The End of American Hegemony (Or at Least Global Influence)

[Organized States]

No, American hegemony isn't over. It's being challenged. There's a huge difference.

The United States' post-World War II global hegemony was built on the fact that it represented one of two countries that was able to economically recover from the Second World War. The rest of the world, and even our closest rival, was completely destroyed and bankrupted by the war. What we're seeing now is the full effect of the recovery from the Second World War, believe it or not. The rest of the world is now catching up to the United States in terms of economic potential and political relevancy.

The American Century isn't over, but I tend to think the Chinese Decade has begun.

[Stylan]

Yeah, because communism actually works for the people.

Tell that to millions of people killed in the Great Purge, the Holodomor, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, and various other atrocities committed under communist states.

Do i really have to do this for the millionth time?

Ah well.

1) Do you know how many people capitalism has killed, and continues to kill daily?

2)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 9-0055.pdf
Study using World Bank data, which found that socialist countries had a higher quality of life than capitalist countries when controlling for level of economic development. Quality of life was measured using criteria such as life expectancy, literacy, daily calorie consumption per capita, access to higher education, housing, etc.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10 ... -Q7UP-DUA2
Study by Vicente Navarro, Professor of Health and Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, which found that "contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have been, for the most part, better able to improve health conditions than have capitalism and capitalist forces." It also states that "the evidence presented in this article shows that the historical experience of socialism has not been one of failure. To the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving the health conditions of the world's populations."

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/d ... 1&type=pdf
Professor of Economic History, Robert C. Allen, states that "the Soviet economy performed well", remarking that it achieved "high rates of capital accumulation, rapid GDP growth, and rising per capita consumption even in the 1930's," and that "recent research shows that the standard of living also increased briskly." Also states that "This success would not have occurred without the 1917 revolution or the planned development of state owned industry." A longer version of this work was published in book form by the Princeton University Press:

https://web.williams.edu/Economics/brai ... july08.pdf
Detailed analysis of living standards in the USSR, which found that the Soviet Union achieved "Remarkably large and rapid improvements in child height, adult stature and infant mortality," using this data to state that "significant improvements likely occurred in the nutrition, sanitary practices, and public health infrastructure." Also states that "the physical growth record of the Soviet population compares favorably with that of other European countries at a similar level of development in this period." Finally, states that "The conventional measures of GNP growth and household consumption indicate a long, uninterrupted upward climb in the Soviet standard of living from 1928 to 1985; even Western estimates of these measures support this view, albeit at a slower rate of growth than the Soviet measures."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... C641BD7237
Study demonstrating the steady increase in quality of life during the Soviet period (including under Stalin). Includes the fact that Soviet life expectancy grew faster than any other nation recorded at the time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/
Researchers from Stanford University and the National Bureau of Economic Research state that "China's growth in life expectancy at birth from 35–40 years in 1949 to 65.5 years in 1980 is among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history." They attribute this primarily to Mao's socialist policies (giving them approx. 70% of the credit), which increased access to healthcare, education, and nutrition.

https://www.univerlag.uni-goettingen.de ... 38616-63-6
In-depth comparison of the world's two largest countries by population, one of which is socialist, and the other capitalist. Includes a detailed analysis of China under Mao Zedong, concluding that "the accomplishments relating to education, healthcare, land reforms, and social change in the pre-reform [Maoist] period made significantly positive contributions to the achievements of the post-reform period." It describes Maoist China's "remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment," stating that "casual processes through which the reduction of undernourishment was achieved involved extensive state action including redistributive policies, nutritional support, and of course health care."

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 498133.pdf
Detailed CIA report, stating that the Soviet diet was remarkably similar (and in some ways healthier) than the American diet.

https://www.unicef.org/cuba/
Statistics compiled on the official UNICEF website, showing that Cuba's life expectancy and literacy rate are higher than those of the USA, and Cuba has a lower percentage of babies born with low birthweight (5.2%) than the USA (8.28% according to the CDC). Low birthweight can be an indicator of many problems, from poor nutrition to fetal disorders and stress during pregnancy; Cuba's better statistic here is a major quality of life indicator.

https://www.wfpusa.org/countries/cuba/#
USA branch of the World Food Program (the food-assistance branch of the United Nations) claims that Cuba's "comprehensive social protection programs" have helped to drastically reduce hunger in Cuba. This is especially impressive when Cuba is compared to other developing countries, and considering the decades of economic blockade.

https://artir.files.wordpress.com/2016/ ... .png?w=640
(This was originally on the UN's website) Chart showing per capita calorie consumption in the USA and USSR over time, according to the FAO.

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-1.pdf
Report from the CIA which found some interesting things about the gulags, including that between 65% and 95% of prisoners (depending on the camp) were imprisoned for genuine crimes (such as theft, murder, rape, etc.) rather than political offenses.

http://sovietinfo.tripod.com/GTY-Penal_System.pdf
Study published in the most prestigious historical journal in America, which found that the total amount of gulag prisoners was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that "The frequent assertion that most of the camp prisoners were 'political' also seems not to be true." The study found that between 12% and 33% of camp prisoners were imprisoned for political offenses, with the rest convicted of legitimate crimes. This is corroborated by the following source as well.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499175?se ... b_contents
An article refuting many common misconceptions about the so-called "Great Terror" under Stalin, demonstrating that the number of people arrested was much lower than commonly supposed. Also discusses the general support of the Soviet people for the socialist government, refuting the notion of a "captive population" put forth by many reactionaries.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499177?se ... b_contents
Robert W. Thurston, professor emeritus at Miami University (Ohio), thoroughly debunks the claims of Robert Conquest (and other reactionary historians) on the Stalin-period of the USSR, stating "Stalin, the press, and the Stakhanovite movement all regularly encouraged ordinary people to criticize those in authority." He points out that many arrests in the 1930's were actually late punishments for genuine offenses, such as serving in the White Army during the Civil War. Thuston also puts forth the question "If the citizenry was supposed to be terrorized and stop thinking, why encourage criticism and input from below on a large scale?" He also states that "my evidence suggests that widespread fear did not exist in the case at hand [the Soviet "Great Terror" period]".

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bw0h
Investigates the extent of coercion and force in Stalin's USSR, concluding that "Stalin did not intend to terrorize the country and did not need to rule by fear. Memoirs and interviews with Soviet people indicate that many more believed in Stalin's quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it." The book also shows that "between 1934 and 1936 police and court practice relaxed significantly. Then a series of events, together with the tense international situation and memories of real enemy activity during the savage Russian Civil War, combined to push leaders and people into a hysterical hunt for perceived 'wreckers.' After late 1938, however, the police and courts became dramatically milder."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/or ... 31AC8C82EF
Debunks several classic myths surrounding the purges under Stalin, demonstrating how the death toll was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that the purges were not the deliberate result of nefarious plotting by Stalin, but rather the ad hoc results of inner-party conflict and attempts to consolidate power.

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/978033 ... #aboutBook
Details the extent and causes of the Ukrainian famine, thoroughly debunking the claim that the famine was deliberately caused by Stalin, or the Soviet government in general.

https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article ... 19218.html
The lead authors of the infamous "Black Book of Communism" rejected the claim that 100 million people were killed by communism, claiming that this figure was the result of their work being distorted by the lead editor of the book. (this can also be found elsewhere)


Also, the Victims of Communism foundation, which "counts" "victims" of communism counts literal nazis, deaths by coronavirus, and white army soldiers as "victims" of communism.

[Saiwania]

Some rumors as of late are that China and Iran are entering into a strategic partnership. Its a definite move to undermine the US and Saudi Arabia.

[The Socialist Republic of Astrakhan]

So I'm going to start this by saying, yes, I'm an American, and no, this isn't all Trumps fault. The reason American hegemony and global influence is ending is because it is the natural order of things. No nation stays in its Golden Age for long, and America is seeing the effects of that. Yes, many of Trump's decisions have hastened America's downfall, but to say that this angry, orange man is the cause of all our problems is a lie. It is simply the fact that America never realized that its Golden Age ended a while ago. We have refused to adapt and have relied on the fact that the rest of the world looked at America as its big brother, someone to emulate. Now, the world tries to ignore America as it struggles with it getting its act together. While we basked in our glory, the Old World decided to catch up and surpass us. My hypothesis is that if Trump is reelected, America will collapse in the next few decades. If Trump is not elected, then, depending on the new President's choices, America might yet survive, or at the very least live for another century, but we won't see America be making the world's choices for it.

So, NSG, what do you think? - probably D.T ORANGE man is racist sucks a lot - disgrace to America basically

[The Socialist Republic of Astrakhan]

Some rumors as of late are that China and Iran are entering into a strategic partnership. Its a definite move to undermine the US and Saudi Arabia.

yes - they are friends

[The Emerald Legion]

Tell that to millions of people killed in the Great Purge, the Holodomor, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, and various other atrocities committed under communist states.

Do i really have to do this for the millionth time?

Ah well.

1) Do you know how many people capitalism has killed, and continues to kill daily?

2)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 9-0055.pdf
Study using World Bank data, which found that socialist countries had a higher quality of life than capitalist countries when controlling for level of economic development. Quality of life was measured using criteria such as life expectancy, literacy, daily calorie consumption per capita, access to higher education, housing, etc.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10 ... -Q7UP-DUA2
Study by Vicente Navarro, Professor of Health and Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, which found that "contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have been, for the most part, better able to improve health conditions than have capitalism and capitalist forces." It also states that "the evidence presented in this article shows that the historical experience of socialism has not been one of failure. To the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving the health conditions of the world's populations."

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/d ... 1&type=pdf
Professor of Economic History, Robert C. Allen, states that "the Soviet economy performed well", remarking that it achieved "high rates of capital accumulation, rapid GDP growth, and rising per capita consumption even in the 1930's," and that "recent research shows that the standard of living also increased briskly." Also states that "This success would not have occurred without the 1917 revolution or the planned development of state owned industry." A longer version of this work was published in book form by the Princeton University Press:

https://web.williams.edu/Economics/brai ... july08.pdf
Detailed analysis of living standards in the USSR, which found that the Soviet Union achieved "Remarkably large and rapid improvements in child height, adult stature and infant mortality," using this data to state that "significant improvements likely occurred in the nutrition, sanitary practices, and public health infrastructure." Also states that "the physical growth record of the Soviet population compares favorably with that of other European countries at a similar level of development in this period." Finally, states that "The conventional measures of GNP growth and household consumption indicate a long, uninterrupted upward climb in the Soviet standard of living from 1928 to 1985; even Western estimates of these measures support this view, albeit at a slower rate of growth than the Soviet measures."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... C641BD7237
Study demonstrating the steady increase in quality of life during the Soviet period (including under Stalin). Includes the fact that Soviet life expectancy grew faster than any other nation recorded at the time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/
Researchers from Stanford University and the National Bureau of Economic Research state that "China's growth in life expectancy at birth from 35–40 years in 1949 to 65.5 years in 1980 is among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history." They attribute this primarily to Mao's socialist policies (giving them approx. 70% of the credit), which increased access to healthcare, education, and nutrition.

https://www.univerlag.uni-goettingen.de ... 38616-63-6
In-depth comparison of the world's two largest countries by population, one of which is socialist, and the other capitalist. Includes a detailed analysis of China under Mao Zedong, concluding that "the accomplishments relating to education, healthcare, land reforms, and social change in the pre-reform [Maoist] period made significantly positive contributions to the achievements of the post-reform period." It describes Maoist China's "remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment," stating that "casual processes through which the reduction of undernourishment was achieved involved extensive state action including redistributive policies, nutritional support, and of course health care."

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 498133.pdf
Detailed CIA report, stating that the Soviet diet was remarkably similar (and in some ways healthier) than the American diet.

https://www.unicef.org/cuba/
Statistics compiled on the official UNICEF website, showing that Cuba's life expectancy and literacy rate are higher than those of the USA, and Cuba has a lower percentage of babies born with low birthweight (5.2%) than the USA (8.28% according to the CDC). Low birthweight can be an indicator of many problems, from poor nutrition to fetal disorders and stress during pregnancy; Cuba's better statistic here is a major quality of life indicator.

https://www.wfpusa.org/countries/cuba/#
USA branch of the World Food Program (the food-assistance branch of the United Nations) claims that Cuba's "comprehensive social protection programs" have helped to drastically reduce hunger in Cuba. This is especially impressive when Cuba is compared to other developing countries, and considering the decades of economic blockade.

https://artir.files.wordpress.com/2016/ ... .png?w=640
(This was originally on the UN's website) Chart showing per capita calorie consumption in the USA and USSR over time, according to the FAO.

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-1.pdf
Report from the CIA which found some interesting things about the gulags, including that between 65% and 95% of prisoners (depending on the camp) were imprisoned for genuine crimes (such as theft, murder, rape, etc.) rather than political offenses.

http://sovietinfo.tripod.com/GTY-Penal_System.pdf
Study published in the most prestigious historical journal in America, which found that the total amount of gulag prisoners was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that "The frequent assertion that most of the camp prisoners were 'political' also seems not to be true." The study found that between 12% and 33% of camp prisoners were imprisoned for political offenses, with the rest convicted of legitimate crimes. This is corroborated by the following source as well.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499175?se ... b_contents
An article refuting many common misconceptions about the so-called "Great Terror" under Stalin, demonstrating that the number of people arrested was much lower than commonly supposed. Also discusses the general support of the Soviet people for the socialist government, refuting the notion of a "captive population" put forth by many reactionaries.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499177?se ... b_contents
Robert W. Thurston, professor emeritus at Miami University (Ohio), thoroughly debunks the claims of Robert Conquest (and other reactionary historians) on the Stalin-period of the USSR, stating "Stalin, the press, and the Stakhanovite movement all regularly encouraged ordinary people to criticize those in authority." He points out that many arrests in the 1930's were actually late punishments for genuine offenses, such as serving in the White Army during the Civil War. Thuston also puts forth the question "If the citizenry was supposed to be terrorized and stop thinking, why encourage criticism and input from below on a large scale?" He also states that "my evidence suggests that widespread fear did not exist in the case at hand [the Soviet "Great Terror" period]".

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bw0h
Investigates the extent of coercion and force in Stalin's USSR, concluding that "Stalin did not intend to terrorize the country and did not need to rule by fear. Memoirs and interviews with Soviet people indicate that many more believed in Stalin's quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it." The book also shows that "between 1934 and 1936 police and court practice relaxed significantly. Then a series of events, together with the tense international situation and memories of real enemy activity during the savage Russian Civil War, combined to push leaders and people into a hysterical hunt for perceived 'wreckers.' After late 1938, however, the police and courts became dramatically milder."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/or ... 31AC8C82EF
Debunks several classic myths surrounding the purges under Stalin, demonstrating how the death toll was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that the purges were not the deliberate result of nefarious plotting by Stalin, but rather the ad hoc results of inner-party conflict and attempts to consolidate power.

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/978033 ... #aboutBook
Details the extent and causes of the Ukrainian famine, thoroughly debunking the claim that the famine was deliberately caused by Stalin, or the Soviet government in general.

https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article ... 19218.html
The lead authors of the infamous "Black Book of Communism" rejected the claim that 100 million people were killed by communism, claiming that this figure was the result of their work being distorted by the lead editor of the book. (this can also be found elsewhere)


Also, the Victims of Communism foundation, which "counts" "victims" of communism counts literal nazis, deaths by coronavirus, and white army soldiers as "victims" of communism.

So you can find a bunch of pro-soviet propagandists. It's not hard. We're in the middle of a literal propagandistic push towards communism in Academia.

[Stylan]

So I'm going to start this by saying, yes, I'm an American, and no, this isn't all Trumps fault. The reason American hegemony and global influence is ending is because it is the natural order of things. No nation stays in its Golden Age for long, and America is seeing the effects of that. Yes, many of Trump's decisions have hastened America's downfall, but to say that this angry, orange man is the cause of all our problems is a lie. It is simply the fact that America never realized that its Golden Age ended a while ago. We have refused to adapt and have relied on the fact that the rest of the world looked at America as its big brother, someone to emulate. Now, the world tries to ignore America as it struggles with it getting its act together. While we basked in our glory, the Old World decided to catch up and surpass us. My hypothesis is that if Trump is reelected, America will collapse in the next few decades. If Trump is not elected, then, depending on the new President's choices, America might yet survive, or at the very least live for another century, but we won't see America be making the world's choices for it.

So, NSG, what do you think? - probably D.T ORANGE man is racist sucks a lot - disgrace to America basically

Pretty much agree. China will rule the world. Strange times comrade.

[Stylan]

Do i really have to do this for the millionth time?

Ah well.

1) Do you know how many people capitalism has killed, and continues to kill daily?

2)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 9-0055.pdf
Study using World Bank data, which found that socialist countries had a higher quality of life than capitalist countries when controlling for level of economic development. Quality of life was measured using criteria such as life expectancy, literacy, daily calorie consumption per capita, access to higher education, housing, etc.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10 ... -Q7UP-DUA2
Study by Vicente Navarro, Professor of Health and Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, which found that "contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have been, for the most part, better able to improve health conditions than have capitalism and capitalist forces." It also states that "the evidence presented in this article shows that the historical experience of socialism has not been one of failure. To the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving the health conditions of the world's populations."

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/d ... 1&type=pdf
Professor of Economic History, Robert C. Allen, states that "the Soviet economy performed well", remarking that it achieved "high rates of capital accumulation, rapid GDP growth, and rising per capita consumption even in the 1930's," and that "recent research shows that the standard of living also increased briskly." Also states that "This success would not have occurred without the 1917 revolution or the planned development of state owned industry." A longer version of this work was published in book form by the Princeton University Press:

https://web.williams.edu/Economics/brai ... july08.pdf
Detailed analysis of living standards in the USSR, which found that the Soviet Union achieved "Remarkably large and rapid improvements in child height, adult stature and infant mortality," using this data to state that "significant improvements likely occurred in the nutrition, sanitary practices, and public health infrastructure." Also states that "the physical growth record of the Soviet population compares favorably with that of other European countries at a similar level of development in this period." Finally, states that "The conventional measures of GNP growth and household consumption indicate a long, uninterrupted upward climb in the Soviet standard of living from 1928 to 1985; even Western estimates of these measures support this view, albeit at a slower rate of growth than the Soviet measures."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... C641BD7237
Study demonstrating the steady increase in quality of life during the Soviet period (including under Stalin). Includes the fact that Soviet life expectancy grew faster than any other nation recorded at the time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/
Researchers from Stanford University and the National Bureau of Economic Research state that "China's growth in life expectancy at birth from 35–40 years in 1949 to 65.5 years in 1980 is among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history." They attribute this primarily to Mao's socialist policies (giving them approx. 70% of the credit), which increased access to healthcare, education, and nutrition.

https://www.univerlag.uni-goettingen.de ... 38616-63-6
In-depth comparison of the world's two largest countries by population, one of which is socialist, and the other capitalist. Includes a detailed analysis of China under Mao Zedong, concluding that "the accomplishments relating to education, healthcare, land reforms, and social change in the pre-reform [Maoist] period made significantly positive contributions to the achievements of the post-reform period." It describes Maoist China's "remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment," stating that "casual processes through which the reduction of undernourishment was achieved involved extensive state action including redistributive policies, nutritional support, and of course health care."

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 498133.pdf
Detailed CIA report, stating that the Soviet diet was remarkably similar (and in some ways healthier) than the American diet.

https://www.unicef.org/cuba/
Statistics compiled on the official UNICEF website, showing that Cuba's life expectancy and literacy rate are higher than those of the USA, and Cuba has a lower percentage of babies born with low birthweight (5.2%) than the USA (8.28% according to the CDC). Low birthweight can be an indicator of many problems, from poor nutrition to fetal disorders and stress during pregnancy; Cuba's better statistic here is a major quality of life indicator.

https://www.wfpusa.org/countries/cuba/#
USA branch of the World Food Program (the food-assistance branch of the United Nations) claims that Cuba's "comprehensive social protection programs" have helped to drastically reduce hunger in Cuba. This is especially impressive when Cuba is compared to other developing countries, and considering the decades of economic blockade.

https://artir.files.wordpress.com/2016/ ... .png?w=640
(This was originally on the UN's website) Chart showing per capita calorie consumption in the USA and USSR over time, according to the FAO.

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-1.pdf
Report from the CIA which found some interesting things about the gulags, including that between 65% and 95% of prisoners (depending on the camp) were imprisoned for genuine crimes (such as theft, murder, rape, etc.) rather than political offenses.

http://sovietinfo.tripod.com/GTY-Penal_System.pdf
Study published in the most prestigious historical journal in America, which found that the total amount of gulag prisoners was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that "The frequent assertion that most of the camp prisoners were 'political' also seems not to be true." The study found that between 12% and 33% of camp prisoners were imprisoned for political offenses, with the rest convicted of legitimate crimes. This is corroborated by the following source as well.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499175?se ... b_contents
An article refuting many common misconceptions about the so-called "Great Terror" under Stalin, demonstrating that the number of people arrested was much lower than commonly supposed. Also discusses the general support of the Soviet people for the socialist government, refuting the notion of a "captive population" put forth by many reactionaries.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499177?se ... b_contents
Robert W. Thurston, professor emeritus at Miami University (Ohio), thoroughly debunks the claims of Robert Conquest (and other reactionary historians) on the Stalin-period of the USSR, stating "Stalin, the press, and the Stakhanovite movement all regularly encouraged ordinary people to criticize those in authority." He points out that many arrests in the 1930's were actually late punishments for genuine offenses, such as serving in the White Army during the Civil War. Thuston also puts forth the question "If the citizenry was supposed to be terrorized and stop thinking, why encourage criticism and input from below on a large scale?" He also states that "my evidence suggests that widespread fear did not exist in the case at hand [the Soviet "Great Terror" period]".

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bw0h
Investigates the extent of coercion and force in Stalin's USSR, concluding that "Stalin did not intend to terrorize the country and did not need to rule by fear. Memoirs and interviews with Soviet people indicate that many more believed in Stalin's quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it." The book also shows that "between 1934 and 1936 police and court practice relaxed significantly. Then a series of events, together with the tense international situation and memories of real enemy activity during the savage Russian Civil War, combined to push leaders and people into a hysterical hunt for perceived 'wreckers.' After late 1938, however, the police and courts became dramatically milder."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/or ... 31AC8C82EF
Debunks several classic myths surrounding the purges under Stalin, demonstrating how the death toll was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that the purges were not the deliberate result of nefarious plotting by Stalin, but rather the ad hoc results of inner-party conflict and attempts to consolidate power.

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/978033 ... #aboutBook
Details the extent and causes of the Ukrainian famine, thoroughly debunking the claim that the famine was deliberately caused by Stalin, or the Soviet government in general.

https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article ... 19218.html
The lead authors of the infamous "Black Book of Communism" rejected the claim that 100 million people were killed by communism, claiming that this figure was the result of their work being distorted by the lead editor of the book. (this can also be found elsewhere)


Also, the Victims of Communism foundation, which "counts" "victims" of communism counts literal nazis, deaths by coronavirus, and white army soldiers as "victims" of communism.

So you can find a bunch of pro-soviet propagandists. It's not hard. We're in the middle of a literal propagandistic push towards communism in Academia.

There's no fucking push towards communism in academia. I can find papers form these exact same sources supporting "race science" or the like.Plus, half of these are from the fucking CIA.

Plus, many of these sources aren't even colleges.

[Picairn]

Do i really have to do this for the millionth time?

Ah well.

1) Do you know how many people capitalism has killed, and continues to kill daily?

2)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 9-0055.pdf
Study using World Bank data, which found that socialist countries had a higher quality of life than capitalist countries when controlling for level of economic development. Quality of life was measured using criteria such as life expectancy, literacy, daily calorie consumption per capita, access to higher education, housing, etc.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10 ... -Q7UP-DUA2
Study by Vicente Navarro, Professor of Health and Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, which found that "contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have been, for the most part, better able to improve health conditions than have capitalism and capitalist forces." It also states that "the evidence presented in this article shows that the historical experience of socialism has not been one of failure. To the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving the health conditions of the world's populations."

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/d ... 1&type=pdf
Professor of Economic History, Robert C. Allen, states that "the Soviet economy performed well", remarking that it achieved "high rates of capital accumulation, rapid GDP growth, and rising per capita consumption even in the 1930's," and that "recent research shows that the standard of living also increased briskly." Also states that "This success would not have occurred without the 1917 revolution or the planned development of state owned industry." A longer version of this work was published in book form by the Princeton University Press:

https://web.williams.edu/Economics/brai ... july08.pdf
Detailed analysis of living standards in the USSR, which found that the Soviet Union achieved "Remarkably large and rapid improvements in child height, adult stature and infant mortality," using this data to state that "significant improvements likely occurred in the nutrition, sanitary practices, and public health infrastructure." Also states that "the physical growth record of the Soviet population compares favorably with that of other European countries at a similar level of development in this period." Finally, states that "The conventional measures of GNP growth and household consumption indicate a long, uninterrupted upward climb in the Soviet standard of living from 1928 to 1985; even Western estimates of these measures support this view, albeit at a slower rate of growth than the Soviet measures."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... C641BD7237
Study demonstrating the steady increase in quality of life during the Soviet period (including under Stalin). Includes the fact that Soviet life expectancy grew faster than any other nation recorded at the time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/
Researchers from Stanford University and the National Bureau of Economic Research state that "China's growth in life expectancy at birth from 35–40 years in 1949 to 65.5 years in 1980 is among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history." They attribute this primarily to Mao's socialist policies (giving them approx. 70% of the credit), which increased access to healthcare, education, and nutrition.

https://www.univerlag.uni-goettingen.de ... 38616-63-6
In-depth comparison of the world's two largest countries by population, one of which is socialist, and the other capitalist. Includes a detailed analysis of China under Mao Zedong, concluding that "the accomplishments relating to education, healthcare, land reforms, and social change in the pre-reform [Maoist] period made significantly positive contributions to the achievements of the post-reform period." It describes Maoist China's "remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment," stating that "casual processes through which the reduction of undernourishment was achieved involved extensive state action including redistributive policies, nutritional support, and of course health care."

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 498133.pdf
Detailed CIA report, stating that the Soviet diet was remarkably similar (and in some ways healthier) than the American diet.

https://www.unicef.org/cuba/
Statistics compiled on the official UNICEF website, showing that Cuba's life expectancy and literacy rate are higher than those of the USA, and Cuba has a lower percentage of babies born with low birthweight (5.2%) than the USA (8.28% according to the CDC). Low birthweight can be an indicator of many problems, from poor nutrition to fetal disorders and stress during pregnancy; Cuba's better statistic here is a major quality of life indicator.

https://www.wfpusa.org/countries/cuba/#
USA branch of the World Food Program (the food-assistance branch of the United Nations) claims that Cuba's "comprehensive social protection programs" have helped to drastically reduce hunger in Cuba. This is especially impressive when Cuba is compared to other developing countries, and considering the decades of economic blockade.

https://artir.files.wordpress.com/2016/ ... .png?w=640
(This was originally on the UN's website) Chart showing per capita calorie consumption in the USA and USSR over time, according to the FAO.

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-1.pdf
Report from the CIA which found some interesting things about the gulags, including that between 65% and 95% of prisoners (depending on the camp) were imprisoned for genuine crimes (such as theft, murder, rape, etc.) rather than political offenses.

http://sovietinfo.tripod.com/GTY-Penal_System.pdf
Study published in the most prestigious historical journal in America, which found that the total amount of gulag prisoners was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that "The frequent assertion that most of the camp prisoners were 'political' also seems not to be true." The study found that between 12% and 33% of camp prisoners were imprisoned for political offenses, with the rest convicted of legitimate crimes. This is corroborated by the following source as well.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499175?se ... b_contents
An article refuting many common misconceptions about the so-called "Great Terror" under Stalin, demonstrating that the number of people arrested was much lower than commonly supposed. Also discusses the general support of the Soviet people for the socialist government, refuting the notion of a "captive population" put forth by many reactionaries.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499177?se ... b_contents
Robert W. Thurston, professor emeritus at Miami University (Ohio), thoroughly debunks the claims of Robert Conquest (and other reactionary historians) on the Stalin-period of the USSR, stating "Stalin, the press, and the Stakhanovite movement all regularly encouraged ordinary people to criticize those in authority." He points out that many arrests in the 1930's were actually late punishments for genuine offenses, such as serving in the White Army during the Civil War. Thuston also puts forth the question "If the citizenry was supposed to be terrorized and stop thinking, why encourage criticism and input from below on a large scale?" He also states that "my evidence suggests that widespread fear did not exist in the case at hand [the Soviet "Great Terror" period]".

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bw0h
Investigates the extent of coercion and force in Stalin's USSR, concluding that "Stalin did not intend to terrorize the country and did not need to rule by fear. Memoirs and interviews with Soviet people indicate that many more believed in Stalin's quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it." The book also shows that "between 1934 and 1936 police and court practice relaxed significantly. Then a series of events, together with the tense international situation and memories of real enemy activity during the savage Russian Civil War, combined to push leaders and people into a hysterical hunt for perceived 'wreckers.' After late 1938, however, the police and courts became dramatically milder."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/or ... 31AC8C82EF
Debunks several classic myths surrounding the purges under Stalin, demonstrating how the death toll was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that the purges were not the deliberate result of nefarious plotting by Stalin, but rather the ad hoc results of inner-party conflict and attempts to consolidate power.

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/978033 ... #aboutBook
Details the extent and causes of the Ukrainian famine, thoroughly debunking the claim that the famine was deliberately caused by Stalin, or the Soviet government in general.

https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article ... 19218.html
The lead authors of the infamous "Black Book of Communism" rejected the claim that 100 million people were killed by communism, claiming that this figure was the result of their work being distorted by the lead editor of the book. (this can also be found elsewhere)


Also, the Victims of Communism foundation, which "counts" "victims" of communism counts literal nazis, deaths by coronavirus, and white army soldiers as "victims" of communism.

Ah yes, another list of cherry-picked studies, including deflection to capitalism and debunked data (such as the CIA data on Soviet diet). As of now, though, I only possess the source on real Soviet diet, and I'll return to you later once I've carefully reviewed all of your sources.

This research by Ricón, José Luis found that Soviet diet was poorer than American one in both quantity and quality as well as the fact that the Soviets fabricated their data on meat consumption, revealed at the height of perestroika in 1988.

[Organized States]

So I'm going to start this by saying, yes, I'm an American, and no, this isn't all Trumps fault. The reason American hegemony and global influence is ending is because it is the natural order of things. No nation stays in its Golden Age for long, and America is seeing the effects of that. Yes, many of Trump's decisions have hastened America's downfall, but to say that this angry, orange man is the cause of all our problems is a lie. It is simply the fact that America never realized that its Golden Age ended a while ago. We have refused to adapt and have relied on the fact that the rest of the world looked at America as its big brother, someone to emulate. Now, the world tries to ignore America as it struggles with it getting its act together. While we basked in our glory, the Old World decided to catch up and surpass us. My hypothesis is that if Trump is reelected, America will collapse in the next few decades. If Trump is not elected, then, depending on the new President's choices, America might yet survive, or at the very least live for another century, but we won't see America be making the world's choices for it.

So, NSG, what do you think? - probably D.T ORANGE man is racist sucks a lot - disgrace to America basically

Pretty much agree. China will rule the world. Strange times comrade.

Probably not. China has a few major hurdles before it can compete with the United States on an even footing, but it does represent the greatest challenge to American power.

China lacks soft power, on a massive scale. While its economic miracle has been touted, China's long-term growth prospects aren't that great. Growth has been slowing and the inherent need for resources by their economy is rapidly outstripping their natural base. Combine this with a growing demographic crisis and inherent instability in the economic system (what happens when they can't privatize state-run enterprises anymore to finance the economy), we'll see probably about two decades of a really strong China and then the growth will stop suddenly.

[Stylan]

Do i really have to do this for the millionth time?

Ah well.

1) Do you know how many people capitalism has killed, and continues to kill daily?

2)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 9-0055.pdf
Study using World Bank data, which found that socialist countries had a higher quality of life than capitalist countries when controlling for level of economic development. Quality of life was measured using criteria such as life expectancy, literacy, daily calorie consumption per capita, access to higher education, housing, etc.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10 ... -Q7UP-DUA2
Study by Vicente Navarro, Professor of Health and Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, which found that "contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have been, for the most part, better able to improve health conditions than have capitalism and capitalist forces." It also states that "the evidence presented in this article shows that the historical experience of socialism has not been one of failure. To the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving the health conditions of the world's populations."

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/d ... 1&type=pdf
Professor of Economic History, Robert C. Allen, states that "the Soviet economy performed well", remarking that it achieved "high rates of capital accumulation, rapid GDP growth, and rising per capita consumption even in the 1930's," and that "recent research shows that the standard of living also increased briskly." Also states that "This success would not have occurred without the 1917 revolution or the planned development of state owned industry." A longer version of this work was published in book form by the Princeton University Press:

https://web.williams.edu/Economics/brai ... july08.pdf
Detailed analysis of living standards in the USSR, which found that the Soviet Union achieved "Remarkably large and rapid improvements in child height, adult stature and infant mortality," using this data to state that "significant improvements likely occurred in the nutrition, sanitary practices, and public health infrastructure." Also states that "the physical growth record of the Soviet population compares favorably with that of other European countries at a similar level of development in this period." Finally, states that "The conventional measures of GNP growth and household consumption indicate a long, uninterrupted upward climb in the Soviet standard of living from 1928 to 1985; even Western estimates of these measures support this view, albeit at a slower rate of growth than the Soviet measures."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... C641BD7237
Study demonstrating the steady increase in quality of life during the Soviet period (including under Stalin). Includes the fact that Soviet life expectancy grew faster than any other nation recorded at the time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/
Researchers from Stanford University and the National Bureau of Economic Research state that "China's growth in life expectancy at birth from 35–40 years in 1949 to 65.5 years in 1980 is among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history." They attribute this primarily to Mao's socialist policies (giving them approx. 70% of the credit), which increased access to healthcare, education, and nutrition.

https://www.univerlag.uni-goettingen.de ... 38616-63-6
In-depth comparison of the world's two largest countries by population, one of which is socialist, and the other capitalist. Includes a detailed analysis of China under Mao Zedong, concluding that "the accomplishments relating to education, healthcare, land reforms, and social change in the pre-reform [Maoist] period made significantly positive contributions to the achievements of the post-reform period." It describes Maoist China's "remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment," stating that "casual processes through which the reduction of undernourishment was achieved involved extensive state action including redistributive policies, nutritional support, and of course health care."

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 498133.pdf
Detailed CIA report, stating that the Soviet diet was remarkably similar (and in some ways healthier) than the American diet.

https://www.unicef.org/cuba/
Statistics compiled on the official UNICEF website, showing that Cuba's life expectancy and literacy rate are higher than those of the USA, and Cuba has a lower percentage of babies born with low birthweight (5.2%) than the USA (8.28% according to the CDC). Low birthweight can be an indicator of many problems, from poor nutrition to fetal disorders and stress during pregnancy; Cuba's better statistic here is a major quality of life indicator.

https://www.wfpusa.org/countries/cuba/#
USA branch of the World Food Program (the food-assistance branch of the United Nations) claims that Cuba's "comprehensive social protection programs" have helped to drastically reduce hunger in Cuba. This is especially impressive when Cuba is compared to other developing countries, and considering the decades of economic blockade.

https://artir.files.wordpress.com/2016/ ... .png?w=640
(This was originally on the UN's website) Chart showing per capita calorie consumption in the USA and USSR over time, according to the FAO.

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-1.pdf
Report from the CIA which found some interesting things about the gulags, including that between 65% and 95% of prisoners (depending on the camp) were imprisoned for genuine crimes (such as theft, murder, rape, etc.) rather than political offenses.

http://sovietinfo.tripod.com/GTY-Penal_System.pdf
Study published in the most prestigious historical journal in America, which found that the total amount of gulag prisoners was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that "The frequent assertion that most of the camp prisoners were 'political' also seems not to be true." The study found that between 12% and 33% of camp prisoners were imprisoned for political offenses, with the rest convicted of legitimate crimes. This is corroborated by the following source as well.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499175?se ... b_contents
An article refuting many common misconceptions about the so-called "Great Terror" under Stalin, demonstrating that the number of people arrested was much lower than commonly supposed. Also discusses the general support of the Soviet people for the socialist government, refuting the notion of a "captive population" put forth by many reactionaries.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499177?se ... b_contents
Robert W. Thurston, professor emeritus at Miami University (Ohio), thoroughly debunks the claims of Robert Conquest (and other reactionary historians) on the Stalin-period of the USSR, stating "Stalin, the press, and the Stakhanovite movement all regularly encouraged ordinary people to criticize those in authority." He points out that many arrests in the 1930's were actually late punishments for genuine offenses, such as serving in the White Army during the Civil War. Thuston also puts forth the question "If the citizenry was supposed to be terrorized and stop thinking, why encourage criticism and input from below on a large scale?" He also states that "my evidence suggests that widespread fear did not exist in the case at hand [the Soviet "Great Terror" period]".

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bw0h
Investigates the extent of coercion and force in Stalin's USSR, concluding that "Stalin did not intend to terrorize the country and did not need to rule by fear. Memoirs and interviews with Soviet people indicate that many more believed in Stalin's quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it." The book also shows that "between 1934 and 1936 police and court practice relaxed significantly. Then a series of events, together with the tense international situation and memories of real enemy activity during the savage Russian Civil War, combined to push leaders and people into a hysterical hunt for perceived 'wreckers.' After late 1938, however, the police and courts became dramatically milder."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/or ... 31AC8C82EF
Debunks several classic myths surrounding the purges under Stalin, demonstrating how the death toll was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that the purges were not the deliberate result of nefarious plotting by Stalin, but rather the ad hoc results of inner-party conflict and attempts to consolidate power.

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/978033 ... #aboutBook
Details the extent and causes of the Ukrainian famine, thoroughly debunking the claim that the famine was deliberately caused by Stalin, or the Soviet government in general.

https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article ... 19218.html
The lead authors of the infamous "Black Book of Communism" rejected the claim that 100 million people were killed by communism, claiming that this figure was the result of their work being distorted by the lead editor of the book. (this can also be found elsewhere)


Also, the Victims of Communism foundation, which "counts" "victims" of communism counts literal nazis, deaths by coronavirus, and white army soldiers as "victims" of communism.

Ah yes, another list of cherry-picked studies, including deflection to capitalism and debunked data (such as the CIA data on Soviet diet). As of now, though, I only possess the source on real Soviet diet, and I'll return to you later once I've carefully reviewed all of your sources.

This research by Ricón, José Luis found that Soviet diet was poorer than American one in both quantity and quality as well as the fact that the Soviets fabricated their data on meat consumption, revealed at the height of perestroika in 1988.

1) This is a blog

2) Doesn't outweigh Cuba's stats.

3) https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/c ... on_soviet/

[Picairn]

1) This is a blog

2) Doesn't outweigh Cuba's stats.

3) https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/c ... on_soviet/

Citing a Reddit post in response while calling Nintil a blog? Laughable.

[Stylan]

1) This is a blog

2) Doesn't outweigh Cuba's stats.

3) https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/c ... on_soviet/

Citing a Reddit post in response while calling Nintil a blog? Laughable.

How about I just put the text from reddit on here?

[Picairn]

There's no fucking push towards communism in academia. I can find papers form these exact same sources supporting "race science" or the like.Plus, half of these are from the fucking CIA.

Plus, many of these sources aren't even colleges.

Even the fucking CIA realized that Soviet data is methodologically flawed and can be subjected to political manipulation to make the Soviets look good, in light of Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika campaigns. https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-6.pdf

[Stylan]

There's no fucking push towards communism in academia. I can find papers form these exact same sources supporting "race science" or the like.Plus, half of these are from the fucking CIA.

Plus, many of these sources aren't even colleges.

Even the fucking CIA realized that Soviet data is methodologically flawed and can be subjected to political manipulation to make the Soviets look good, in light of Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika campaigns. https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-6.pdf

Still doesn't outweigh Cuba, or China... I will look over this later though.

[Picairn]

Still doesn't outweigh Cuba, or China... I will look over this later though.

As I said, after careful review I'll talk to you about these sources later.

[Bombadil]

Some hard and undeniable facts that bode well for America..

1. Land and resources - America is a relatively new continent, there remains huge amounts of space and resources, something China, India or Russia don't have, not the degree of fertile land.
2. Immigration - America can solve ageing population issues with it's relatively open immigration, it also still attracts the best minds to universities and businesses - near all tech companies are led or founded by immigrants
3. The nexus between education, finance and business - the brightest minds are given access to the funds to start new businesses, and fail as well
4. Geography - America is somewhat hard to get to so it's protected, but it's also seas on all sides - it's easier for the US to project power

China has real land issues, some 2/5s is essentially unusable.. it will face the bite of its one child policy, business is hampered by an increasingly meddling government..

I think the key issue is whether the US will go more isolationist or not.

[Organized States]

Some hard and undeniable facts that bode well for America..

1. Land and resources - America is a relatively new continent, there remains huge amounts of space and resources, something China, India or Russia don't have, not the degree of fertile land.
2. Immigration - America can solve ageing population issues with it's relatively open immigration, it also still attracts the best minds to universities and businesses - near all tech companies are led or founded by immigrants
3. The nexus between education, finance and business - the brightest minds are given access to the funds to start new businesses, and fail as well
4. Geography - America is somewhat hard to get to so it's protected, but it's also seas on all sides - it's easier for the US to project power

China has real land issues, some 2/5s is essentially unusable.. it will face the bite of its one child policy, business is hampered by an increasingly meddling government..

I think the key issue is whether the US will go more isolationist or not.

I think the problem with China lies not in the fact that business is hampered by a meddling Government, it's that the Chinese economy's growth has more or less been built upon with the privatization of State-Run Enterprises. What happens when the Government runs out of businesses to privatize?

[Alcala-Cordel]

Tell that to millions of people killed in the Great Purge, the Holodomor, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, and various other atrocities committed under communist states.

Do i really have to do this for the millionth time?

Ah well.

1) Do you know how many people capitalism has killed, and continues to kill daily?

2)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 9-0055.pdf
Study using World Bank data, which found that socialist countries had a higher quality of life than capitalist countries when controlling for level of economic development. Quality of life was measured using criteria such as life expectancy, literacy, daily calorie consumption per capita, access to higher education, housing, etc.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10 ... -Q7UP-DUA2
Study by Vicente Navarro, Professor of Health and Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, which found that "contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have been, for the most part, better able to improve health conditions than have capitalism and capitalist forces." It also states that "the evidence presented in this article shows that the historical experience of socialism has not been one of failure. To the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving the health conditions of the world's populations."

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/d ... 1&type=pdf
Professor of Economic History, Robert C. Allen, states that "the Soviet economy performed well", remarking that it achieved "high rates of capital accumulation, rapid GDP growth, and rising per capita consumption even in the 1930's," and that "recent research shows that the standard of living also increased briskly." Also states that "This success would not have occurred without the 1917 revolution or the planned development of state owned industry." A longer version of this work was published in book form by the Princeton University Press:

https://web.williams.edu/Economics/brai ... july08.pdf
Detailed analysis of living standards in the USSR, which found that the Soviet Union achieved "Remarkably large and rapid improvements in child height, adult stature and infant mortality," using this data to state that "significant improvements likely occurred in the nutrition, sanitary practices, and public health infrastructure." Also states that "the physical growth record of the Soviet population compares favorably with that of other European countries at a similar level of development in this period." Finally, states that "The conventional measures of GNP growth and household consumption indicate a long, uninterrupted upward climb in the Soviet standard of living from 1928 to 1985; even Western estimates of these measures support this view, albeit at a slower rate of growth than the Soviet measures."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... C641BD7237
Study demonstrating the steady increase in quality of life during the Soviet period (including under Stalin). Includes the fact that Soviet life expectancy grew faster than any other nation recorded at the time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/
Researchers from Stanford University and the National Bureau of Economic Research state that "China's growth in life expectancy at birth from 35–40 years in 1949 to 65.5 years in 1980 is among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history." They attribute this primarily to Mao's socialist policies (giving them approx. 70% of the credit), which increased access to healthcare, education, and nutrition.

https://www.univerlag.uni-goettingen.de ... 38616-63-6
In-depth comparison of the world's two largest countries by population, one of which is socialist, and the other capitalist. Includes a detailed analysis of China under Mao Zedong, concluding that "the accomplishments relating to education, healthcare, land reforms, and social change in the pre-reform [Maoist] period made significantly positive contributions to the achievements of the post-reform period." It describes Maoist China's "remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment," stating that "casual processes through which the reduction of undernourishment was achieved involved extensive state action including redistributive policies, nutritional support, and of course health care."

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 498133.pdf
Detailed CIA report, stating that the Soviet diet was remarkably similar (and in some ways healthier) than the American diet.

https://www.unicef.org/cuba/
Statistics compiled on the official UNICEF website, showing that Cuba's life expectancy and literacy rate are higher than those of the USA, and Cuba has a lower percentage of babies born with low birthweight (5.2%) than the USA (8.28% according to the CDC). Low birthweight can be an indicator of many problems, from poor nutrition to fetal disorders and stress during pregnancy; Cuba's better statistic here is a major quality of life indicator.

https://www.wfpusa.org/countries/cuba/#
USA branch of the World Food Program (the food-assistance branch of the United Nations) claims that Cuba's "comprehensive social protection programs" have helped to drastically reduce hunger in Cuba. This is especially impressive when Cuba is compared to other developing countries, and considering the decades of economic blockade.

https://artir.files.wordpress.com/2016/ ... .png?w=640
(This was originally on the UN's website) Chart showing per capita calorie consumption in the USA and USSR over time, according to the FAO.

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom ... 0001-1.pdf
Report from the CIA which found some interesting things about the gulags, including that between 65% and 95% of prisoners (depending on the camp) were imprisoned for genuine crimes (such as theft, murder, rape, etc.) rather than political offenses.

http://sovietinfo.tripod.com/GTY-Penal_System.pdf
Study published in the most prestigious historical journal in America, which found that the total amount of gulag prisoners was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that "The frequent assertion that most of the camp prisoners were 'political' also seems not to be true." The study found that between 12% and 33% of camp prisoners were imprisoned for political offenses, with the rest convicted of legitimate crimes. This is corroborated by the following source as well.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499175?se ... b_contents
An article refuting many common misconceptions about the so-called "Great Terror" under Stalin, demonstrating that the number of people arrested was much lower than commonly supposed. Also discusses the general support of the Soviet people for the socialist government, refuting the notion of a "captive population" put forth by many reactionaries.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499177?se ... b_contents
Robert W. Thurston, professor emeritus at Miami University (Ohio), thoroughly debunks the claims of Robert Conquest (and other reactionary historians) on the Stalin-period of the USSR, stating "Stalin, the press, and the Stakhanovite movement all regularly encouraged ordinary people to criticize those in authority." He points out that many arrests in the 1930's were actually late punishments for genuine offenses, such as serving in the White Army during the Civil War. Thuston also puts forth the question "If the citizenry was supposed to be terrorized and stop thinking, why encourage criticism and input from below on a large scale?" He also states that "my evidence suggests that widespread fear did not exist in the case at hand [the Soviet "Great Terror" period]".

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bw0h
Investigates the extent of coercion and force in Stalin's USSR, concluding that "Stalin did not intend to terrorize the country and did not need to rule by fear. Memoirs and interviews with Soviet people indicate that many more believed in Stalin's quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it." The book also shows that "between 1934 and 1936 police and court practice relaxed significantly. Then a series of events, together with the tense international situation and memories of real enemy activity during the savage Russian Civil War, combined to push leaders and people into a hysterical hunt for perceived 'wreckers.' After late 1938, however, the police and courts became dramatically milder."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/or ... 31AC8C82EF
Debunks several classic myths surrounding the purges under Stalin, demonstrating how the death toll was far lower than previously estimated. Also states that the purges were not the deliberate result of nefarious plotting by Stalin, but rather the ad hoc results of inner-party conflict and attempts to consolidate power.

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/978033 ... #aboutBook
Details the extent and causes of the Ukrainian famine, thoroughly debunking the claim that the famine was deliberately caused by Stalin, or the Soviet government in general.

https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article ... 19218.html
The lead authors of the infamous "Black Book of Communism" rejected the claim that 100 million people were killed by communism, claiming that this figure was the result of their work being distorted by the lead editor of the book. (this can also be found elsewhere)


Also, the Victims of Communism foundation, which "counts" "victims" of communism counts literal nazis, deaths by coronavirus, and white army soldiers as "victims" of communism.

Just gonna further add that the Soviet Union was a transitional state, communism is stateless. The bourgeoisie have spread propaganda to make people think the transitional state is the embodiment of communism with a rediculously high "death toll", and all the other anti-communist propaganda pretty much revolves around this.

You're doing good work spreading information debunking these lies, o7

[Purpelia]

Complete collapse is unlikely, and the US is just too large to become completely irrelevant,

In 1900 you could have said the same about the British Empire. Now a days they even failed to hold onto Ireland which is in their back yard.

[Picairn]

Before I write my response to Stylan's sources, I just want to inform you that he straight up took the list from Reddit, particularly r/communism. https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comm ... urce=share

[Atheris]

Complete collapse is unlikely, and the US is just too large to become completely irrelevant,

In 1900 you could have said the same about the British Empire. Now a days they even failed to hold onto Ireland which is in their back yard.

That's arguably different. You don't have two world superpowers, each with their own spheres of influence in your geological backyard, under the threat of nuclear war (which could wipe out the entire human race) demanding the United States dissolve its holdings in the Pacific and Puerto Rico.

[Purpelia]

Before I write my response to Stylan's sources, I just want to inform you that he straight up took the list from Reddit, particularly r/communism. https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comm ... urce=share

You shouldn't even respond to someone just dropping a wall of links as that is a disingenuous way to debate. It places too much burden on both the responded and onlookers. Plus its doubtful he even understands half of it else he would have just digested it for us instead of posting a wall of links.

[Picairn]

You shouldn't even respond to someone just dropping a wall of links as that is a disingenuous way to debate. It places too much burden on both the responded and onlookers. Plus its doubtful he even understands half of it else he would have just digested it for us instead of posting a wall of links.

Right, like Einstein used to say that a real genius is not just the one capable of understanding higher knowledge, but also possesses the ability to explain it simply to the audience.

[Alcala-Cordel]

Before I write my response to Stylan's sources, I just want to inform you that he straight up took the list from Reddit, particularly r/communism. https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comm ... urce=share

You shouldn't even respond to someone just dropping a wall of links as that is a disingenuous way to debate. It places too much burden on both the responded and onlookers. Plus its doubtful he even understands half of it else he would have just digested it for us instead of posting a wall of links.

It's all true though, and from good sources. I'd be surprised if anyone could come up with anything that credibly proved any of it wrong.