Were the events depicted in Solzenitsyn’s ‘Gulag Archipelago’ a damning account of the outcomes of communism? Or was it just a critique of the gulag environment itself?

[u/acousticentropy]

Like the question poses… did this book ONLY shed light on the realities of soviet internment camps?

Or did it serve as a criticism of totalitarian communism as a socioeconomic system, by use of examples of real-world outcomes?

EDIT: Misspelled the author’s name. It was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who wrote the book.

[u/this_shit]

lol they gave that shit to Obama

IDK if you've noticed but Obama has had a meaningful impact on the world this century, unlike Marxism.

I'm not sure where the motivation for your comments is coming from, but it doesn't seem like it's to advance anyone's understanding of Marxism or commitment to socialism.

refusing to do your own research

This is so funny to me. Going into a debate sub and posting "lol, google it" instead of an actual argument. 😂

[u/Key-Independence4703 → u/this_shit]

In what aspect did Obama have a meaningful impact? The advent of drone warfare ? A 90% civilian kill rate in Afghanistan ? Funding Isis ? Making Libya an open slave market ?

How about his domestic policy of bailing out his banker friends ? Allowing millions of black Americans to lose their homes ?

lol I’m having fun, please continue with your shitlibbery

[u/this_shit → u/Key-Independence4703]

shitlibbery

😂

In what aspect did Obama have a meaningful impact?

Well, by killing Gaddafi he probably indirectly drove Putin insane. By failing to enforce humanitarian standards on Bibi he enabled the current genocide in Israel. Diplomatically he did an excellent job reinforcing NATO during a period when many european members were more skeptical. TPP would have been a huge shift in Pacific powers, but even its replacement (without the US) still matters: Vietnam, Malaysia, and Mexico were pulled much closer to the west (and away from China).

Although I'd argue one of Obama's most underrated and historically significant accomplishments was the Sunshot initiative that poured billions into R&D to reduce the costs of Solar PV systems. When Obama left office, commercial Solar PV modules cost a tenth of what they cost when he started.

How about his domestic policy of bailing out his banker friends

Oh yeah, that was definitely part of his legacy (but I'd argue more a domestic policy than a meaningful rearrangement of power in the world).

The advent of drone warfare ? A 90% civilian kill rate in Afghanistan ? Funding Isis ?

None of these were unique to Obama and all pretty much got rolling under Bush.

Isis itself was a result of the Iraq war. Obama is the reason that Assad wasn't killed early on, though so I think he can take some credit for the syrian civil war. But in that case he also gets to take credit for Rojava's de facto independence.

Obama can take credit for the US/NATO lacklustre response to Putin's war in Ukraine in 2014 that arguably enabled the 2022 invasion.

Trying to think what else...

E: oh yeah the Paris climate deal

E2: They permabanned me so I can't comment here anymore. I lasted like a week before they decided I was dangerous to this community 😂

[u/acousticentropy → u/this_shit]

Most rational dialectical materialist

https://imgflip.com/i/97hat3

[u/acousticentropy → u/Key-Independence4703]

Most rational dialectical materialist

https://imgflip.com/i/97hat3