I'm really glad programming.dev didn't defederate. I first discovered lemmygrad and then hexbear through that instance. Since Stalin can suck it, here I am.
If you are looking for a good leftist take on Stalin that includes a whole chapter criticizing the USSR (but not from a U.S. propaganda angle), might I recommend Blackshirts and Reds by Michael Parenti? Tons of free PDFs if you google it. Very readable, pretty short, and you can get a lot of the material from his lectures on YouTube if you're pressed for time.
Btw, the Drug of part of my nick is the Yugoslavian version of comrade. Drug/Drugarica means male/female friend.
And to return a book recommendation, "counterrevolution and revolt" has some great points against using Marx and Soviet literature to educate new revolutionaries.
I think on the other hand you really have to consider the fact that if there was no soviet union then the capitalist powers would have torn Yugoslavia apart. It took a major world power being communist to occupy all the west's attention
Parenti's analysis of Stalin in Blackshirts and Reds is the weakest part of an otherwise excellent book. I can't really fault him as at the time of writing, the Soviet archives had not yet been analyzed in their entirety. For a better analysis that focuses specifically on Stalin, read Domenico Losurdo's Stalin: The History and Critique of a Black Legend.
I think the main thing to bear in mind about Yugoslavia is that whatever issues Yugoslavia had with the soviet union being in the soviet sphere of influence also protected them from the NATO block. After the soviet union fell apart the Germans, Americans, and British all started egging on different ethnic groups to give them resourses and kill each other for those resources and look how that turned out.
Note: these are just my thoughts on the matter. I was born in Yugoslavia, but the only thing I experienced were American bombs. My views were formed by research and talking with people from different countries who lived through most of it.
The fall of USSR was definitely a factor, but I don't think it's nearly as important as you're making it out to be. Also, Stalin was the reason why Yugoslavia's planned economy was fucked and why it had to take western money to survive. Don't get me wrong, the western influences were definitely a factor, but there was a lot more going at the time.
The whole federation was held together by a cult of personality, nearly nothing was done to resolve internal issues and nationalism, and there wasn't a sensible plan on what to do after Tito. That gave western agencies a route to sow dissent.
I suggest making an alt at least. The way federation is going for hexbear, it's the first instance I've used where it makes sense to browse by all instead of local.
I'm really glad programming.dev didn't defederate. I first discovered lemmygrad and then hexbear through that instance. Since Stalin can suck it, here I am.
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I mean, young Stalin was pretty damn good looking...
But yeah, still trying to break that habit.
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Thanks, glad to be here
Glad to have you :rat-salute-2:
If you are looking for a good leftist take on Stalin that includes a whole chapter criticizing the USSR (but not from a U.S. propaganda angle), might I recommend Blackshirts and Reds by Michael Parenti?
Tons of free PDFs if you google it. Very readable, pretty short, and you can get a lot of the material from his lectures on YouTube if you're pressed for time.
Thanks, and thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out.
My main issue with him is due to the Tito-Stalin split. Non-aligned > USSR
Mmm I can see it. Yeah, that's the type of criticism from the left stuff that makes sense.
Btw, the Drug of part of my nick is the Yugoslavian version of comrade. Drug/Drugarica means male/female friend.
And to return a book recommendation, "counterrevolution and revolt" has some great points against using Marx and Soviet literature to educate new revolutionaries.
Oooh who's the author?
Herbert Marcuse, here's the wiki link
I think on the other hand you really have to consider the fact that if there was no soviet union then the capitalist powers would have torn Yugoslavia apart. It took a major world power being communist to occupy all the west's attention
Parenti's analysis of Stalin in Blackshirts and Reds is the weakest part of an otherwise excellent book. I can't really fault him as at the time of writing, the Soviet archives had not yet been analyzed in their entirety. For a better analysis that focuses specifically on Stalin, read Domenico Losurdo's Stalin: The History and Critique of a Black Legend.
I've heard that mentioned a few times -- definitely on the list.
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Stalin is sad now, don't hurt my baby
He hurt my Yugoslavia, made it take aid from dirty capitalist pig, called Tito a fake communist and tried to get him killed. He should be sad
yeah, the tito stalin split was not good, but he is very sorry
he absolutely isn't but sure.
I think the main thing to bear in mind about Yugoslavia is that whatever issues Yugoslavia had with the soviet union being in the soviet sphere of influence also protected them from the NATO block. After the soviet union fell apart the Germans, Americans, and British all started egging on different ethnic groups to give them resourses and kill each other for those resources and look how that turned out.
Note: these are just my thoughts on the matter. I was born in Yugoslavia, but the only thing I experienced were American bombs. My views were formed by research and talking with people from different countries who lived through most of it.
The fall of USSR was definitely a factor, but I don't think it's nearly as important as you're making it out to be. Also, Stalin was the reason why Yugoslavia's planned economy was fucked and why it had to take western money to survive. Don't get me wrong, the western influences were definitely a factor, but there was a lot more going at the time.
The whole federation was held together by a cult of personality, nearly nothing was done to resolve internal issues and nationalism, and there wasn't a sensible plan on what to do after Tito. That gave western agencies a route to sow dissent.
Hey, that's where I'm visiting from!
I suggest making an alt at least. The way federation is going for hexbear, it's the first instance I've used where it makes sense to browse by all instead of local.
Yeah I'll get a local account just in case they chicken out of federating with your instance like the rest
They're still federated with lemmygrad so I doubt it. Also, FOSS is pretty communist