Soviet Contributions to Modern world

[Plotinus]

Well, it's true that people other than Jews died in the Holocaust. Many other groups, such as Romanies, the disabled, gay people, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others were also killed.

 

[Maimonides]

I'm sorry, I made a mistake, officially the soviet Government recognized the holocaust, but in practice they tried to remove its unique targeting of the Jews. For Example, after the Liberation of Kiev the Extraordinary State Commision reported,
"The Hitlerist bandits committed mass murder of the Jewish population. They announced that on September 29, 1941, all the Jews were required to arrive to the corner of Melnikov and Dokterev streets and bring their documents, money and valuables. The butchers marched them to Babi Yar, took away their belongings, then shot them."
G.F. Aleksandrov, head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Party's Central Committee, then made changes to it for public consumption reading
"The Hitlerist bandits brought thousands of civilians to the corner of Melnikov and Dokterev streets. The butchers marched them to Babi Yar, took away their belongings, then shot them."
You can see the original, and the changes here.

This makes sense. Communism is supposed to be blind to ethnicity. It's understandable that the Soviets would paint these types of offenses as being against the entire nation rather than a specific group of citizens.

Well, it's true that people other than Jews died in the Holocaust. Many other groups, such as Romanies, the disabled, gay people, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others were also killed.

Of course.

I'm just not seeing that the U.S.S.R. specifically targetted Jews as has been asserted in previous posts. Holocaust denial isn't necessarily evidence of discrimination against Jews. It was probably in Stalin's interest politically since he started out WWII as a friend to Hitler in carving up Poland. Stalin being an anti-Semite doesn't show persectution specifically directed at Jews. To my knowledge, the problems that Jews experienced in the U.S.S.R. were shared by lots of other groups.

As for my answer to the OP, it seems the biggest Soviet contributions were in military & space technology.

 

[ParkCungHee]

To my knowledge, the problems that Jews experienced in the U.S.S.R. were shared by lots of other groups.

Oh, thats a seperate matter. Admitedly, the Jews escaped the worst, as the campaign against them was only getting into high gear just as Stalin died. Theres a whole book "Stalin's Last Crime: The Plot Against the Jewish Doctors, 1948-1953" By Jonathan Brent on the affair. Essentially just before his death, Stalin was preparing for a purge of Jews on a scale that would surpass the Pogroms.
Now, as for what actually was done to the Jews, for example there was the fact that it was illegal to teach Hebrew, except for the Soviet foreign office. The percentage of synogogues closed under the soviets was much higher then Eastern Orthodox Churches and Mosques. There was also the wide scale societal discrimination against the Jews that continues to this day. Russia has one of the most lasting histories of Anti-Semitism in the world, and while legally they might have the same rights, Jews quickly found a "glass ceiling" in the Soviet Union.

 

[Nylan]

Okay, Im tryin to find out the Soviet contributions to the modern world, so this is all I got so far...

#1 - Propaganda/Advertisement - Lenin Proclaimed the best way to get Communist Ideology around the people was small animated movies, and the capitalist corporations stole this idea for their own ideology so they created advertisement

#2 - The fall of the Nazis - Russia brought down a great deal of the Nazis in World War Two, if they was never even in there (Like if they wasnt against Germany durin WWI so it wouldnt get Hitler all pissed off at Russia), then the Allies wouldnt have killed that much of Nazi Soldiers meanin that, there would be alot more secret Nazis in hiding around the world (old people tryin to pass their ideas to their children??)

#3 - Guns, such as the Ak-47 - They just kick ass, you gotta admit, from the 5MM Skorpion to the Classic AK-47

#4 - Created the "Golden Age" of Russia - Created another time of great achievements for Russia, Peter the Great times was another time of great Achievements for Russia

#5 - Overthrow a few Dictators - Like the ex-dictator of Cuba, now Fidel Castro is controllin Cuba, and we all know how much Fidel Castro is loved, lol, he got a white dove on his shoulder one day (which everyone thinks is a good omen)

Anyone got any others???

AK-47s are very efficient, well balanced weapons. In fact I would call them teh sweet. However, I think the rest has been thoroughly discredited as being solely a Soviet achievement.

 

[nonconformist]

As for Stalin's percecution of the Jews, he did percecute them, not as a religion, but as a race, and many were purged, or removed to the Gulags.
However, to credit this as a feature unique to Stalin's USSR would be wrong and foolish. Stalin was merely carrying on the policies that had marked Russian politics from time immemorable.
Jews were forcedm to live in Pales, which were effectively Jewish ghettos, where Jews were forced to concentrate. They would not be allowed out, passports were very rarely granted to them, and thye were not permitted to practice certain trades.
While it is true that under Aleksandr II, Jews conditions improved, and they were allowed more rights, after he was assasinated, his son, Aleksandr III, started on a frantic reign of opression, in which Cossacks were used to slaughter Jews, and Stolypin's "necktie" (gallows)game into frequent use.

It's also worth noting that right up until the fall of the USSR, Jews were refused the right to leave the country, and move to Israel, and they became known asd "Refuseniks"

 

[Terxpahseyton]

As for Stalin's percecution of the Jews, he did percecute them, not as a religion, but as a race

You probably just tried to explain Stalins view not yours, but how can u percecute Jews as a race???
By the way very interesting stuff about Jews and the Su in here. Didn't know about that

 

[nonconformist]

You probably just tried to explain Stalins view not yours, but how can u percecute Jews as a race???
By the way very interesting stuff about Jews and the Su in here. Didn't know about that

Because Jews are regarded to be an ethnicity, usually Semitic.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Because Jews are regarded to be an ethnicity, usually Semitic.

Are you serious? Well maybe it's just because I'm German and Germans who adopt anything from the NSDAP-ideology (like this race-thing) are for the rest of the population so clear nazis like Osama Bin Laden is an islamist, but where I come from Jews being a race was always considered an invention of Hitler and underwriters, and that they are truly as much a race like Christans, Hindus and whoever else....
So if they are considers a real race now this would be very interesting ('cause it would offend everything I was told so far)

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Are you serious? Well maybe it's just because I'm German and Germans who adopt anything from the NSDAP-ideology (like this race-thing) are for the rest of the population so clear nazis like Osama Bin Laden is an islamist, but where I come from Jews being a race was always considered an invention of Hitler and underwriters, and that they are truly as much a race like Christans, Hindus and whoever else....
So if they are considers a real race now this would be very interesting ('cause it would offend everything I was told so far)

There are not very many Jews who are not also ethnically Semetic; Judaism doesn't have that "missionary" attribute that Christianity and Islam have, you just don't find many people converting to Judaism. Thus, the people mainly identified as being Jews are the Semites.

 

[Alpha Killer II]

Religon is Opiate of the masses, easy as dat

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Religon is Opiate of the masses, easy as dat

Quick, without looking: what does that mean?

 

[Plotinus]

There are not very many Jews who are not also ethnically Semetic; Judaism doesn't have that "missionary" attribute that Christianity and Islam have, you just don't find many people converting to Judaism. Thus, the people mainly identified as being Jews are the Semites.

No, because there are a hell of a lot of semites who aren't Jews. SiLL is right - Judaism is a religion (and a culture), not a race.

Quick, without looking: what does that mean?

If I ever used smilies, there'd be a laughing one here.

 

[Princeps]

Whoever taught you history needs to be dragged down a gravel road by a team of horses.

Nobody taught me history, I have learned it myself. Perhaps that's why I am not indoctrinated to believe the typical western history, the one which is painted rosy.

V-1 rockets falling on your house most likely made British anti-German propaganda unecessary during WWII.

I was speaking about WW1.

I said that the British invented an incredibly effective propaganda machine during WWI. The British turned their population into raving anti-german fanatics through propaganda, and thus were much less war weary than Germans by the time the first world war ended. The effectiveness of British propaganda impressed everyone, it impressed the corporations and it impressed hitler.

The media is the current American government's harshest critic. Certainly the American public isn't doing much besides voting negatively in opinion polls.

American Media also covers the Iraq war similarly to how pravda covered the Afgan war. "if we withdraw, there will be chaos". (They were funnily enough, right... American supported militants sacked the country after soviets withdrew. But it was nevertheless the same propaganda as we have today in the media)

Before the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, it was the media that spread the hype and thrill about the coming war, and acted as government's mouth piece, in fact some of them worked with the military.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

No, because there are a hell of a lot of semites who aren't Jews. SiLL is right - Judaism is a religion (and a culture), not a race.

I actually hadn't thought about that.

 

[joycem10]

The Nazis considered it a race only. You could have totally remounced Judiasm and converted to Catholicism but you still went striaght to the camps if the Nazis got their hands on you.

Look at the Nuremberg laws. If you had 3 Jew Grandparents, you were a Jew.

 

[amadeus]

Okay, Im tryin to find out the Soviet contributions to the modern world, so this is all I got so far...

#1 - Propaganda/Advertisement - Lenin Proclaimed the best way to get Communist Ideology around the people was small animated movies, and the capitalist corporations stole this idea for their own ideology so they created advertisement

False. Animated movies predated Lenin's revolution.

#2 - The fall of the Nazis - Russia brought down a great deal of the Nazis in World War Two, if they was never even in there (Like if they wasnt against Germany durin WWI so it wouldnt get Hitler all pissed off at Russia), then the Allies wouldnt have killed that much of Nazi Soldiers meanin that, there would be alot more secret Nazis in hiding around the world (old people tryin to pass their ideas to their children??)

Not without our help; Russia recieved from the U.S. over 375,000 trucks, 14,000 airplanes, 8,000 tractors, three million tires, 11,000 railroad cars, 50,000 jeeps, four and a half million tons of food rations, 30 million boots, and 100 million tons of cotton.

#3 - Guns, such as the Ak-47 - They just kick ass, you gotta admit, from the 5MM Skorpion to the Classic AK-47

One "contribution" (with mostly positive effects, right? ...)

#4 - Created the "Golden Age" of Russia - Created another time of great achievements for Russia, Peter the Great times was another time of great Achievements for Russia

Too general to be considered.

#5 - Overthrow a few Dictators - Like the ex-dictator of Cuba, now Fidel Castro is controllin Cuba, and we all know how much Fidel Castro is loved, lol, he got a white dove on his shoulder one day (which everyone thinks is a good omen)

Installed many more dictators, like Klement Gottwald, Kim Il Sung, Petru Groza, Fidel Castro, Josip Broz Tito, Enver Hoxha, Wilhelm Pieck, Mengistu Haile Mariam, Bolesław Bierut, Ho Chi Minh, Mátyás Rákosi, Samora Machel, Kaysone Phomvihane, and so on, and so on...

 

[amadeus]

Im sure the US has never done that, isn't that right Saddam?

*Hold up puppet of Saddam*

Puppet: Thats right!!!

Yes, Saddam was a puppet of the United States.

In fact, we even orchestrated Saddam's close relations with the USSR (Soviet "advisors" in Baghdad, 80% of arms shipments from the Eastern bloc.)

 

[amadeus]

Womans Suffrage, equality they were good thing of USSR,

What was the point of women's suffrage when the elections were meaningless?

The Demoractic Batista regime? He was the general that killed thousands of his own people but the US supported him against Casro becuase he defended US Interests in CUba

Thousands.

 

[amadeus]

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS -
The MiG - Was probably one of the best jets around till the US started copyin the Soviet Designs

Actually, the F-86 flew months earlier than the MiG-15.

AND Ho Chi Minh was a good dictator I think, he had the hearts of the people, except for the corrupt South Vietnamese Government

Which is why there are millions of Vietnamese expatriates today?

AND Fidel Castro is well loved by his people EXCEPT for the Cuban Exiles that hate their own country

Yes, everybody loves Fidel Castro. In fact, he's so popular that the government is compelled to imprison those that don't love him.

AND Laos Rules =]

If by "rules" you mean repressive and poverty-stricken, then you're right.

 

[amadeus]

Overall, I have some respect for Fidel. He gave his people rather good health care, and, well, at least, people in Cuba do not have to eat grass, like in North Korea!

Actually, Cuba was the most advanced Carribean/Central American/Latin American country before Castro, not after. Compared to the other countries in the region, Cuba has since fallen far behind other countries like Costa Rica, Chile, Uruguay, etc.