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Communist nostalgia

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Revision as of 21:36, 22 December 2023 by Ledlecreeper27 (talk | contribs) (Georgia)
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

Armenia

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

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

Belarus

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

Georgia

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

Kazakhstan

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

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

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

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

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

Ukraine

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

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

Eastern Bloc

Albania

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

Bulgaria

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

Czechoslovakia

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

Germany

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

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

Romania

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

Yugoslavia

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

References

  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.