Questions tagged [communism]
An ideology derived from socialist theory of the nineteenth century. Communism defines a condition in which socialist development has lead to the virtual elimination of economic class. This is ultimately achieved by worker ownership and control of the means of production (defined as the tools & facilities which produce goods). Throughout the 20th century multiple nation states claimed either to have achieved communism or to have been developing it.
12 questions
39
votes
3
answers
52k
views
Did the Germans purposefully arrange to send Lenin to Russia to start a revolution?
A recent documentary, The World Wars, on the History Channel suggested, strongly, that the Imperial German government secretly arranged safe-passage for Vladimir Lenin to return to Moscow from ...
- 5,238
37
votes
7
answers
4k
views
Did Stalin believe Israel would go communist?
In Anne Applebaum's recent book Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956, she claims the USSR supported the new state of Israel and states
Stalin believed Israel would quickly join the ...
- 11.8k
21
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What was the legal status of an East German once he had reached West Germany?
Cold War histories usually state something like "any German able to reach West Germany was automatically granted West German citizenship" to explain how easy it was to go from East to West, if only ...
- 11.8k
12
votes
6
answers
12k
views
Why did the Soviet Union's economy grow fast in the 1950's-1960's?
Communist economic systems self-implode. Today it has been recognized that Communism is bad for economic progress. There is no dispute that Communism makes countries poor based on what has happened in ...
- 4,546
8
votes
4
answers
1k
views
What were the limitations on possession of wealth in Soviet Russia and how were they enforced?
Specifically:
How were workers compensated, was wage equal everywhere? If not - what affected the variations?
What were the limitations of possession of money and/or assets? How were they enforced?
...
- 207
28
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Why did Stalin keep the famine of 1932 a secret?
The famine of 1932 took millions of lives, before the Soviet authorities took some measures to alleviate the lives of the peasants. During the whole time, and for decades afterwards, the affair was ...
- 4,764
16
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Was the population of Moscow wildly overstated during the Cold War?
The science fiction author Robert Heinlein was a socialist in his youth, but became a strident anticommunist during the Cold War. In 1960, he and his wife Virginia went as tourists to the USSR, and he ...
user2848
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
When did the Great Purge start?
In what month of what year did the Great Purge begin in the Soviet Union?
Wikipedia's individual page says it it started in 1934, but if I Google search for "Great Purge" and "1934," nothing much ...
- 271
13
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What sources or documentation exists to indicate Stalin's level of popularity in Russia today?
To what extent is Stalin still loved and/or respected by Russians (and for extra points former USSR states)?
While articles like these
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7802485.stm
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/...
- 530
11
votes
3
answers
771
views
What was the program of the Mensheviks in their later years? How did they hope to achieve it?
The Mensheviks were an important force in Russia during the February Revolution of 1917. Within Russia proper, they were gradually sidelined after the Bolshevik October Revolution. The Menshevik ...
- 14k
8
votes
2
answers
572
views
What unique personal experiences contributed to the formation of Mao's brand of Communism?
Political scientists cite his personal attributes and exposure to the proletariat as synergistic in the formation of his doctrine. What particular experiences in Mao Zedong's formative years ...
- 2,240
-4
votes
1
answer
384
views
Was communism a weaponized idea deployed against Imperial Russia? [closed]
I remember a lecture by a historian praising Imperial Germany for defeating Imperial Russia by both political (financing and "deploying" Lenin) and military means, a feat that both Napoleon and Hitler ...
- 807