The Environmental Benefits of Communism

[Forty Two]

At the time of its reunification with West Germany only an estimated 42 percent of moving water and only 24 percent of still waters were polluted to the point that they could not be used to process drinking water. Only almost half of the country’s lakes were considered dead or dying and unable to sustain fish or other forms of life, and almost one-third of industrial sewage and half of domestic sewage received treatment. An estimated 56 percent of East German forests were undamaged by acid rain — little surprise given that the country pround production of proportionally more sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and coal dust than any other country in the world.

In 1990, a mere 40% of the Soviet Union's people lived in areas where air pollutants were just three to four times the maximum allowable levels. Sanitation was gloriously primitive. Where it existed, for example in Moscow, it did not work properly. Half of all industrial waste water in the capital city was treated. In Leningrad, not even half of the children had intestinal disorders caused by drinking contaminated water from what was once Europe’s most pristine supply.

A 1996 Russia country study published by the Library of Congress’ Federal Research Division found that a mere 75 percent of its surface water was polluted and only 50 percent of all water was not potable according to 1992 quality standards.

http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/13/if- ... vironment/

[rainbow]

Of course what you are describing is typical State Capitalism.

Revisionist!

[Forty Two]

Of course what you are describing is typical State Capitalism.

Revisionist!

The Soviet Union and East Germany, not communist.

[pErvinalia]

18447014_1847347388919550_4899420811148851868_n.jpg (30.07 KiB) Viewed 3401 times

[Forty Two]

How so?

Is the contention that the Soviet Union and East Germany were capitalist? Or, were they communist? Or were they something else?

[Brian Peacock]

The 20th century Communist experiment failed. You need to move on.

[JimC]

They were totalitarian states where new ideas of any kind, including environmental awareness were suppressed by the state which understandably feared change...

[Forty Two]

The 20th century Communist experiment failed. You need to move on.

There we don't disagree.

I would add that the 21st century experiments are failing, too.

[Forty Two]

They were totalitarian states where new ideas of any kind, including environmental awareness were suppressed by the state which understandably feared change...

Communism is by nature a totalitarian ideology.

[JimC]

They were totalitarian states where new ideas of any kind, including environmental awareness were suppressed by the state which understandably feared change...

Communism is by nature a totalitarian ideology.

My point was that it was the totalitarian aspect of their political system that lead to the lack of the development of an environmental movement. Non-communist totalitarian systems would probably go down the same path.

And while it's true that the historical pathways of communism in Russia and China were towards totalitarianism, it is not necessarily inevitable; in other words, I am saying that a non-totalitarian form of socialism is at least possible.

[pErvinalia]

The 20th century Communist experiment failed. You need to move on.

No Brian. The feminists and SJW are, as we speak, arranging for the overthrow of the bourgeoisie and capitalist world order via a cunning 73 year long play at a handful of US colleges. We are already 4 years into this plan!!

[pErvinalia]

They were totalitarian states where new ideas of any kind, including environmental awareness were suppressed by the state which understandably feared change...

Communism is by nature a totalitarian ideology.

Communism, by ideology, is anti-totalitarian. Do you even know what communism is?

[JimC]

They were totalitarian states where new ideas of any kind, including environmental awareness were suppressed by the state which understandably feared change...

Communism is by nature a totalitarian ideology.

Communism, by ideology, is anti-totalitarian. Do you even know what communism is?

In theory, perhaps. However, its iterations in the real world last century were definitely totalitarian. Whether that is historically inevitable or not is a moot point...

[pErvinalia]

Yeah, but he said by ideology (i.e. by theory). By ideology communism is stateless and everyone pretty much shares everything equally. It's the polar opposite of totalitarian.

[JimC]

The real moot point is whether such a political condition could ever be achieved given the nature of Homo sapiens...

But yeah, if it were to exist, it should at least be environmentally friendly...