>From: Kelley <the-squeeze at pulpculture.org>
>
>excellent evidence for the failure of soviet socialism as specific to the
>logic of soviet state socialism--internal to it, not the result of external
>pressures or an accident of megalomaniac leadership.
>
It does presuppose an outside world with elites Soviet elites could compare
them too. Wouldn't have mattered much if the USSR had spanned the globe
(until we make contact with the imperialist Martians).
^^^^^^^ CB: That there were internal causes does not contradict that there were external "crucial" causes. Without constant invasion and threat of invasion by imperialism , including the Nazi holocaustic invasion and U.S./NATO threat of nuclear attack, there would have been no need to militarize Soviet society to the extent that there was. (There also would have been no need to occupy Eastern Europe as part of rolling up fascism). Without that, many more resources could have been used to provide satisfaction for wants and needs. Also, greater hierarchy or elites were probably a result of militarization.