Was the Soviet Union really an evil empire as Reagan described it and did Pope John Paul II have a role.....?

Question

IN BRINGING DOWN COMMUNISM IN POLAND AND EUROPE?

Answer 1

No and no.

The Soviet Union was a strange country that was ruled through the ideological prism of Marxism-Leninism.  What this meant was that all decisions, governmental, local, factory, office and school were made with a reference to the thoughts of Marx, Lenin, Engels or other officially sanctioned philosophers.

It operated in a very different way to countries in the West, but it was not 'Evil'.

See:

http://www.marxists.org/history/ussr/

When Karol Wojtyła became Pope John Paul II in 1978 the Polish people were immensely proud - they are a catholic country.  And his visit to Poland in 1979 did stir up catholic feelings in the country - but it did not help to bring down communist rule - that was the brave men and women of the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk who formed the union - Solidarity.

See:

http://www.socialismtoday.org/63/solidar...

http://www.solidarnosc.org.pl/en/

Answer 2

No and the former Soviet Union fell because the Russians could not stop it from falling.  

Answer 3

No more evil than any other empire at that time.

Communism was already on the way down before that pope came into office

Answer 4

Yes and yes.

The Soviets ran things differently from the West, that's true.  They ran prison camps and gulags that killed tens of millions of Russians and other Soviet citizens.  Read Solzenitzen to grasp the absolute horror of it all.

As for the Pope, yes he had a role in bringing down Communism.  Lech Walesa, the leader of Solidarity said, "The pope started this chain of events that led to the end of communism.  Before his pontificate, the world was divided into blocs. Nobody knew how to get rid of communism. He simply said: 'Don't be afraid, change the image of this land'."

Historian Timothy Garton Ash had this to say, "Without the Pope, no Solidarity. Without Solidarity, no Gorbachev. Without Gorbachev, no fall of Communism."

Answer 5

The Soviet union was 'as evil' as America then.Both believed in death penalty and torture- except America *still* practices both barbaric activities today.Both had and have secret police.America made live miserable for "Reds" and the USSR made live miserable for the " bourgeois".The USSR had nuclear weapons pointing at America, but so did America have nuclear weapons pointing at the USSR.

At least in the USSR, the health and education system was free, unlike America, where a dying person will be refused treatment in a hospital, because they do not have the money..

John Paul II helped bring down Communism in Poland, but did not actively bring down Communism.Poland was and is, a Catholic country and when the Pope visited it gave them the strength to resist. Poland was one of the furthest countries from Russia and therefore, less controlled, so when Poland and her neighbors began to riot the Soviet controls began to crumble.After John Paul II visited they set up Solidarty and the 'rest is history'.John Paul II caused a dominio effect.

Answer 6

Feelings about the former Soviet Union have changed - now that they're no longer an 'enemy', and we're now able to see them more objectively, so no 'evil empire.'