Thread: Does Communism still have a role to play, or is it dead?

I think that is because the main business in Russia is still exporting raw materials and not production. Production requires innovation to stay competitive.

You mixed the cause and the consequensis here. We produce mainly raw materials because of the free trade and capitalism.

Originally Posted by Marcus

You mixed the cause and the consequensis here. We produce mainly raw materials because of the free trade and capitalism.

"Yeah, it's George Bush's fault!" (c)

Originally Posted by Marcus

You mixed the cause and the consequensis here. We produce mainly raw materials because of the free trade and capitalism.

Not quite. Today's export of raw materials is a business which is among the few surviving the crush of the USSR. The USSR had exported raw materials, especially oil to sustain the state at least since Khrushev's time. It reached the peak of production by the end of its existence in 1991:

File:Top Oil Producing Counties.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You mixed the cause and the consequenses here. We produce mainly raw materials because of the free trade and capitalism.

Raw materials were practically the only thing that West purchased from USSR - they did not need any other goods (maybe with some exceptions) produced in the USSR.

And how comes that other former USSR countries (that do not have oil or gas) can maintain higher standard of living than Russia without raw material export?