I think that you are probably not seeing that the change that occurred around the fall of the Soviet Union as we knew it was a product of a class movement internal to the Soviet Union. It was a reestablishment of the national bourgeoisie, enfranchised by the imperialist bourgeoise, both of which Yeltsin served as a kind of avatar for. It might have changed the conflict but the problems that caused it ran much deeper than the death of one individual could solely fix. Now perhaps there was an existing, educated and empowered political class of workers that was sufficient to reconciling the conflict in their favor? That's what would have been required.
Maybe Yeltsin's death would have given the proletariat some breathing room and allowed real socialists to grip their reigns a bit tighter, but who knows?
There were undoubtedly internal contradictions that would have continued to plague the country, but the failure to capture/kill Yeltsin effectively quashed the hardliner coup.
Now perhaps there was an existing, educated and empowered political class of workers that was sufficient to reconciling the conflict in their favor? That’s what would have been required.
Here's a question for that though: How in the hell did The Soviet Union of all places lack, or lose such a thing?
Here’s a question for that though: How in the hell did The Soviet Union of all places lack, or lose such a thing?
Long term rot. I really like Xi Xinping's take on this in the Governance of China, Khrushev's repudiation of Stalin and a focus on the party's failures instead of a focusing on how the party learned and rectified inevitable mistakes caused an ideological rot. In contrast, Xi says Deng's reforms did not throw the rest of the party under the bus, and instead strengthened it.
I feel like this is pretty applicable to what happened in Czechoslovakia too. People were quick to blame Stalin for all the country's woes. However, without Stalin and the Red Army our culture wouldn't even exist anymore. So by giving credence to the idea that Stalin was the problem, you also give an opening for people saying 'ah the Nazis weren't that bad' or 'maybe the West isn't wrong' by default which is why you have such a worship of fascist leaders in many post-Soviet states.
It's crazy that one Spetznaz officer could have arrested/put-a-bullet-in Yeltsin and Soviet Russia would still exist.
I think that you are probably not seeing that the change that occurred around the fall of the Soviet Union as we knew it was a product of a class movement internal to the Soviet Union. It was a reestablishment of the national bourgeoisie, enfranchised by the imperialist bourgeoise, both of which Yeltsin served as a kind of avatar for. It might have changed the conflict but the problems that caused it ran much deeper than the death of one individual could solely fix. Now perhaps there was an existing, educated and empowered political class of workers that was sufficient to reconciling the conflict in their favor? That's what would have been required.
Maybe Yeltsin's death would have given the proletariat some breathing room and allowed real socialists to grip their reigns a bit tighter, but who knows?
There were undoubtedly internal contradictions that would have continued to plague the country, but the failure to capture/kill Yeltsin effectively quashed the hardliner coup.
Here's a question for that though: How in the hell did The Soviet Union of all places lack, or lose such a thing?
For about the same reason Western labour movement in 80s was unable to do anything - they thought they already won and became complacent.
those motherfuckers
Long term rot. I really like Xi Xinping's take on this in the Governance of China, Khrushev's repudiation of Stalin and a focus on the party's failures instead of a focusing on how the party learned and rectified inevitable mistakes caused an ideological rot. In contrast, Xi says Deng's reforms did not throw the rest of the party under the bus, and instead strengthened it.
I feel like this is pretty applicable to what happened in Czechoslovakia too. People were quick to blame Stalin for all the country's woes. However, without Stalin and the Red Army our culture wouldn't even exist anymore. So by giving credence to the idea that Stalin was the problem, you also give an opening for people saying 'ah the Nazis weren't that bad' or 'maybe the West isn't wrong' by default which is why you have such a worship of fascist leaders in many post-Soviet states.