Why the Soviet Union Imploded - Jeffrey Sommers (pt 2)

Follow us on:

#PaulJay
#theanalysis
#sovietunion
#socialism

[theAnalysisnews]

The Soviet Union became dependent on easy energy sales, and consumer production stagnated, says Sommers. Gorbachev’s democratic and economic reforms supposedly meant to head towards a European style social-democracy, but instead created conditions for the rise of the oligarchs and the free for all of the ‘90s. Jeffrey Sommers joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news






Follow us on:

#PaulJay
#theanalysis
#sovietunion
#socialism

[Cy]

Soviets supporting revolutions yes, but you left out this was because the US supported or turned a blind eye to colonialism esp in Africa.

[hansgiebenrath]

loved this Interview. ya don't get this in-depth analysis on the telly.

[ujean]

Have you done a videos on how the West became an Oligarchy with a comparison of the Russian Oligarchy? Are there any videos on Analysis News on how to defeat/change/replace an Oligarchy with a socialist democracy? Is this even a good idea?

[NoWay]

Yes, yes, the upper middle class has more in common with the poor than they do with the 100-millionaires and the billionaires. It's just math. If you make $200, 000 a year, you're a lot closer to someone making $30, 000 than you are to someone making $3, 000, 000. The top tax rate, IIRC, stops at just under a half a million dollars for a couple. That's a married doctor and a lawyer. They pay the same top income tax rate of 36% that a billionaire pays only without the tools that the billionaire has to reduce their tax rate. Republican voters are just born suckers and the conservative Democratic voters who stimy the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warrens of the party, they're suckers too.

[patbyrneme]

A very interesting account of the period leading up to and during Gorbachev's reform effort. However, it gives the impression once again that Gorbachev's failure was inevitable when in fact much better outcomes were possible if Gorbachev had followed different policies.
For example, it entirely fails to examine the post -Mao Chinese reform successes upon which Gorbachev modelled his changes. And how he failed to understand or apply the Chinese methods which were key to their spectacular gains first in agriculture and then in light industry/consumer goods. Gorbachev tried to do too much too quickly and thus came up against entrenched interests without any positive results with which to carry people along with him.
Also, Gorbachev was unable to see through the creation of the Special Economic Zones that in China had brought in foreign investment and technology.
I believe that in any progressive analysis of the Gorbachev period it is not enough to just explain what went wrong but to examine whether there were ways in which Gorbachev could have successfully reformed the Soviet system and overcome it's internal contradictions. Success in this endeavour could have transformed the lives of the People's of the Soviet Bloc and the world.
Sadly, Gorbachev's mistakes led to impoverishment of the ex-soviet nations and the dangerous growth of an increasingly unequal US dominated planet. Fortunately, hope remains alive through the rise of China and the Fair World Order alternative that is now emerging in Eurasia and the developing world.

[Cy]

Stephen Cohen talked about polls saying the majority still wanted the Union. Something doesn't add up.

[syijbhi]

You're still going about the Russian oligarchs? As if they're the ones that matter in terms of geopolitics. Elon just sent the starlink bill to Washington. He's clearly a contractor. Any mention of that oligarch at the analysis?

[BaronEvola]

B.S. It collapsed because the debts were paid off and there was nothing left to steal.