So the first part of this is something I agree with, it feels like most of the gains came about because 'the rich' had to give 'the poor' something or they'd get rid of them in a bloody massacre. The history books are fairly clear on this, whether it's Magna Carta (rich lords putting the King on notice) or miner strikes. I believe Bismark is someone who made this strategy explicit.

> The second part of Bismarck’s strategy to destroy social democracy was the introduction of social legislation to woo the workers away from political radicalism. During the 1880s, accident and old-age insurance as well as a form of socialized medicine were introduced and implemented by the government. But Bismarck’s two-pronged strategy to win the workers for the conservative regime did not succeed. Support for the Social Democrats increased with each election.

I don't understand why the USSR failing or being 'bad' is necessary to further incentivize 'the rich', if anything I'd say the opposite is true.