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Comment by nbaksalyar | Hacker News Reader

    > We're all incredibly lucky that the soviet union folded into dust [...]
    > People were welcoming Nazis as liberators back in the day

You should consider, though, that the late Soviet Union is nothing like it was in Stalin's time. Almost a different country.

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On the surface it was nice and shiny - friendship of the nations. In the core it was the same Russian chauvinism that obsessed all the non Russian nations.

Russians do not understand it till today and are today more and more willing to execute the genocide against their neighbours when given the change (source: following the Russian media) due to aggressive xenophobic media campaign.

Wat? USSR had "reverse colonialism" where outskirts siphoned resources from Russian center. Compare standards of living in Georgia or Estonia to those of central RSFSR.

If you look at nationality of USSR leaders, they are overwhelmingly not Russian. Even when they were, they had neither possibility nor intent to spend resources on Russian people.

Yes, I know. The international imperialism and four seasons is the cause of all the misfortune, and fascist from Baltic states and Georgia. This is what stops a common Russian to live in prosperity. Did I cover all the bases?

I could give you my understanding about the root cause of Russian misfortune, but if you happen to be Russian (as it seems to be the case), you would probably not appreciate it. You would probably think that I try to insult you while it is just not true. Just some bits of history hurt. I know it from my own experience.

But I think that there is a deep historical reason why your named countries are doing in much sense better that Russia despite the lack of natural resources or endless fields of fertile soil.

Not anymore they don't. Georgia and Armenia were the richest as parts of USSR, but then they became independent and suddently needed to support themselves - they're pretty poor countries now.

Independent Ukraine failed to catch up with its 1990 GDP/person, as far as I know. I of course understand that direct comparsions between socialist and free-market countries are flawed.

Now, Baltic states fared better, but they got onto EU, making it not a fair comparsion.

You are trying to sell me the futility of argument on HN? Why bother writing anything then?

For a light read, I suggest "Red Primer, for children and diplomats":

http://redprimer.com/

Granted this is probably used as anti-communism propaganda, but author really means what he draws.. For the subject, http://redprimer.com/page35.php

First a totalitarian state, then a corrupt shithole that brought everyone around down with it. Same difference...

A "corrupt shithole" is as bad as tens of millions killed/starved? I don't think you quite understand what Stalins rule was like.

Actually, Russia feeds countries around it, not "brings them down".

Russia has oil to sell; most of ex-USSR countries don't. Nevertheless they enjoy priority in trade and immigration with Russia. They get investements, price cuts and sometimes direct monetary support from Russia.

Note, I'm not talking about Russia, the current somewhat democratic country, but the USSR.

The oil and gas trade is good for both sides. It's not like Russia is some benevolent country that provides for others, they sell resources for money and influence.

But soviet rule was shit. It institutionalized a system and a whole kind of thinking that was unsustainable, which then devolved into chaos.

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