100 Years After the Russian Revolution, Russians Are Still Paying: New at Reason

How much more developed would Russia be if it didn’t suffer from nearly a century of communism?

Marian Tupy writes:

Estimating the cost of the Bolshevik rule is not easy, although historian Alexander Yakovlev argues that 20 million lives were lost to state-sponsored violence, malnutrition, man-made famine, slave labor, etc. That seems like a very conservative estimate. Looking at other consequences of Russian communism, the story is similarly depressing. Comparing Russia with any other country is difficult. Russia’s geography and history are unique. That said, I went back to Maddison’s data in search of a European country that was, roughly speaking, at Russia’s level of economic development in 1917. With average annual per capita income of $1,212 (in 1990 dollars), Portugal was closest to Russia’s $1,085. Where would Russia be, had it matched the economic performance of Portugal—a country that is even today considered as something of a European basket case? Let data tell the story.

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