Quote:
Originally Posted by glyn
Well, that was the big lie fed to the populace by the communists after they took power. Russia was lagging behind some countries, but by not nearly as much as the CP wanted you to believe. Russia had some of the finest engineers and academics in the world. The CP made life impossible for them and they fled the country, never to return. They became an asset for other countries. Let me mention just two, Igor Sikorski and Alexander Seversky. They were giants in the world of aviation and founded great corporations.
|
The bulk of Russian population were illiterate peasants. The country was ravaged by 7 years of war, from 1914-1921. Starvation and disease were rampant. There was very little industry left, and most of it wasn't running. The railroad network was in a state of disrepair. The USSR in 1921 was a mess.