I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the difference between policy and material conditions. The USSR wouldn’t have had queues (or very long queues) if they were a rich country like the United States. Any socialist country that is rich would have plenty of materials that nobody would ever have to wait in line (at least not a long line, no longer than in current day USA)
Of course, under socialism, certain excesses would be limited, but at the same time, if your country literally already had what it needed because of the overcapacity built by capitalism, then under socialism, basically all needs would be met very easily.
I need to do some more reading by other people on this topic because I’m no expert, but it makes sense to me.
The USSR wouldn’t have had queues (or very long queues) if they were a rich country like the United States.
Exactly, absolutely brilliant point. This is why your socialism is only as advanced as your productive forces and productive output. Otherwise you’re building communism by decree rather than by degree.
A couple more things about “bad” Soviet apartments:
Yes, there were queues, and you could be waiting for years to get an apartment, I would still prefer the Soviet approach 100 times over.
…which is what happens under capitalism anyway if you ever do get to own a house, so this argument doesn’t even make sense
Here there weren’t any patches of land, that’s why we’ve got allotment gardens, so that you could do your gardening and leisure there.
A note about those queues.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the difference between policy and material conditions. The USSR wouldn’t have had queues (or very long queues) if they were a rich country like the United States. Any socialist country that is rich would have plenty of materials that nobody would ever have to wait in line (at least not a long line, no longer than in current day USA)
Of course, under socialism, certain excesses would be limited, but at the same time, if your country literally already had what it needed because of the overcapacity built by capitalism, then under socialism, basically all needs would be met very easily.
I need to do some more reading by other people on this topic because I’m no expert, but it makes sense to me.
Exactly, absolutely brilliant point. This is why your socialism is only as advanced as your productive forces and productive output. Otherwise you’re building communism by decree rather than by degree.