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Communist nostalgia: Difference between revisions

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'''Communist nostalgia''', also called '''socialist nostalgia''' is the desire for the past in various post-communist states in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia for their previous communist governments.
[[File:Communist nostalgia map.png|thumb|436x436px|Percentage of people who said life was better under socialism and/or that the [[Overthrow of the Soviet Union|fall of the USSR]] harmed their country. White numbers indicate polls that had an option for neutral or "don't know," meaning some of these countries have a pro-communist plurality but no majority.]]
'''Communist nostalgia''', also known as '''socialist nostalgia''', is a political and cultural phenomenon in former [[Socialist state|socialist states]] where large portions of the population long for a return to [[socialism]] as they become disillusioned with the new [[capitalist]] system that replaced it.


== Germany ==
== Former Soviet republics ==
In Germany, Ostalgie is nostalgia for aspects of life in [[German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)|East Germany]]. It is a portmanteau of the German words ''Ost'' (east) and ''Nostalgie'' (nostalgia). Its anglicized equivalent ostalgia (rhyming with "nostalgia") is also sometimes used.


For more information, see the [[wikipedia:Ostalgie|Wikipedia page]] for Ostalgie.
=== Armenia ===
71% of [[Republic of Armenia|Armenians]] believe life was better in the Soviet Union,<ref name=":0">{{Web citation|author=Will Stewart|newspaper=Express|title=Back in the USSR: 64 per cent of Russians say life was better in the Soviet Union than now|date=2016-08-17|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/701026/russians-life-better-soviet-union-ussr-sixty-four-percent|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616141354/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/701026/russians-life-better-soviet-union-ussr-sixty-four-percent|archive-date=2022-06-16|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref> and only 12% believe Armenia benefitted from the overthrow of the Soviet Union in 1991.<ref name=":1">{{Web citation|author=Neli Esipova, Julie Ray|newspaper=Gallup|title=Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup|date=2013-12-19|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/166538/former-soviet-countries-harm-breakup.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828070321/https://news.gallup.com/poll/166538/former-soviet-countries-harm-breakup.aspx|archive-date=2022-08-28|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>


== Soviet Union ==
=== Azerbaijan ===
We need to import information from this [[wikipedia:Nostalgia_for_the_Soviet_Union|Wikipedia page]]
69% of [[Republic of Azerbaijan|Azerbaijanis]] think life was better in the Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" />
 
=== Belarus ===
53% of [[Republic of Belarus|Belarusians]] believe life was better in the Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" />
 
=== Georgia ===
57% of [[Georgia (country)|Georgians]] see [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] positively compared to only 18% for [[Mikhail Gorbachev|Gorbachov]].<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Pew Resarch Center|title=Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe|date=2017-05-10|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007031807/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|archive-date=2023-10-07}}</ref>
 
=== Kazakhstan ===
60% of [[Republic of Kazakhstan|Kazakhstani]] people believe life was better in the Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" /> 82.4% believed that the Soviet Union responded to citizens' needs.<ref name=":3">{{Citation|author=Kelly M. McMann|year=2005|title=Central Asians and the State: Nostalgia for the Soviet Era|pdf=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227064639/https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/2005_818_09_McMann.pdf|publisher=Case Western Reserve}}</ref>
 
=== Kyrgyzstan ===
61% of [[Kyrgyz Republic|Kyrgyz]] people believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed Kyrgyzstan and only 16% say it helped.<ref name=":1" /> 87% believed that the USSR responded to citizens' needs.<ref name=":3" />
 
=== Moldova ===
60% of [[Republic of Moldova|Moldovans]] who lived in the Soviet Union say life was better then.<ref name=":0" /> Only 26% say Moldova benefitted from the dissolution of the USSR.<ref name=":1" />
 
=== Russia ===
[[File:Russian communists.png|thumb|350x350px|Russians celebrating the legacy of the [[Soviet Union]]]]
In the [[Russian Federation]], 75% of people believe that the USSR was the best time period in Russian history.<ref>[https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/24/75-of-russians-say-soviet-era-was-greatest-time-in-countrys-history-poll-a69735 75% of Russians Say Soviet Era Was 'Greatest Time' in Country’s History – Poll]</ref> In 2009, 58% of Russians said it was a "great misfortune" that the Soviet Union no longer exists.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Pew Research Center|title=End of Communism Cheered But Now with More Reservations|date=2009-11-02|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/chapter-7-nationalism/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401210644/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/chapter-7-nationalism/|archive-date=2023-04-01}}</ref> In 2019, [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] had a 70% approval rating in Russia.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=[[In Defense of Communism]]|title=Anticommunism Fails: 70% of Russians have a positive opinion on Joseph Stalin|date=2019-04-17|url=http://www.idcommunism.com/2019/04/anticommunism-fails-70-of-russians-have-positive-view-on-joseph-stalin.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629093512/https://www.idcommunism.com/2019/04/anticommunism-fails-70-of-russians-have-positive-view-on-joseph-stalin.html|archive-date=2021-06-29}}</ref>
 
In 1999, 58% of Russians agreed that their country should have stayed how it was before 1985, and only 27% disagreed.<ref name=":05">{{Citation|author=Austin Murphy|year=2000|title=The Triumph of Evil|chapter=The Documented Facts about Eastern Europe and Communism|page=71|pdf=https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/austin-murphy-the-triumph-of-evil.pdf|city=Fucecchio|publisher=European Press Academic Publishing|isbn=8883980026}}</ref> 64% of Russians believe that life was actually better under the USSR.<ref name=":0" /> 55% of Russians believe that the overthrow of the Soviet Union caused more harm than good compared to 19% who support the change to capitalism.<ref name=":1" />
 
62% of Russians prefer a [[planned economy]] over a [[market economy]] and 49% prefer the Soviet political system, including 62% aged 55 and older.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Levada|title=What Do Russians Think Russia Should Be Like?|date=2021-10-05|url=https://www.levada.ru/en/2021/10/05/what-do-russians-think-russia-should-be-like/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521003718/https://www.levada.ru/en/2021/10/05/what-do-russians-think-russia-should-be-like/|archive-date=2022-05-21|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
 
=== Tajikistan ===
52% of people in [[Republic of Tajikistan|Tajikistan]] believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed their country, and only 27% believe it helped.<ref name=":1" />
 
=== Ukraine ===
62% of [[Ukraine|Ukrainians]] believe that life was better under socialism.<ref name=":2">{{Web citation|newspaper=Pew Research Center|title=People Worse off than Under Communism?|date=2010-04-21|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/communism220px/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112035654/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/communism220px/|archive-date=2020-11-12|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref> 56% of Ukrainians believe the breakup of the Soviet Union was bad for Ukraine and only 23% say it was good.<ref name=":1" />
 
=== Uzbekistan ===
In 2005, 70.2% of Uzbeks agreed that the Soviet government responded to citizens' needs.<ref name=":3" />
 
== Eastern Bloc ==
 
=== Albania ===
55% of [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania (1946–1992)|Albanians]] have a positive view of former leader [[Enver Hoxha]].<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Tirana Times|title=Former dictator still seen in positive light by many Albanians, poll shows|date=2016-12-09|url=https://www.tiranatimes.com/?p=130276|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827105957/https://www.tiranatimes.com/?p=130276?p=130276|archive-date=2022-08-27|retrieved=2022-10-08}}</ref>
 
=== Bulgaria ===
62% of [[Republic of Bulgaria|Bulgarians]] say life was better in the [[People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946–1990)|People's Republic of Bulgaria]].<ref name=":2" />
 
=== Czechoslovakia ===
66% of people in [[Slovak Republic|Slovakia]] believe life was better under socialism and only 8% believe it was worse.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Robert A. Lindsay|newspaper=Beyond Highbrow|title=Nostalgia For Communism in Russia and Eastern Europe|date=2010-05-16|url=https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/nostalgia-for-communism-in-russia-and-eastern-europe/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714235645/https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/nostalgia-for-communism-in-russia-and-eastern-europe/}}</ref>
 
=== Germany ===
In the [[Federal Republic of Germany]], 57% people living in the territory that was once controlled by the [[German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)|German Democratic Republic]] (GDR) believe that life was better under socialist rule. 49% of former GDR residents believe that "The GDR had more good sides than bad sides. There were some problems, but life was good there."<ref>[https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/homesick-for-a-dictatorship-majority-of-eastern-germans-feel-life-better-under-communism-a-634122.html Majority of Eastern Germans Feel Life Better under Communism]</ref>
 
=== Hungary ===
In [[Hungary]], an outstanding majority of people numbering at 72% believe that life was better in the [[Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)|Hungarian People's Republic]].<ref name=":2" />
 
=== Romania ===
One 2014 survey found that 69% of [[Romania|Romanians]] believe life was better under socialism and 66% would vote for former leader [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] if he was still alive.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=El Mundo|title='Con el comunismo se vivía mejor': el 66% de los rumanos votaría al dictador Ceausescu|date=2014-04-10|url=https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/04/10/5346de4d268e3e8f598b458c.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115111100/https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/04/10/5346de4d268e3e8f598b458c.html|archive-date=2022-01-15|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
 
== Other countries ==
 
=== Yugoslavia ===
81% of [[Republic of Serbia|Serbians]] believe life was better under socialism.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Balkan Insight|title=Serbia Poll: Life Was Better Under Tito|date=2010-12-24|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2010/12/24/for-simon-poll-serbians-unsure-who-runs-their-country/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509215855/https://balkaninsight.com/2010/12/24/for-simon-poll-serbians-unsure-who-runs-their-country/|archive-date=2022-05-09|retrieved=2022-10-08}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
[[Category:Stubs]]
<references />
[[Category:Debunking myths]]

Latest revision as of 21:36, 22 December 2023

Percentage of people who said life was better under socialism and/or that the fall of the USSR harmed their country. White numbers indicate polls that had an option for neutral or "don't know," meaning some of these countries have a pro-communist plurality but no majority.

Communist nostalgia, also known as socialist nostalgia, is a political and cultural phenomenon in former socialist states where large portions of the population long for a return to socialism as they become disillusioned with the new capitalist system that replaced it.

Former Soviet republics[edit | edit source]

Armenia[edit | edit source]

71% of Armenians believe life was better in the Soviet Union,[1] and only 12% believe Armenia benefitted from the overthrow of the Soviet Union in 1991.[2]

Azerbaijan[edit | edit source]

69% of Azerbaijanis think life was better in the Soviet Union.[1]

Belarus[edit | edit source]

53% of Belarusians believe life was better in the Soviet Union.[1]

Georgia[edit | edit source]

57% of Georgians see Stalin positively compared to only 18% for Gorbachov.[3]

Kazakhstan[edit | edit source]

60% of Kazakhstani people believe life was better in the Soviet Union.[1] 82.4% believed that the Soviet Union responded to citizens' needs.[4]

Kyrgyzstan[edit | edit source]

61% of Kyrgyz people believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed Kyrgyzstan and only 16% say it helped.[2] 87% believed that the USSR responded to citizens' needs.[4]

Moldova[edit | edit source]

60% of Moldovans who lived in the Soviet Union say life was better then.[1] Only 26% say Moldova benefitted from the dissolution of the USSR.[2]

Russia[edit | edit source]

Russians celebrating the legacy of the Soviet Union

In the Russian Federation, 75% of people believe that the USSR was the best time period in Russian history.[5] In 2009, 58% of Russians said it was a "great misfortune" that the Soviet Union no longer exists.[6] In 2019, Stalin had a 70% approval rating in Russia.[7]

In 1999, 58% of Russians agreed that their country should have stayed how it was before 1985, and only 27% disagreed.[8] 64% of Russians believe that life was actually better under the USSR.[1] 55% of Russians believe that the overthrow of the Soviet Union caused more harm than good compared to 19% who support the change to capitalism.[2]

62% of Russians prefer a planned economy over a market economy and 49% prefer the Soviet political system, including 62% aged 55 and older.[9]

Tajikistan[edit | edit source]

52% of people in Tajikistan believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed their country, and only 27% believe it helped.[2]

Ukraine[edit | edit source]

62% of Ukrainians believe that life was better under socialism.[10] 56% of Ukrainians believe the breakup of the Soviet Union was bad for Ukraine and only 23% say it was good.[2]

Uzbekistan[edit | edit source]

In 2005, 70.2% of Uzbeks agreed that the Soviet government responded to citizens' needs.[4]

Eastern Bloc[edit | edit source]

Albania[edit | edit source]

55% of Albanians have a positive view of former leader Enver Hoxha.[11]

Bulgaria[edit | edit source]

62% of Bulgarians say life was better in the People's Republic of Bulgaria.[10]

Czechoslovakia[edit | edit source]

66% of people in Slovakia believe life was better under socialism and only 8% believe it was worse.[12]

Germany[edit | edit source]

In the Federal Republic of Germany, 57% people living in the territory that was once controlled by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) believe that life was better under socialist rule. 49% of former GDR residents believe that "The GDR had more good sides than bad sides. There were some problems, but life was good there."[13]

Hungary[edit | edit source]

In Hungary, an outstanding majority of people numbering at 72% believe that life was better in the Hungarian People's Republic.[10]

Romania[edit | edit source]

One 2014 survey found that 69% of Romanians believe life was better under socialism and 66% would vote for former leader Nicolae Ceaușescu if he was still alive.[14]

Other countries[edit | edit source]

Yugoslavia[edit | edit source]

81% of Serbians believe life was better under socialism.[15]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Will Stewart (2016-08-17). "Back in the USSR: 64 per cent of Russians say life was better in the Soviet Union than now" Express. Archived from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Neli Esipova, Julie Ray (2013-12-19). "Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup" Gallup. Archived from the original on 2022-08-28. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  3. "Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe" (2017-05-10). Pew Resarch Center. Archived from the original on 2023-10-07.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Kelly M. McMann (2005). Central Asians and the State: Nostalgia for the Soviet Era. [PDF] Case Western Reserve.
  5. 75% of Russians Say Soviet Era Was 'Greatest Time' in Country’s History – Poll
  6. "End of Communism Cheered But Now with More Reservations" (2009-11-02). Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01.
  7. "Anticommunism Fails: 70% of Russians have a positive opinion on Joseph Stalin" (2019-04-17). In Defense of Communism. Archived from the original on 2021-06-29.
  8. Austin Murphy (2000). The Triumph of Evil: 'The Documented Facts about Eastern Europe and Communism' (p. 71). [PDF] Fucecchio: European Press Academic Publishing. ISBN 8883980026
  9. "What Do Russians Think Russia Should Be Like?" (2021-10-05). Levada. Archived from the original on 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 "People Worse off than Under Communism?" (2010-04-21). Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  11. "Former dictator still seen in positive light by many Albanians, poll shows" (2016-12-09). Tirana Times. Archived from the original on 2022-08-27. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  12. Robert A. Lindsay (2010-05-16). "Nostalgia For Communism in Russia and Eastern Europe" Beyond Highbrow. Archived from the original.
  13. Majority of Eastern Germans Feel Life Better under Communism
  14. "'Con el comunismo se vivía mejor': el 66% de los rumanos votaría al dictador Ceausescu" (2014-04-10). El Mundo. Archived from the original on 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  15. "Serbia Poll: Life Was Better Under Tito" (2010-12-24). Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-10-08.