help people by providing medicines. In Afganistan before the situation had escalated they did help the people. Rape is unfortunatly something that happens to all armies with frustrated troops.

The USSR spent a lot on the military, because it was necessary. Cuba also had a pretty big military for such a small country.

The USSR had one of the best healthcare systems in the world and spent a lot of money on researching and producing medicines. Also helping other countries, among them Cuba.


It&#39;s really funny how people can call the U.S. imperialists and whine about their brutal invasions, while praising the Soviet Union.

Which Soviet invasions would you claim to be Imperialistic? And didn&#39;t Cuba invade Angola?

USSR made a lot of mistakes, but it&#39;s to harsh to claim that the only good thing was to support Cuba. Cuba isn&#39;t the "Saint" that you claim it to be.

[LuZhiming]

Unneccesary? You think that if the USSR was undefended the yanks wouldn&#39;t have destroyed them as soon as they were formed?

"The Yanks" weren&#39;t extremely powerful until quite a bit after the formation of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union under Stalin made itself a potential target, and obliterated any chances of it looking like &#39;the innocent guys being attacked by imperialists.&#39; Not that I am justifying the actions of the other imperialists by any means. You do realize that both the U.S. and the Soviet Union did make an agreement on which lands they could keep under their ideological control, right? And the fact that Castro is still in power today, pretty much refutes that arguement anyway.


I&#39;m not really sure where you got this from but rape is common for soldiers in any army. Unfortunate but true. If you&#39;re going to say this though, how about some stats to back it up? Did the soviets rape more women per capita than average?

As common as it is, the U.S. army, as bitterly opposed to U.S. policies as I am, in most wars had excellent conduct in at least, that respect. Let&#39;s not forget that ancient Chinese armies were often well disciplined, they didn&#39;t rape or plunder. And the Chinese were able to carry this out without threat of torture. If the ancient Chinese can do it, so can the Soviets. And figures for rape? :lol: Seriously, how often are such studies conducted? I doubt there are many, and the ones that are, are quite likely baseless propaganda efforts.


First of all. The CA did help people by providing medicines. In Afganistan before the situation had escalated they did help the people.

This may be an exception, but you can&#39;t deny Russia&#39;s brutality in Europe. There actions in Germany are completely unexcusable, and the invasion of Hungary was an imperialist action. Besides, the Russia invasion of Afghanistan was an attempt to take over the country, that is quite different from Cuba&#39;s intervention in Angola, whatever your opinion of it is. UNITA continued to wage guerilla warfare against MPLA, and that is why Cuba was in those lands. You notice the poorest countries that have suffered U.S. oppression, such as Haiti and Nicaragua think very highly of Cuba.


Rape is unfortunatly something that happens to all armies with frustrated troops.

That just isn&#39;t true. It&#39;s funny that Cao Cao, thousands of years ago, had superior military discipline to the Soviet Union.


The USSR spent a lot on the military, because it was necessary. Cuba also had a pretty big military for such a small country.

The necessity of it is quite debatable. And even so, a country with such great military spending should at least be able to uphold military discipline, that&#39;s just pitiful. <_<


The USSR had one of the best healthcare systems in the world and spent a lot of money on researching and producing medicines. Also helping other countries, among them Cuba.

Saudi Arabia has one of the best healthcare system too, is that an arguement for oppressive Islamist regimes? No. The USSR&#39;s support of Cuba is something I praise them for. And in places like El Salvador and Vietnam, the communist guerillas were fighting against brutal forces, supported by the U.S. That does not justify the Soviet invasions in Europe.


Which Soviet invasions would you claim to be Imperialistic?

Not necessarily the invasion, but the way in which the Soviets occupied their portion of Germany, was dispicable, brutal, and unjustified. The invasion of Hungary and parts of Mongolia were without a doubt imperialistic as well.


And didn&#39;t Cuba invade Angola?

I have already posted on this "invasion" above.


USSR made a lot of mistakes, but it&#39;s to harsh to claim that the only good thing was to support Cuba. Cuba isn&#39;t the "Saint" that you claim it to be.

Yeah, you are right that it is too harsh to claim that the only good thing the USSR did was the support of Cuba. But, I stand by my claim that the USSR were often imperialists, rapists, looters, and tyrants. I do not consider Cuba any of these things. I do not believe Cuba is a "Saint," I am against Castro&#39;s recent jailing of a large number dissidents for example, but I do not consider it apart from ideologically, to be very similar to the Soviet Union.

[sanpal]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2003, 07:54 AM
Don&#39;t know if you&#39;ve heard this but I heard it somewhere and found it amusing:

"A train full of communists was riding through the field of life when suddenly it stops. Comrade Stalin suddenly awakens and says &#39;Shoot the driver&#33;&#39; Comrade Khruschev intervenes and says &#39;No no&#33; We must reform him&#33;&#39; Comrade Brezhnhev pipes up and says &#39;No comrades, let us close our eyes, rock back and forth and it will seem as if the train is moving.&#39; Then Comrade Gorbachev steps in and says &#39;No comrades, let us step outside of the train and yell at the top of our lungs THE TRAINS NOT MOVING&#33; THE TRAINS NOT MOVING&#33;"

I&#39;ve heard this old russian joke in different interpretation when the USSR existed (in Brezhnev&#39;s time).
It sounds so: "The USSR&#39;s train suddenly stops amid field. Comrade Lenin says some orations and the train has moved. Than it stops again. Comrade Stalin shoots a part of passengers and forces survived passengers to get out of train and move it with his hands and the train has moved again. But not for a long time and it stops because rails come to the end. Comrade Khruschev points out to strip the rails behind the train and construct the branch line forward. When the next stop has happend Comrade Brezhnhev pipes up and says &#39;Comrades, let us close our eyes, rock back and forth and it will seem as if the train is moving".

[YKTMX]

Originally posted by [email protected] 15 2003, 12:03 AM
Of course those arsehole Cliffites announced in their ever-absorbent trash-rag on the fall of Socialism in the Soviet Union -

"Communism is Dead - Something Every Socialist should Rejoice&#33;"

Unspeakable fiends, the Social Workers Party.
Communism? The Soviet Union was never classless or stateless. The opposite in fact, it was state obcessed and rife with class divisions. If you&#39;re going to be a moron, at least get your terminology correct.

As I said earlier , the collaspe of the Soviet Union was neither here nor there for socialists. It was just replacing one form of capitalism with another. People may well be "nostalgic" for it, not that this proves anything at all. People are "Nostalgic" for the third reich, doesn&#39;t mean it&#39;s a good idea.

[Bolschewik]

I was only 6 at the time, living in Ukraine -- all I could remember was an uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty, similar to that most Americans felt on 9-11. The general consensus was as such. People did not try to fight it nor did they try to help the transfer of power, it was just a period of uncertaintly, pessimism and optimism.

[Charliesoo]

I don't remember much of the collapse.

I was only 7 when it happened and I don't have many memories from that time period. I wish I had more though. The only real memory I have is Gorbachev's forehead (like a previous poster stated). I always remembered him as the guy with the marks that looked kind of like the Italian peninsula on his head - missing Calabria though...

I'm sure it was met with jubilation here in the United States. I, myself, see it as a disaster. What was once a stable region now is a garbled mess barely hanging on by the Commonwealth of Independent States.