Sunday, September 06, 2015
Moment of clarity 2
I was initially fooled by the 'Arab Spring' thing as reported. After facts and results started to come out, I was no longer fooled.
Problem: I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FOOLED. Even without the facts and results, I already understood that regime changes and revolutions usually make things worse. But there were enough apparent exceptions that I allowed hope to triumph over experience. Several Eastern Europe countries are unquestionably better after Soviet rule ended. Others are about the same, a few are worse.
Question: Is there a reliable pattern? A way to predict WHICH regime changes are more likely to make things worse?
Answer:
Revolutions normally make things worse.
Restorations normally make things better.
In places like Poland and Czechia, the pre-Soviet government was not just 'comparatively decent'; it was GOOD. Sovietism was imposed externally by an occupying force. When it was removed, the pre-existing tradition and culture flowed back into power. This was a restoration, not a revolution.
Labels: STRONG!
¶ 4:10 AM
