Keep peddling debunked Black Book of Communism mythology, I guess.

No, not really

Thanks!

Doing my best as a baby ML 🫡

Always love and appreciate your comments, comrade!

I am aware of the Soviet Union expelling fascists and Tsarists from the party, and punishing those found corrupt, criminals, or had been members of the White Army. I am aware of the GULAG administration that formed the early Soviet prison system, read Russian Justice for more on how that functioned. I am aware of the famine in the 1930s. I have read these articles, as pretty much every Western Communist has had to, these are not “gotchas.”

The real truth of the matter is that the western anti-Communist “Left” that denounces the USSR and every real attempt at building Socialism plays into the hands of the US Empire. The Soviet Union was a massive victory for the working class, the first real Socialist state in history, and with it came dramatic improvements in key life metrics and working class dignity.

1. Life expectancy doubled.

2. The economy was democratized, following the method of Soviet Democracy

3. Wealth inequality shrank, while economic growth boomed:

4. Large expansions in social safety nets were made, such as free and high quality education and healthcare.

5. Housing rates skyrocketed, and literacy rates over tripled to 99.9%.

6. Food security was achieved in a country that was always food insecure.

7. The Red Army defeated the Nazis, with 80% of the combat of World War II on the Eastern Front.

8. The Soviet Union supported countless liberation movements, such as in Cuba, Algeria, and more.

And many, many more achievements. People who denounce the USSR maintain unstated approval for the other Great Power, the United States, which without the USSR would have been entirely unopposed. The US, which committed Imperialist slaughter and even genocide in Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Angola, Palestine, and many, many more countries, was opposed primarily by the Soviets.

The Soviet Union was by no means perfect, nobody asserts that, but to claim that the Soviet Union did “more harm than good to the Leftist movement” is ludicrous. This is the sentiment of Western Chauvanists that don’t want to support Socialism unless they are the ones who acheive it. Jones Maonel was spot on in Western Marxism Loves Purity and Martyrdom, but not Real Revolution.

You should read Dr. Michael Parenti’s Blackshirts and Reds, or at the very least the sections on “Left” Anti-Communism.

I think you should use your experiences in Azerbaijan as a push to confront some of your biases, and re-examine your understanding of Socialism in the Soviet Union. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t “totalitarian” by any stretch either. The benefits of the Socialist economic structure are pined for precisely because they worked, and did so for the common people. There are improvements that can and have been made in other Socialist countries, but these improvements would not have been possible without the brave Soviet people pioneering Socialism as it exists in the real world.

…liberal?

Removing gender roles in order to more equitably distribute the workload is progressive. You can remove morality from that equation and it still works, ergo it is absolutely something we should support and there are no reasons to perpetuate backwards gender roles.

Quite supportive! Though it isn’t accurate to ever say the Revolution calmed down, IMO, the USSR was under constant siege.

Absolutely, it was only for symbolic reasons, not even for practical gain.

Definitely would be preferable over the US.

The US is founded on settler-colonialism and genocide, and is currently the world’s largest Empire.

I have, actually. Want to elaboroate at all?

Objectively they were used to prevent the Soviets from gaining influence, and forcing Japan into an unconditional surrender, instead of conditional. They didn’t save anyone but US Imperialism.

The US fights for Imperialism and famine, though. It doesn’t engage in war for moral reasons, but for profit, and as the world Hegemon, that directly incentivizes US Imperialism.

A ranking only exists for propaganda purposes, though, that’s why it’s Western Government-Funded.

As for Lemmy and an instance creator being “bought,” it could happen, sure, but it hasn’t, and moreover such an instance can be defederated from.

Not quite. That’s the line they gave for justifying murdering a hundred thousand civilians, the reason was to stop the Soviets from gaining further influence, as they had just declared war on Japan and stood to gain even more post-war cred after defeating the Nazis.

No. The firebombings of Tokyo more than made up for that.

The US only dropped the A-Bombs on Japan because they didn’t want the Soviets to gain even more post-war leverage, they killed civilians in the many tens of thousands just for political leverage.

NATO is the largest Imperialist millitary coalition in the world, NCD being NATO focused directly means that it’s focused on celebrating Imperialist atrocities.