The number of Russians who want to go back to the USSR has reached 66 percent in 2018, setting a 15-year record, a fresh poll revealed. It’s an 8 percent increase compared to last year when 58 percent of those surveyed said “yes” to the question if they regretted the fall of the Soviet Union, the Levada-Center poll said.
The numbers have never exceeded 65 percent since 2004, while the absolute record was set in 2000, when 75 percent gave an affirmative response. Levada-Center has started asking the population this question in 1992, a year after the USSR fell apart.
The majority of those nostalgic for the Soviet Union were people older than 55. However, in recent years such moods have also been growing among those aged between 18 and 24 years, the pollster said.
60 percent of the respondents also expressed the belief that the collapse of the USSR could’ve been prevented.
The people mainly miss the Soviet Union because of the destruction of the joint economic system of its 15 republics (52 percent); the loss of a sense of belonging to a great power (36 percent) and the growth of mutual distrust and enmity among former countrymen (31 percent).
The increase in the number of those missing the USSR was triggered by this year’s pension reform, which increased the retirement age by five years, Karina Pipiya, a Levada-Center researcher, said.
No, people are just unhappy about the fact that oligarchy stole their pensions. These stupid comments are annoying, when people are asked what they miss about socialist times they are always specific that they miss the safety nets. Take for example survey taken in Czech republic
49% thinks that there are less job opportunities these days. 53% considers themselves physically less secure. 61% liked security of social contributions in the old system more than the current one.
This news made me less bitter towards Russian people. They didnt want this. It was a inside job/coup d'etat. But other easter bloc countries are a different story.
Gabriel Price
Those who lived in USSR miss it the most.
Nolan Moore
worshipping a political leader that has very little relevance to your country is LARP. if leftists in America started walking around with pictures of Bill Haywood and trade union flags nobody would call it LARP.
Benjamin Walker
where is the problem with that? To me it looks like each according to his needs is a very actual slogan then.
Henry Howard
I feel like these kinds of displays of political imagery are far less LARPy if you actually live in a former Soviet republic.
Anthony James
This, stick with figures relevant to your country’s history that people can actually relate to. Even hammer and sickle flags are a bit silly to me, as someone who lives in America. It’s all in the messaging, not the symbols
Caleb Harris
More people in America know who the fuck Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Che, Castro, Mao, Minh, Kim are, than Debs.
I hate crypto shit.
Julian Howard
And most Americans think the following about these people: Bearded man who hates money and was poor Man who turned Russia communist and killed kulaks. Possible German agent Killed six billion innocent Ukrainians, edited people out of photos, gulags >Che That dude radlibs wear on their shirt Castro Cigar-man who enslaved the Cubans and survived a billion CIA assassination attempts Killed six trillion people in famines Evil commie controlled by Soviets Evil commie worshipped as a god-king
Walking around with most of these guys on signs would be political suicide (besides maybe Marx and Lenin). Even if Debs is obscure today it would be much better politicking to use his image
Ethan Morris
here are two more reasons to avoid name-dropping those people as well: 1) they are all designed in our education to be "trigger words" that procure an emotional response. it's better to be obscure and syndicalist since it's something your average American-educated burger probably has nothing against. 2) all of those leaders are Leninist, which means their policies were heavily suited towards economically peasant-run societies. De Leonism is a far more urban, first-world-relevant political philosophy.
Liam Jones
What do you mean when you say “it’s better to be obscure”? I am of the belief that we need to be as direct AND simple as possible in conveying what we are to average people who have less political education. For example, I identify as either a socialist or a Marxist even though I am influenced heavily by figures such as Lenin, Mao, Huey Newton and Thomas Sankara. Calling myself a “Sankarist” or “Newtonist” to everyday Americans would be silly and needlessly obscurantist, and I would say the same of DeLeon. You can be influenced by his work but still just call yourself a socialist, there’s no reason to play the name-game when it does more harm than good. The term “socialist”, while misunderstood in America (“socialism is when the government controls things”), is the most unambiguous and clear term we can use
Jason Sanchez
When people ask things like I merely scoff and answer back, "Left winger? No. I am a communist." No shit like "Marxist-Leninist" or "Anarchist" or "Libertarian Socialist." I am a communist and will use any means to achieve my aims.
The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.
Not him, and I don't have strong feelings either way, but isn't using different labels how the Right can recruit so effectively?
This way they can obscure their true aims and draw in gullible fuccbois who otherwise wouldn't be attracted to overt right-wing ideas.
But, I do agree with the general sentiment that we shouldn't be apologetic about being actual communists.
Jayden Allen
I don’t think we have as much of a reason to label and re-lable ourselves as much as the right does due to the fact that I personally think we have a much more liberating vision and aims which, if presented and correctly understood, offer a much greater appeal than thinly-concealed fascism, glorification of hierarchy and war, xenophobia and nationalism. Either way of course, the main enemy is the US government. They can sense a threat from a mile away and can see your new labels for socialism / communism for what they really are with ease. If leftists get serious the jackboot will come down no matter what as it has many times before
Josiah Parker
brave of you to do that in a first world country filled with reactionary shitheads who literally think communism means everyone shares a toothbrush and you have to live in a gulag.
They're not getting the USSR back, the RSFSR? A revolution could bring it
Andrew Baker
They could get the CCCP back but it's just gonna be them and Byelorussia lel. Maybe another one or two other CIS states could be convinced to hop on board in the coming decades.
Bentley Ortiz
If the situation in Russia, Europe, America and China continues to deteriorate then who knows what will happen with the countries we know less about.
Julian Watson
people in this country don't even know the definition of communism and think it means equal pay. believe it or not being as edgy as possible doesn't work outside the internet.
Andrew Cruz
It will never come back the way it used to be, but if Russia turns commie in the mid-future (not totally a unreasonable thought) they might literally name themselves USSR again, probably much less powerful though.
Jeremiah Sanders
I don’t think that post advocated for anything “edgy” at all
Lucas White
I know you're probably not serious, but this libshit argument: So literally everyone wants the USSR except Russian porky - hm, what does that say about it?
Easton Rodriguez
communism is a curse word in the United States, just like the word "nigger" and "faggot". using it liberally is a political death sentence.
Carter Reed
The post doesn’t even have the word communist in it. It says socialism, which as a term is on the margins of political acceptability, though for pseudo-socialists like AOC only it seems.
Cameron Myers
Doesn't matter, the alternative of not using it is even worse. It is to concede control of all resistance to reformists. Adopting communism but refusing to call it communism will just end up with our opponents all calling us communists anyway, don't be naive.
Daniel Rodriguez
In Central Asian Turkic states most of the youth absolutely hates USSR and their policies. Only people that are supporting communists are boomers who are not paid their social security checks. But dream on man whatever
I've been to a few KPRF rallies. They're really fun and don't start with a winded shitty prayer.
My great grandfather was a Chemist under Stalin.
Colton Anderson
People here think Yugoslavia was actually a normal state and also want it back.
Irony is they don't realize they are living in same system as Yugoslavia, only the emblems are changed, everything else is the same, it's living on IMF credit 2.0.
Kek.
Blake Perez
Let's talk realistic prospects for a new USSR, it has some fairly serious problems, but some potential too
Luis Jackson
At least the IMF moolah went to the people, no?
Dylan Myers
This is cowardly and moronic, and all it says is that you're unwilling to do the hard work of educating people as to the truth of history and what communism entails as a whole.Anyone who is afraid to engage people who may hold derisive opinions of their views shouldn't even bother being communist and likely don't take their own politics seriously.
I doubt you've ever argued with anyone irl mautist. you can't just beat people over the head and talk down to them like a zealot. you have to show some amount of epistemic humility in a debate besides screeching "MAO ZEDONG DID NOTHING WRONG" like that doesn't allow people to project their preconceived notions onto you. you are confusing stupidity with cowardice.
Cameron Campbell
*stupidity with courage
Tyler Clark
You're doing a lot of projection there, user. I talk to my co-workers, neighbors, and friends about beliefs all the time, and it's not arguing, they're discussions. I don't yell at them about being wrong or beat them over the head with abstract theory and dogmatism. but when history and politics come up, I don't hold back on my beliefs. I'll point out to them when something they believe is historically wrong or a misrepresentation of my politics. Of course, nobody is going to understand everything immediately and just shrug off years of propaganda, no one expects that unless they're a social moron. But as a communist who believes in communism and hates the retarded historical revisionism that runs rampant in society, I'm going to tell people the truth about history and my beliefs instead of just sitting by while everyone parrots untrue bullshit. You don't get people to agree that your positions are right by pretending not have them. Also I'm not even a maoist, I just like the flag.