Based on this anons request
>>1532520This thread is for the discussion on Communist countries during the cold war, or beyond, if you want to discuss contemporary issues in places like Cuba where Marxism still somewhat limps on. I have a strange historical fascination with communist countries during the cold war. I've read a few books on the period and watched lots of documentaries on the era.
>what is a communist countryJust for an overview, a "communist country" is a western term that describes a command economy that prescribes to Marxist Leninism, a 19th century ideology that predicts that society will inevitably transform over time into one where workers own the means of production through class struggle. The countries themselves never professed themselves to be communist, and places like the Soviet Union and East Germany described themselves as socialist worker states on their way to achieving communism. The Soviet Union and the other Eastern European communist states, Mainland China, North Korea and Cuba are such examples of communist countries during the era. The Soviet Union was considered during the cold war to be a superpower, on par with the United States.
>how do communist countries differ from non-communist countriesThe main difference beyond the ideology, which functions in effect like a quasi religion, is the prerogative of the state over the economy. Collective farms, state owned factories and guaranteed employment make up the typical hallmarks of a communist country. Housing was also typically guaranteed, meaning if you were a worker your basic necessities were all met. On the other side of the coin, all these countries came with varying degrees of state repression and curtailing of private employment and entrepreneurship.
Feel free to ask questions or to make discussion.
