5 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Are there examples of oligarchic governments being removed peacefully?
I don’t think the USSR could be feasibly described as an oligarchy (and certainly not prior to perestroika). Per Winters, the defining feature of oligarchy is “wealth defence”. Was government in the USSR geared to defend the wealth of an ultra-rich elite? If you believe it was, it would be good to explain how you reached that conclusion (perhaps you can also elaborate on what you mean by wealth inequality being “subjective”).
The second part of your response seems to present a different argument: that the *collapse* of the Soviet model led to the emergence of the modern Russian oligarchy. That is undeniable, but pointing out that oligarchy emerged after the USSR ceased to exist rather undermines your contention that the Soviet model was itself oligarchic.
Comment by artisticthrowaway123 at 23/01/2025 at 15:40 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Honestly, it depends once again on your personal belief of wealth. Did the Soviet oligarchs which grew to positions of power during the Stalin regime onwards have access to vast material wealth, private properties, and political power? Yes.
Did they have large amounts of physical currency? No, but not only was the USSR economy largely focused on being self-sufficient above everything else, and had little motivation to export goods for most of it's existence, but you can also make the assumption that there is a very clear path between the Soviet authoritarian regime and the Perestroika businessmen that later became the oligarchs in Russia.
It's a tricky subject for sure.