USSR and "Communism"

[enigma2517]

I know that the Soviets called themselves communists, but did they ever explicitly refer to their nation as "Communist"?

Can you say that a nation's "idealogy" is communism?

Is that legitamate?

[viva le revolution]

The USSR was never communist. Objectively speaking, they reached socialism for a brief peroid but then degenerated into plain faced capitalism.

[Jadan ja]

No country ever achieved or attemped achieving communism. There were only socialist countries.

I dont understand why is there so much confusion of terms socialism and communism (probably because political parties advocating socialism are called communist parties).

[celticfire]

The USSR was charecterized as socialist, with communists (those who claim there ultimate is a classless, stateless society of freely associating human beings) as the leading force. But this is true of Cambodia, Sri Lanka, China, Cuba, Vietnam, N. Korea, and a good deal of the Eastern World. So you can't accept that someone is a communist just because they claim it.

I am a Maoist, I think socialism existed in the Soviet Union between 1917-1957 and China between 1949-1976, and there were active national liberation movements with socialism as a goal such as Cuba, Vietnam, etc.

You have to examine the content of these revolutions in order to discover there real role.

Stalin in 30's believed the Soviet Union was rapidly advancing towards communism and there was no class anatagonisms in Russia. This was obviously false.

[Janus]

No, they never referred to themselves as a "communist" nation, which is an oxymoron. This is why the USSR is called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I'm sure that the leaders continually stated that progress towards communism was being made, but they stayed in the socialist phase until it's breakdown.

[ComradeOm]

Originally posted by Comrade [email protected] 25 2005, 03:34 PM
No, they never referred to themselves as a "communist" nation, which is an oxymoron. This is why the USSR is called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I'm sure that the leaders continually stated that progress towards communism was being made, but they stayed in the socialist phase until it's breakdown.
Exactly. The politburo always maintained that the USSR was "on the road to" communism without actually mentioning when they would get there.

Personally I doubt there was ever attempt to reach communism after the 1920s.

[Amusing Scrotum]

Originally posted by ComradeOm
Personally I doubt there was ever attempt to reach communism after the 1920s.

I did read somewhere that a high up party member came up with a plan for an advancement to Communism in the late forties/early fifties and Stalin rejected it.

I don't know the accuracy of that story, but it would produce an interesting "what if?" if true.

[death88junkie]

No country ever achieved or attemped achieving communism. There were only socialist countries.


I dont understand why is there so much confusion of terms socialism and communism (probably because political parties advocating socialism are called communist parties).

Isn't Communism one way of achieving socialism?!? :unsure:

[death88junkie]

I don't think any country has ever reached or will reach Communism in the near future. eventho a cuple do try, they dont. this is because Communism needs very industrialised cities and selfless people who work cuz they wanna help others and not for the money...
and people havent been showing this... i think corruption is inevitable.. but i really REALLY hope im wrong!

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12 2006, 06:14 PM
Isn't Communism one way of achieving socialism?!? :unsure:
socialism is one way of achieving communism

[ComradeOm]

Originally posted by Armchair [email protected] 26 2005, 07:48 AM
I did read somewhere that a high up party member came up with a plan for an advancement to Communism in the late forties/early fifties and Stalin rejected it.

I don't know the accuracy of that story, but it would produce an interesting "what if?" if true.
I just saw this now.

It would've been possible for the USSR to begin the transition to socialism by the late forties. Unlike 1917 the proletariat was large and advanced enough to assume power.

Of course its not difficult to see why Stalin would have been aghast at any suggestion of this. The new ruling class were far to comfy in the Kremlin of any of that "letting the proletariat rule" business. In fact, assuming the story is true, I'm surprised that it was suggested at all!