Anne Applebaum

So there was something appealing to people who want simple answers. And also, I think, let's be fair. There are injustices in capitalism. There are huge gaps between the rich and the poor. There are people who don't have equal opportunities because of where and how they were born and the kinds of families they grew up in. And injustice is always something that rankles people and bothers them.

And the idea that there could be a perfectly just state in which everyone has the same rights and in which there aren't very rich people, you know, and very poor people, I think is theoretically appealing. I've spent a lot of my life reading about people who were communists, and many of them were in very bad faith. They were just people who wanted power or they were sadists.

And the idea that there could be a perfectly just state in which everyone has the same rights and in which there aren't very rich people, you know, and very poor people, I think is theoretically appealing. I've spent a lot of my life reading about people who were communists, and many of them were in very bad faith. They were just people who wanted power or they were sadists.

And the idea that there could be a perfectly just state in which everyone has the same rights and in which there aren't very rich people, you know, and very poor people, I think is theoretically appealing. I've spent a lot of my life reading about people who were communists, and many of them were in very bad faith. They were just people who wanted power or they were sadists.

But there were some people who, in good faith, believed that you could create if you designed it from the beginning rather than just accepting the ebb and flow of history that created capitalism and some companies. And instead of just accepting that, you could start from scratch. You could design a system and you could make it fair. And I think that had a deep appeal to a lot of people.

But there were some people who, in good faith, believed that you could create if you designed it from the beginning rather than just accepting the ebb and flow of history that created capitalism and some companies. And instead of just accepting that, you could start from scratch. You could design a system and you could make it fair. And I think that had a deep appeal to a lot of people.

But there were some people who, in good faith, believed that you could create if you designed it from the beginning rather than just accepting the ebb and flow of history that created capitalism and some companies. And instead of just accepting that, you could start from scratch. You could design a system and you could make it fair. And I think that had a deep appeal to a lot of people.

Of course, again, the problem was that in practice, imposing a system on people, imposing an economic system and imposing a political system was a disaster from the beginning. I mean, there isn't actually an example of any state that seriously tried it that succeeded. And they failed from the beginning. I mean, the Soviet Union's, the 1920s were a disaster. The 1930s were a bloodbath.

Of course, again, the problem was that in practice, imposing a system on people, imposing an economic system and imposing a political system was a disaster from the beginning. I mean, there isn't actually an example of any state that seriously tried it that succeeded. And they failed from the beginning. I mean, the Soviet Union's, the 1920s were a disaster. The 1930s were a bloodbath.

Of course, again, the problem was that in practice, imposing a system on people, imposing an economic system and imposing a political system was a disaster from the beginning. I mean, there isn't actually an example of any state that seriously tried it that succeeded. And they failed from the beginning. I mean, the Soviet Union's, the 1920s were a disaster. The 1930s were a bloodbath.

In the 1940s, World War II basically saved Stalin, you know, because they won the war, partly thanks to the help of the United States. They were able to somehow rescue the idea of communism for a bit longer. But I mean, one of the reasons they kept having these cycles of violence, and this is true in Eastern Europe as well,

In the 1940s, World War II basically saved Stalin, you know, because they won the war, partly thanks to the help of the United States. They were able to somehow rescue the idea of communism for a bit longer. But I mean, one of the reasons they kept having these cycles of violence, and this is true in Eastern Europe as well,

In the 1940s, World War II basically saved Stalin, you know, because they won the war, partly thanks to the help of the United States. They were able to somehow rescue the idea of communism for a bit longer. But I mean, one of the reasons they kept having these cycles of violence, and this is true in Eastern Europe as well,

was because they never were able to do what they said they were going to do. They kept saying, this is the perfect system. We're going to have prosperity for everybody. We're going to defeat the United States in the sense of we're going to have a better system than them. And it never happened. And because it never happened, they kept having to look for scapegoats. So Why are we all still poor?

was because they never were able to do what they said they were going to do. They kept saying, this is the perfect system. We're going to have prosperity for everybody. We're going to defeat the United States in the sense of we're going to have a better system than them. And it never happened. And because it never happened, they kept having to look for scapegoats. So Why are we all still poor?

was because they never were able to do what they said they were going to do. They kept saying, this is the perfect system. We're going to have prosperity for everybody. We're going to defeat the United States in the sense of we're going to have a better system than them. And it never happened. And because it never happened, they kept having to look for scapegoats. So Why are we all still poor?

Why are we poorer now than we were in Tsarist Russia? You know, why is the system failing? And so, oh, well, the answer is that there are saboteurs and there are traitors and there are Trotskyites who are trying to undermine us. And therefore, we need to find them and arrest them and put them in the gulag. That cycle happened, you know, repeatedly.

Why are we poorer now than we were in Tsarist Russia? You know, why is the system failing? And so, oh, well, the answer is that there are saboteurs and there are traitors and there are Trotskyites who are trying to undermine us. And therefore, we need to find them and arrest them and put them in the gulag. That cycle happened, you know, repeatedly.

Why are we poorer now than we were in Tsarist Russia? You know, why is the system failing? And so, oh, well, the answer is that there are saboteurs and there are traitors and there are Trotskyites who are trying to undermine us. And therefore, we need to find them and arrest them and put them in the gulag. That cycle happened, you know, repeatedly.

And then there would be a thaw and they would let people out because that wasn't working. And then there would be another wave of arrests. That happens in every one of these countries because the ideal that they had could never be reached. Also, communism was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature, what makes people work hard, the ideas of ambition.