Impact of WWII on the USSR

[Comrade #138672]

What was the impact of WWII on the USSR from a Marxist point of view?

According to Trotskyists, the USSR was a degenerated workers' state at that point. If so, did it, because of WWII, degenerate even further and more rapidly?

Also, after WWII, with Hitler and imperialist Germany out of the way, did the USSR turn imperialist like any other imperialist country? Or was Soviet imperialism somehow distinct from capitalist imperialism?

[Bolshevik Sickle]

The Soviet Union was facing a tough time under Stalins rule, but Hitler's invasion was just insult to the injury.

Stalin ultimately screwed his country over in the long-run by killing off his generals and top officers during the 30s. He got his wake up call when Hitlers Army was at Russia's doorstep. Stalin was scared shitless. He had to strengthen the Church to give his people morale and strengthen the army real fast. Overall it was a huge mess, but luckily they came out on top.

[Devrim]

The USSR was a capitalist state by that point. Its imperialism was essentially the same as that of other capitalist nations because it was a capitalist nation.

Devrim

[Geiseric]

The fSU was forced to get rid of capitalism in the eastern bloc by the workers themselves. The red armies advance was helped by communist partisans whom attempted to turn the war into a revolution. Unfortunately Stalinism is counter revolutionary so we saw conflicts such as Hungary fester due to bureaucratism and economic stagnation.

[Bolshevik Sickle]

The USSR was a capitalist state by that point. Its imperialism was essentially the same as that of other capitalist nations because it was a capitalist nation.

Devrim

If the USSR was capitalist how come there was free healthcare, housing, and education?

[GiantMonkeyMan]

If the USSR was capitalist how come there was free healthcare, housing, and education?
The UK during the post-war Keynesian period supplied large amounts of workers with free healthcare, housing and education and to some extent, although it's been largely eroded away due to neoliberalism, still does today. Was it an example of socialism in your opinion?

[Devrim]

If the USSR was capitalist how come there was free healthcare, housing, and education?

There wasn't free housing in the USSR.

There was free healthcare and education though, just like there was in many European countries such as the UK.

Was the UK socialist in your opinion?

Devrim

[Geiseric]

There wasn't free housing in the USSR.

There was free healthcare and education though, just like there was in many European countries such as the UK.

Was the UK socialist in your opinion?

Devrim

There wasn't institutionalized poverty in the fSU because the bureaucrats simply held a different reason to the workers than capitalists did, simply because they rose out of the revolution.

[Full Metal Bolshevik]

What the hell was USSR? It seems no one agrees on this issue.

I've seen it called socialist, capitalist, state socialist, state capitalist.

I don't think it's fair to call it neither capitalist or socialist. It should be state something, at least from what I know about the USSR.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

There wasn't institutionalized poverty in the fSU because the bureaucrats simply held a different reason to the workers than capitalists did, simply because they rose out of the revolution.

Alienation doesn't come from where the class comes from but from the way its relation to the means of production is substantively different. The bureaucrats weren't workers and they weren't accountable to the workers in any meaningful way.

[reb]

If the USSR was capitalist how come there was free healthcare, housing, and education?

I guess you support the glorious socialist republic of Canada then?

[reb]

What the hell was USSR? It seems no one agrees on this issue.

I've seen it called socialist, capitalist, state socialist, state capitalist.

I don't think it's fair to call it neither capitalist or socialist. It should be state something, at least from what I know about the USSR.

The people who agree that it was socialist are the bourgeois media and stalinists. Marxists all agree that it was capitalist.

[Alexios]

The fSU was forced to get rid of capitalism in the eastern bloc by the workers themselves. The red armies advance was helped by communist partisans whom attempted to turn the war into a revolution. Unfortunately Stalinism is counter revolutionary so we saw conflicts such as Hungary fester due to bureaucratism and economic stagnation.

Considering the fact that "FSU" refers to present-day Russia, Ukraine, etc., I don't think anyone doubts the existence of capitalism there.

[reb]

Didn't Trotsky say that if the USSR survived the war then it couldn't be considered a workers' state, degenerated or not?

[Bolshevik Sickle]

The USSR was a capitalist state by that point. Its imperialism was essentially the same as that of other capitalist nations because it was a capitalist nation. If the USSR was capitalist how come there was free healthcare, housing, and education?I guess you support the glorious socialist republic of Canada then?

Well it can't be considered 100% capitalist is some industries are free. Yesterday my local mcdonalds was giving out free coffee, so they pretty much socialized their coffe.

Okay they didn't socialize the coffee, but... Free Stuff = Form of Socialism, period.

[Per Levy]

If the USSR was capitalist how come there was free healthcare, housing, and education?

so the relationship of the working class to the means of production doesnt show if a country is capitalist or not?

instead reforms that were introduced in so many states around the world(many of them officialy capitalist) show if a country is capitalist or not?

yeah right.

[Devrim]

Well it can't be considered 100% capitalist is some industries are free. Yesterday my local mcdonalds was giving out free coffee, so they pretty much socialized their coffe.

Okay they didn't socialize the coffee, but... Free Stuff = Form of Socialism, period.

Most countries in the world give out free stuff. When I was a child as well as free education and health care, my mother got paid family allowance for having children. We were also given free school uniforms, lunches, and milk, plus free medicine.

Did I live I socialism and just not realise it?

Even in many countries that Americans would consider the 'third world' today, there is still free education, and health care.

Devrim

[reb]

Well it can't be considered 100% capitalist is some industries are free. Yesterday my local mcdonalds was giving out free coffee, so they pretty much socialized their coffe.

Okay they didn't socialize the coffee, but... Free Stuff = Form of Socialism, period.

That's a pretty poor understanding of what socialism is.