News Was the USSR Truly The Evil Empire?

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The discussion centers around whether the USSR can be classified as "The Evil Empire." Participants grapple with the subjective nature of the term "evil," questioning if it can be applied to a nation rather than individuals. Some argue that while leaders like Stalin committed atrocities, labeling an entire country as evil is problematic. The debate touches on the USSR's historical context, including its military actions and treatment of its citizens, contrasting these with the perceived actions of the USA. Many emphasize that the term "evil" is too broad and subjective, suggesting that it reflects the perspective of those who oppose the USSR's ideology. The conversation also includes comparisons between the USSR and the USA, with some asserting that both nations exhibited imperialistic behaviors, complicating the discussion of moral judgment. Ultimately, the thread reveals a divide in opinions, with some voting "yes" on the USSR's classification as an evil empire based on its government actions, while others reject the label as overly simplistic and subjective.

Was the USSR "The Evil Empire"?


  • Total voters
    35
  • #31
sid_galt said:
Aldrich Ames, Kim Philby, the debacle in Iraq, Navy Officers providing sensitive information to Soviets (don't remember the names), etc. I could give many more but I don't have the time to look them up too check the names and specifics, etc.
What I do know is that none of such major incidents happened in the KGB.
Conclusion: In comparision to organizations such as the KGB, US was very poor in spying.

Oh well what are we talking about? You sound like you were saying that US spy missions were badly done or planned out. The "proof" of this was 2 Soviet spys working against the "west" (One seems to be British only) , buzz words, and your navy officers providing info. There can be no denying a lof of information was taken by the Soviet Union but what you said was that US spy missions sucked and that's what i would like proof of.
 
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  • #32
I voted yes. If the words 'evil empire' has any meaning, the sovijet is it. However, personally I'd avoid such a description because of its poor information value; it doesn't say anything about what the negative aspects are.
 
  • #33
Pengwuino said:
Well this would relevant if the thread had anything to do with US being called an evil empire (however, many ideologs love to spin every topic into a "United States = Evil" rant).
Folk are just trying to establish a baseline for the discussion Pengwuino i.e. what actually makes an empire 'evil'. Presumably Reagan didn't consider the USA to be evil and so it seems necessary to factor out those elements the USA and Russia held in common. When we see what's left people can determine if that makes Russia evil
 
  • #34
Pengwuino said:
There can be no denying a lof of information was taken by the Soviet Union but what you said was that US spy missions sucked and that's what i would like proof of.

Failure to kill Fidel Castro, failure to remove Sukarno in Indonesia, failure to get Salvador not elected in Chile, failure to prevent the Iran theocratic uprising, debacle of the counterintelligence group of the CIA due to infestation of moles, etc.

The CIA was a great organization in the 50s when it was bold and aggressive. After that it just fell apart IMO.
 
  • #35
now that's what I am looken for.

haha i read "CIA due to infestation of moles" and thought CIA was a guy who was really ugly...
 

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