Excellent analysis of the Russian situation, Petr. I pretty much agree with what you've said. I would not say that the Afghan war was the sole or even the most overriding reason for the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it hastened that collapse in a number of ways. It was Russia's Vietnam.

You are entirely correct that the Red Terror under Stalin was one of the greatest evils of the 20th century, along with the Holocaust. Add to that the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward (Ha!) under Mao Tse-Tung, and the incredible atrocities committed by the Khymer Rouge (who were so evil and mad that I supported Vietnam's invasion of Kampuchea...the only case of direct pre-emptive attack by one country on another that I have ever supported).

As Carol points out, socialism and capitalism are economic systems, not political systems. They can coexist easily with either democracy, dictatorship, or oligarchy, and they have done so on frequent occasions.

Most societies are a mixture of socialism and capitalism, which is sensible.

The following are almost always socialist in nature:

The family (everyone gets an equal share, providing it's a healthy family).

The armed forces.

The public school system.

Public transportation systems.

The police.

Some of the media systems.

Medicare and hospitals.

Federal, State, and municipal governments.

The justice system.

And so on...

These things are socialist, because to do them in any other way would be unworkable and asinine, though some people are stupid (or greedy) enough to try it.

Watch out for any system that tries to make EVERYTHING either socialist or capitalist, but not both. Watch out for any politician who does that too.

It would be as foolish as trying to force everyone to be either male or female...an unworkable notion. (Socialism, by the way, is pretty analagous to the female aspect of humanity, while capitalism is pretty analagous to the male aspect...in a number of ways. The female is inclined to serving others cooperatively, the male is inclined to serving self aggressively. You can find all kinds of individual exceptions to that, but as a general traditional rule the analogy holds up well. The female is the more mature and responsible aspect, but the male is a necessary part of the whole.)

The biggest weakness of the Communists was that they tried to make EVERYTHING socialist (except the perks of the leading elite). The biggest weakness of neo-conservatives is that they try to do exactly the opposite and make EVERYTHING capitalist (and enrich the leading elite). Both systems involve the establishment of a privileged ruling oligarchy, and the defrauding of the general public.

Now, huge corporations are actually a kind of socialist oligarchy masquerading as free market supply and demand, when they are not really that at all...but it's an oligarchy that only serves the elite few...hmmmm...sounds like Soviet Russia, slightly removed. The talk is different. The style is different. The walk is much the same.

- LH