If you're like me, you know way too many people who think Russia is communist, or that don't realize the USSR has been gone for three decades now. But even for those who do understand that Russia is is capitalist oligarchy, not many know the full story. Come learn about how the West subjected the former soviet countries to brutal free market shock therapy, and the disastrous consequences that followed.

How Capitalism Destroyed Russia – Second Thought

New video every Friday!

Citations and Further Reading:

Books
https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...
https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...
https://books.google.com/books?id=WSs...
https://books.google.com/books?id=Eal...

Videos
   • The First Years of Russia: Shock, Cru...  
   • How “Shock Therapy” Capitalism Devast...  
   • PostSoviet Russia: From Gangster Cap...  
   • How capitalism destroyed Eastern Euro...  

Shock Therapy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_t...)
https://www.shortform.com/blog/russia...
https://www.projectsyndicate.org/com...

The USSR and The Russian Federation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolu...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Ru...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Y...
https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue24/...

Naomi Klein’s definition of shock doctrine/shock therapy
https://www.theguardian.com/usnews/2...

Individual statistics, facts, and quotes:

250% increase in price following privatization
https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...

56% increase in unemployment
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/782...'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/782...

14.5% fall/ nearly 20% decline in industrial production/1,354% inflation/real incomes being cut in half
https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...

Decrease in health and education spending
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/...
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/wo...

12.8% increase in deaths
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/782...'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/782...

6 year drop in life expectancy in Russia 19911994/1 year drop due to Covid
https://link.springer.com/article/10....

85% under the poverty line/Yeltsin’s 35% “correction”
   • How “Shock Therapy” Capitalism Devast...  

Jeffrey Sachs’ “spontaneous market activity” quote
https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...

The mafia’s origins in Yeltsin’s decree
https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...

47,000 then 90,000 privatized companies
https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...
https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...

$20 vouchers and 14% of privatizations open to the public
https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=VEh...

Graphs of wealth and inequality
   • How “Shock Therapy” Capitalism Devast...  

Sachs quote about prioritizing speed during the privatization process
https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/shl...

Sachs quote about not prioritizing speed during the privatization process
http://www.acamedia.info/politics/ukr...

Sachs quote about the urgency of privatization before people caught on
https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...'>https://books.google.com/books?id=G7p...

The IMF using its funds to push around economic reforms
https://books.google.be/books?id=VEh9...

The centralization of power by Yeltsin
https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue24/...

Favorable and extra press coverage for Yeltsin
https://www.belfercenter.org/publicat...

Yeltsin election rigging
https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue24/...

Sachs quote about workers councils
https://www.brookings.edu/wpcontent/...


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