[Marxism] The post-Soviet holocaust (An aside in the Farber discussion)

["Joaquin Bustelo" <jbustelo@xxxxxxxxx>]

        The article about the Lancet study referred to in another post that
just crossed the list should be considered required reading by all
marxmailistas interested in these questions.

        What they show is a veritable holocaust visited upon the Russian
working class with the restoration of capitalism:

        "From 1991 to 1994, life expectancy in Russia was reduced by five
years.... By last year, the life expectancy of Russian men was less than 60
years, compared with 67 years in 1985."

        Or to put it in comparative terms: Russian life expectancy is now
back to what in was at the end of the 1950's ... in Cuba. It is lower than
in Bolivia. 

        From the point of view of working people, this represents a
holocaust, millions upon millions of additional deaths that could and would
had been avoided save but for the bureaucracy's desperate panic to
re-establish capitalism to secure their privileges.

        As to one aspect of what we've been discussing --state capitalist
theory-- it shows the question I raised about Cuba is more generally
applicable. Given hard facts like these, aren't we compelled to say that
state capitalism is better for workers than the regular sort?

Joaquin


        


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