Most Socialist/Communist countries don't last more than 10 years

Some don't even last more than one.

I think this is pretty interesting. But what is the fate of a nation that drinks from the wine of wrath?

en.wikipedia.org...

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (15 September 1963 - 1988)
Republic of Bolivia (26 September 1969 - 21 August 1971)
Burkina Faso (4 August 1984 - 15 October 1987)
Union of Burma (4 January 1948 - 2 March 1962)
Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (2 March 1962 - 23 September 1988)
Republic of Cape Verde (8 July 1975 - 22 March 1991)
State of Comoros (3 August 1975 - 13 May 1978)
Republic of Egypt (23 July 1952 - 22 February 1958)
Republic of Ghana (6 March 1957 - 24 February 1966), (31 December 1981 - 7 January 2001)
People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea (2 October 1958 – 3 April 1984)
Republic of Guinea-Bissau (24 September 1973 - 17 February 2000)
Republic of Indonesia (18 August 1945 - 12 March 1967)
Republic of Iraq (14 July 1958 - 8 February 1963)
Libyan Arab Republic (1 September 1969 - 2 March 1977)
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (2 March 1977 - 2011)
Democratic Republic of Madagascar (21 December 1975 - 19 August 1992)
Republic of Mali (20 July 1960 - 19 November 1968)
United Mexican States (5 February 1917 - 1 December 2000)
Republic of Nicaragua (18 July 1979 - 25 April 1990)
Republic of Panama (11 October 1968 - 31 July 1981)
Republic of Peru (3 October 1968 - 30 August 1975)
Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe (12 July 1975 - 3 April 1991)
Republic of Senegal (6 September 1960 - 1 April 2000)
Republic of Seychelles (5 June 1977 - 26 July 1992)
Spanish Republic (14 April 1931 - 15 July 1939)
Democratic Republic of Sudan (25 May 1969 – 10 October 1985)
Republic of Suriname (25 February 1980 - 25 January 1988)
Republic of Tanganyika (9 December 1962 - 26 April 1964)
Republic of Uganda (15 April 1966 - 25 January 1971)
Union of African States (23 November 1958 - 1962)
United Arab Republic (22 February 1958 – 28 September 1961)
Yemen Arab Republic (27 September 1962 - 22 May 1990)
Republic of Zambia (24 October 1964 - 2 November 1991)
People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba (12 January - 26 April 1964)

Africa sucks regardless of what party they are.

Maybe you've never heard of Europe, but they're socialist and most of their countries have been stable for years (until very recently).

how many of those countries failed with a little help and "liberation" from the "world police"

reply to post by CB328


Yes I watched as they burned their city to the ground.

Rioting on the streets was more effective than WWII it seems as some buildings that withstand the third reich did not withstand it's own citizens.

reply to post by thehoneycomb
You missed California, but other than that?

A very interesting list.
S&F

reply to post by CB328

Maybe you've never heard of Europe, but they're socialist and most of their countries have been stable for years (until very recently).

More like social democrat, or social capitalist.

True socialist countries were those in eastern Europe under Communist dictatorship (my country included). They lasted for 40 years, and it was a socioeconomic failure.

How many of those countries are actually socialist or communist?

Any guesses?

None. None of them are practicing socialism, nor communism.

They are labeled 'socialist' for political reasons, not because they are actually economically socialist, or communist.

Europe is not socialist either. National health care is not socialism. Hand-outs from the government is not socialism. Europe is more liberal than the US, but it's still capitalist.

Socialism is the workers ownership of the means of production, created by workers in opposition to capitalism, the private ownership of the means of production.

Socialism requires no government as it is an economic system, and the basis of classical Anarchism. In the 1800's the left split between those who supported state socialism, Marxists, and those that apposed the state system who called themselves Anarchists, Libertarians, Libertarian Socialists etc. They were still socialists, they supported worker ownership and apposed private ownership. Anarchism, as in socialism, was based on the concept that 'property is theft', from the writings of Proudhon.

A largely self-educated worker whose incendiary ideas were more influential than those of Karl Marx during his lifetime, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's social and economic ideas have been a source of inspiration and debate since 1840. Mikhail Bakunin proclaimed "Proudhon is the master of us all," while for Peter Kropotkin he laid "the foundations of anarchism."

www.akpress.org...

Anarchism is stateless socialism, Mikhail Bakunin

The consistent anarchist, then, should be a socialist, but a socialist of a particular sort. He will not only oppose alienated and specialized labor and look forward to the appropriation of capital by the whole body of workers, but he will also insist that this appropriation be direct, not exercised by some elite force acting in the name of the proletariat. Noem Chomsky, In Daniel Guérin, Anarchism: From Theory to Practice, 1970 [3]

There is only one kind of socialism, socialism is socialism. There are many different ways to implement it, from state control, Marxism, to Anarcho-Syndicalism, worker control of labour through trade unions.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


You never heard of China?

Rioting on the streets was more effective than WWII it seems as some buildings that withstand the third reich did not withstand it's own citizens.

Name one such building.

The majority of nations on your list are in Africa where, if we are to be fair, very few regimes last long except the most brutal and tyranical.
And how many of those regime changes have been aided by foreign governments?

Some would argue that there has never really been a truly socialist or communist state which if true would make your theory completely irrelevant.

It is time to care about people, and that means Socialist governments, or communist governments.

What these words mean is caring about people.

But the rich people do not care about people.

So we will never get those kinds of governments.

We get rich people, who care nothing - that is our governments.

reply to post by Freeborn

You never heard of China?

China is not socialist nor communist. Even US or european countries have more socialist economies. Do you think that all those corporations have their factories over there for the love of the proletariat?

Ever since chinese economic reforms began in 1980s, their system can be best described as a state capitalism

reply to post by Maslo


China is / was at least as much a communist state as many of those countries listed in the OP.

No comment on the rest of my post?

Originally posted by CB328
Africa sucks regardless of what party they are.

Quite.

Maybe you've never heard of Europe, but they're socialist and most of their countries have been stable for years (until very recently).

Try again.

reply to post by Freeborn


I never claimed that China wasn't communist.

But do you know what force has been helping to prop up Communist China?

Capitalism.

Unfortunately it is capitalism comes to the rescue of all failing socioeconomic failures.

Thats why the US is the leader of the free world.

Also to be fair. The list I posted were previously socialist/communist countries.

They are not a list of countries who are presently socialist/communist.

reply to post by thehoneycomb

I never claimed that China wasn't communist.

I know.
Someone else did and I was replying to him, as clearly stated in my post.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

But do you know what force has been helping to prop up Communist China?

Capitalism.

Yes, China has embraced a more capitalist approach in recent years.
But it is still governed by leftist ideals.
And some would say that that is more proof to the arguement that there has never been a truly socialist or communist state.

Unfortunately it is capitalism comes to the rescue of all failing socioeconomic failures.

And in how many countries has it also been the primary cause of so much pain, suffering, inequality and injustice?

It is most definately NOT a great cure all and the way forward for mankind if we are to start addressing some of the world's many ills.

Don't ask me what is...I'm not so arrogant to suppose I have the answer to some of the worlds problems let alone all of them.
But I do know it will require a level of openness, honesty and impartiality that very few, if any, currently possess.

Thats why the US is the leader of the free world.

I am not anti-USA - I try to call everything as I see it free from any pre-conceived viewpoint, (of course I fail to do so with ridiculous regularity).
But it is statements like that which make the US and it's countrymen almost universally disliked and even despised.
And that you can't see that or understand that is further proof of just how isolated the US really is.

reply to post by Freeborn


I disagree, China has never been communist. It has always been a capitalist dictatorship.

For it to be communist their economy would have no money, and all resources would be shared communally.

Those countries named themselves communist for propaganda reasons, not because they truly practiced communism. 'The people' back in the 1800's, and early 1900's, were mostly in support of socialism and communism, which was a threat to the capitalists. Eastern governments appeased their populations by using the term 'communism' in their name to make the people believe they were the party for them. A typical political tactic.

The west used those countries to demonize the terms communism, and socialism.

Both were saying the opposite, but both were lying to their people. All governments are right wing and move towards fascism. Right is pro authority, fascism being the extreme, left is less authority, anarchism being its extreme.

Do people really think we would support socialism if it was what happened in China?

Originally posted by thehoneycomb
Also to be fair. The list I posted were previously socialist/communist countries.

They are not a list of countries who are presently socialist/communist.

They have never been socialist/communist.

There has never been a truly socialist or communist country. The closest ever was in Spain in the 1930's when for two years the country was ran on Anarchist Socialist ideals. Factories and farms were collectivized and production rose 20%. They fixed their city infrastructures. It failed because they were at war with the fascists, and then the Spanish communist party sold out the Anarchists. It was the first build up that became WWII.

reply to post by ANOK


The redistribution of wealth and power, the establishment of communes etc were all leftist, communist inspired policies.
Everything was initially intended to help China move towards becoming a truly Communist state.

That they lost their way somewhere along the path, as did the Soviet Union etc who also set out with the same intentions and also failed to establish a truly Communist or even Socialist state, gives some support to those that claim Communism / Socialism will never work.

There will always be a bit of the Anarchist in me.
Unfortunately, like Communism and Socialism there is only one thing wrong with Anarchy - human beings.

reply to post by ANOK


Saying that China is not communist and never has been is a far stretch of the imagination. It is called communist China for a reason.

There is however also a bit of capitalism, which is the only reason communist china has lasted as long as it has.

reply to post by Freeborn


Anarchy and Socialism are very different things.
Anarchy is no government.
Socialism is more government.