March 28th 2022
Until this very day… merely uttering the word, “Socialism,” can draw a strong reaction from Eastern Europeans. However, this circumstance is due to a, “post-war era,” which has seen the Eastern European economy ripped in half by 2 contrasting philosophical ideals… survival of the fittest and Socialism. Whereby, in the years following WWII and in the wake of that military destruction Eastern Europe had initially attempted Russian Socialism… followed by an overwhelmingly negative outcome in the 1980’s.
Which most people now know was one of the more disastrous, “economic experiments,” in modern history, however, I personally feel as though this issue is acutely relevant to today’s war in Ukraine and the concept of, “Socialism,” itself.
Dissecting The Past
Whereby, yes, it is true… Socialist policies in East Germany, Prussia, Czech Republic and Poland did undergo dramatic price increases, hyper inflation and unyielding poverty throughout the 1980’s… however, it is also important to note that US Capitalism similarly failed during the 1930’s and that it was only after a full economic collapse that the US economy was, “revived,” by wartime spending.
My point being, that despite the knee jerk reaction to cringe at the very utterance or thought of milk prices soaring to 25 dollars a gallon under Josef Stalin, as a result of Socialist bureaucracy, that this outcome can A) also occur under Capitalist policies and B) isn’t entirely damning of Socialist philosophy, in my opinion. Whereby, to be clear, inflation is but 1 economic mechanism in a myriad of checks and balances on economic control… and in my opinion and especially as automation continues to replace more and more manual labor jobs, inflation should not be viewed as a fatal flaw of Socialist policies, today.
Nevertheless, in my defense of Socialism… there are many topics to discuss… however, today’s war in Ukraine I believe generally underlines the main issue. Whereby, in countries like Denmark, Ukraine and Poland and particularly in the aftermath of WWII, there have been unsettled economic disputes for hundreds of years… which have also contributed to the economic dysfunctions which are so often blamed on Russia’s ambition of economic autonomy and Socialism. Whereby, to be clear, in many European countries for example, “work itself,” does not bring the same wages or hardships as it does in say America… simply because of the age of the European economy. Whereas, families in Europe or China who have specialized in various trade(s) since in some instances over 1000 years ago, often still profit off of jobs that their ancestors held in centuries past, creating a deeper unease, inflation and disagreement in that part of the world concerning social mobility, which I believe has been the root cause of both Socialist and Capitalist, “failings,” throughout Eastern European history. Or in other words, a lot of people feel very strongly about money in general, both in America and in Europe and I think that today many people are too quick to misplace that blame on the philosophical system of, “Socialism.”
A New USSR?
But in conclusion… I believe that today’s war in Ukraine is the first step towards a reformation of the USSR and that Russia is currently seeking economic autonomy from the global economy which could be a good thing! Take the US porn industry for example, an industry fueled by N. American Capitalism, whereby, in this industry… you’re now witnessing hyper inflation in California, today. Because how do you score an industry like US porn? And could the economic fall-out from Los Angeles’ porno conglomerates not lead to further economic inflation, in the future? Under Capitalism? And that could happen, no different than in Eastern European economies in the late 1980’s. Whereby, the system of Socialism (or government controlled money markets) in my opinion, should not be blamed for past inflationary spending, which at it’s roots has always been the result of centuries old disputes over past and current labor.
-William Larsen, Founder CiviliansNews.com
PS: The irony being that… as I’m in NYC writing this… Alexei Navalny is in Moscow protesting his government in favor of Russian Capitalism. Oh the irony! And similarly, at the same time Chinese protesters have been pleading with the Chinese government for more North American economic practices, as well. So I find that it’s also worth noting, that both systems; Capitalism and Socialism, aren’t entirely to blame for past economic fall-outs or hyper inflation, in my opinion.