annatar1914 wrote:
Dead wrong. The collapse was for the purpose of looting, and it began under Gorbachev.
Trillions worth in USD of flight capital makes that a lie as well. Yes, the comrador class of looters was paid to buy up everything-where else do you think they got the funds to do so?
Corruption is always endemic in a modern society, that's the nature of the beast. But, in Russia there are plans to actually roll it back, not encourage it as we have here in the USA.
Clever, you didn't use the quote function so I wouldn't get informed about this post being created.
Cute, but resistance is futile...
Russia suffered an economic collapse. The price of oil dropped, and they couldn't adapt quick enough. The economy had been suffering a long time, anyone that was alive back then remembers the empty shops and Black market.
The USSR is literally a textbook case of how not to run a country. The ruble was non-convertible. You couldn't exchange your money for any other currency. That meant a regular guy couldn't buy imported goods except through the Black market. The government had to barter for foreign goods. Yes, barter. They'd swap sturgeon or diamonds or oil for coca-cola or cars or computers. And, of course, this stuff mostly went to Party members.
"By some measures, the Soviet economy was the world’s second largest in 1990, but shortages of consumer goods were routine and hoarding was commonplace. It was estimated that the Soviet black market economy was the equivalent of more than 10 percent of the country’s official GDP. Economic stagnation had hobbled the country for years, and the perestroika reforms only served to exacerbate the problem. Wage hikes were supported by printing money, fueling an inflationary spiral. Mismanagement of fiscal policy made the country vulnerable to external factors, and a sharp drop in the price of oil sent the Soviet economy into a tailspin."
https://www.britannica.com/story/why-di ... n-collapseThis is not to say you are completely wrong, that would make me a neocon. But this does bring us to the crux of the problem. Putin came to power and didn't regulate markets, he corrupted them, for his own advantage.
Among other consequences, that means long term under-investment that will have unfortunate consequences.