Re: [OPE] Anitra Nelson, "Fictitious Capital and Real Compacts"

From: Gerald Levy <jerry_levy@verizon.net>
Date: Sun Oct 19 2008 - 08:19:50 EDT

> Why did massive environmental damage occur in the USSR, wreaking havoc on people's health and habitats?

Hi Jurriaan:

A few, brief thoughts -

In the early period, this was linked - imo - to the ideological glorification and romantization of
industrialization by the Bolsheviks (which was also reflected in the art of the Constructivists).

Later, it was tied to the problem of "internalities".

The goal-setting process of the state planning process in which "success indicators"
were quantitative rather than also qualitative didn't help either.

The Cold War mentality of "competing" with the Western capitalist nations also led to the replication
of certain technologies (such as nuclear power) which had been diffused in those nations.
In that sense, Chernobyl could be seen as an indirect consequence of the Cold War
(internalities, also, played a role in that ecological catastrophe).

In solidarity, Jerry

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Received on Sun Oct 19 08:21:45 2008

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