• SevenSkalls [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    12 hours ago

    If you twiddle them, you’ll see exactly what the previous commenter is talking about. For example, try comparing socialist countries like Russia and Cuba to other countries of a similar level of development, like any random country in the Third World, or Africa, Asia, or South America that didn’t use imperialism in the 1800’s, to boost its development.

    You’ll see a 15-25 year difference in life expectancy during that time. And that’s without causing the awful conditions in the rest of the world that Europe and the US did by boosting their development through slavery, war, imperialism, and colonialism.

    • Joe@discuss.tchncs.de
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      9 hours ago

      Russia started out in a terrible position (with no small thanks to the late abolishment of serfdom). But it isn’t particularly surprising that it improved when or as much as it did with the arrival of new technology, urbanisation trends, better sanitation and health care (especially pre-natal care), and of course its location. The world was changing fast, and russia was well primed to change with it.