> their industrial underdevelopment which was partly due to their economic and political system

I'm sorry? They went from a peasant society immediately to defending against multiple foreign invasions (including the U.S.) to fighting and defeating the fascists, all in three decades. That was achievable only due to their economic and political system.

For background consistent with the overall theme of this post, I'd strongly recommend Solzhenitsyn's "The Red Wheel" [0], and especially the first volume, "August 1914" (1984 edition).

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Wheel

His intent was not to suggest that the USSR was always backwards, but rather that due to it's history the development was not undertaken until the war. The Tsars didn't do it because they were busy being feudal masters and the communists because they were nation building and hadn't faced the german onslaught yet. Atleast, that is how I understand it. His comment is not an underhanded insult.

> They went from a peasant society immediately to defending against multiple foreign invasions (including the U.S.) to fighting and defeating the fascists, all in three decades. That was achievable only due to their economic and political system.

This is old, debunked propaganda trope recited for a millionth time.

No, USSR never went to industrial giant overnight, for a reason it never been it. USSR relied on single digit of large factories for everything during the war.

Even tiny Eastern European countries USSR invaded were heads above USSR, to the point the first thing USSR did there were stealing all factory equipment, and relocating it to new factories in USSR.

> Arguably they only paid such a high price due to their industrial underdevelopment which was partly due to their economic and political system.

So arguably it had nothing to do with the largest war of all time waged against them explicitly for their annihilation?

The USSR pay a high price because they suffered a massive, brutal invasion for years, against 80% of the German forces. None of that happened to the western countries.

Could you clarify what you mean with "economic and political system"? Do you count the Tsar's reign and the years of civil war under that heading?

>Arguably they only paid such a high price due to their industrial underdevelopment which was partly due to their economic and political system.

Very arguably, as it's actually the opposite: the socialism forced mass force industrialization, and prepared USSR better for WWII than Russia ever had any chance of being.

Well, technically the Tsardom is also a economic and political system.

Yes, it just wasn't a very effective one in comparison... In fact it was dying for decades before 1905 and finally 1917 put it out of its misery...