Journey from Socialism to Capitalism

At the age of 67, Mesrop Davtyan’s picture of socialism in Europe is very different than the promising world Karl Marx had envisioned. He remembers the dehumanizing conditions his family lived in under the Soviet Union and the corruption that marked everyday life there. Born in capitalist Greece, he saw very early in his life the sharp distinctions of socialism and capitalism. The sights of people stealing daily and the fear of government persecution dominated his childhood. These harsh memories allow him to appreciate more than any of us can the great opportunities provided in this country. As the world grows, his generation will serve as a constant example of mistakes that governments must avoid in the future Even at his age, Mesrop Davtyan has an unparalleled passion for politics and teaching. In the interview, our classroom was my new bedroom, but the lesson was much more personal than political.

  In 1947, they brought us to the Soviet Union. At that time, Armenia belonged to the Soviet Union. I was little at the time but my parents were amazed at the kind of nation it was. In this nation, people weren’t allowed to work at their homes and no one could work. My father was a barber, but he couldn’t find a job. There was a separate lot and my father asked someone if he could buy it to start his own business. The people began to laugh and said, “This is government property and cannot be owned privately.” He began to worry and became sick from worrying. He died only two months later. My mother began working at a cigarette factory. In the factory, she would steal some cigarettes just to live. It wasn’t just her. The leaders and directors were stealing too and selling also. People went ahead through stealing. Those people who weren’t afraid to steal were the ones who lived well. In the cigarette factory they would do anything. They didn’t steal one pack of cigarettes like your grandmother did. Your grandmother would bring packets of cigarettes home and then take them to sell. That was illegal, but it was the only way to make a living in the Soviet Union. In socialism, the first and most important thing is stealing. Nothing else. You could only work in factories for free and in the factories everyone stole. During Stalin’s reign, you could not be one minute late. If you were, you would have to go to trial and answer to why you were late. You could not waste a minute and without getting money you would come home. The poor workers went and came back with only cents. The government gave its people a very insignificant amount of money. This is why those Armenians who came from Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania were amazed.

  Private property and business did not exist and was illegal under socialism. Everything was government-owned and everything was done for the government. In some places, private property existed a little, but so much tax was put that owners couldn’t support themselves and their business. People worked for their own government, and they could not exploit one another. In socialism, the government made all the decisions for its people. For example, in the Soviet Union the people who needed homes would receive them from the government-owned factories they worked for. Also, the medical needs were free and taken care of by the government. The socialist economy was not well thought and could not support its people. One paper factory was made, and it was supposed to meet the demands of the entire Soviet Union. This is why you could not find toilet paper or napkins. There were lines where people would kill each other just for napkins. This is not a story, it is the truth. No one thought about making factories to help production. Because everything was government-owned, people didn’t think for themselves and the nations didn’t advance. There was no competition in industries and quality was never a guarantee. Under socialism, we could never talk more than what the government allowed. Older people would say (silently), “don’t talk a lot because they can hear you from the outside. The walls have ears.” The Soviet Union sent many people to exile because they talked out against the government. What really could these people say or do against such a powerful government? They sent these people to Siberia and they were left there for seven years. There were some positive sides to socialism, but there were so many negatives that they were overlooked. That is why we called it a totalitarism.

  Revolutions occurred against socialism in 1956, fifty years ago. Hungary took a huge risk by hanging many communist leaders. Hungary wanted to become capitalist, and they were very intelligent people. They wanted to change to capitalism automatically, but the Soviet Union brought in their tanks and smashed the people. Twelve years later in 1968, Czechoslovakia wanted to change to capitalism, but they were crushed also. Many died in 1968. After that, people became scared and revolutions stopped. In 1990, the big revolution occurred. Germany broke the wall and united the country. For 45 years, the German people were divided. Gorbachev did this. He told Germany to break the wall. Gorbachev also saw that the Soviet Union was very poor, so he gave nations freedom to open big markets and do their own business. After 1990, new governments began to form in Europe. The same governments remained, but they weren’t controlled by the Kremlin, which is like the capital and foundation of Russia. European nations began to see that private business was correct. They realized that every man should be able to live for himself and not be influenced by the outside. Once privatization occurred, Europe and Russia stopped for some time. Many problems began to arise. For example, to make a car one republic would make the tire, another made the engine, and another country made the headlights. When the nations divided, it really hurt the economy of Europe. Slowly and slowly, the economies became cooperative again. They didn’t unite, but they said, as an example, for ten kilos of gas, we would pay you this much money. Things began to improve but there is still a lot of room for progress.

  When I saw the fall of socialism in Europe, I was happy because I knew these nations were headed to the correct paths. The only economical structure to live in is capitalism. Capitalism is private property and business. In this country, I think the only government-owned service is train transportation. Even airplanes I believe are privatized. Many nations have advanced under capitalism in Europe. From the Soviet nations, Latvia and Estonia are the most advanced. Czechoslovakia is very advanced now with human rights and their economy. Germany is also advancing a lot under capitalism. West Germany grew much more under capitalism and democracy than the communist East Germany. Russia’s economy is improving and human rights are improving in Russia. Armenia and Uzbekistan are failing countries. Those nations who have had good leaders and gone the right direction have advanced a lot. Capitalism is the economy that best matches the character of people. Socialism can’t work because people would need to sacrifice too much. It’s impossible for someone to say you can eat this but you can’t eat that. Capitalism works because people become the center of the economy. Advancement is based on people. People need to be dedicated to their country for it to improve. Dedication comes through competition, and socialism did not provide competition. If people are smart and advanced, nations can go forward.