RoadWarriorFromLP

No, it really doesn't have much of a ring to it.

The Soviets were communists philsophically, but their state was socialist-aspiring-toward-communist. They had eliminated a lot of private property, which is specifically communist, but they had state-controlled industries, which is socialist. (In a true communist state, production would be controlled by "the people.") The authoritarian part was just an added bonus.

"Communist state" is really an oxymoron. A communist collective would effectively be anarchistic, with happy people working collectively to make their community a better place and giving a helping hand to those who can't fully contribute. The kibbutz example above is a good one.

Toontje

Wasn't production controlled by representatives of "the people"?

kimilseung

words do evolve.

People and groups who may have called themselves "Communist", now call themselves "Socialist", their views have not changed. After Stalinism, which may also have many meanings, depending on who you ask, adopted the theory of Communism in one country. and its lack of Internationalism, (and its predicted failure and resorting to repression) not wanting to be associated with Stalinism, communisim as a word became unfashionable, and has been replaced by Socialism (or one of its meanings)

Sally Redux

That appears to be how society is in Star Trek- the Next Generation.

RoadWarriorFromLP

You have a point. That was how they dressed things up, even though it was clearly a dictatorship.

The old Soviets would have likely argued that their system was still in the socialist stage, because their industries had not yet evolved sufficiently to allow them to become communist. (That's why they were "socialist republics", not "communist.") What exactly was supposedly needed for them to be ready for communism, I'm not sure.

But that would be disingenuous marketing/PR on the part of the communists. Socialists are not communists, and although communists may practice socialism, socialism is not their end game.

The nuance here is that the Cold War communists would have argued that they were practicing socialism; they weren't yet far enough along to have achieved communism. The fact that they were practicing socialism doesn't make them philosophical socialists, because they were not content with socialism over the long run. The dialectic is a cornerstone of communism, and that calls for communism as (a) being inevitable and (b) requiring socialism as a stepping stone to communism.

Sally Redux

Something about the state becoming superflous and withering away (dredging memory here).

RoadWarriorFromLP

It's been only a week since the last Party meeting, Comrade Sally. The commissar is going to be very disappointed with you when he reads this thread...

Sally Redux

Мои извинения, товарищ.

Englishtart

This thread was so much easier to understand on page 1

fatbrit

You never knew Sally was our own Liz Gold?

Sally Redux

University of Leipzig.

fatbrit

Where else?

Sally Redux

Where else what?

edit- oh I see what you mean

Englishtart