Mao's Critique of Soviet Economics

[RasTheDestroyer]

I am a few pages into Mao Zedong's book 'A Critique of Soviet Economics' and one of the texts that Mao uses in his analysis of the correct methods for socialist development in the transition to communism is Stalin's 'Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR'. I will eventually get to reading it, but in the meantime, would anyone be able to either direct me to a summary of its basic principles or outline them for me?

[khad]

If you want the Perry Anderson version, it's all about the free flowing, vibrant consumer market which flourished under Chinese socialism without the nasty bureaucratic price controls of the Soviet economy. :rolleyes:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/26287692/Anderson-P-Two-Revolutions-Russia-China-NLR-2010feb

[Monkey Riding Dragon]

Basically, Mao was arguing that Stalin's conceptions in "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR" were one-sided and economist. Stalin had pretty much argued that the development of the productive forces (e.g. technological advancement) was the essential task required at that point and that this would just sort of automatically lead to communism. Mao was mainly pointing out the need to take the initiative in making revolution, including under socialism.

Mao also critiqued Stalin's mechanist mindset in general, arguing the need for thoroughly dialectical, mass-based ways of addressing the ongoing threat of counterrevolution in socialist society. And he (Mao) also pointed out that yes new bourgeois elements can arise even after the initial expropriation of the means of production as a result of the ongoing unevenness that's experienced under socialism, left over from the old society. Until all this unevenness is uprooted, and until the enemy is defeated everywhere on Earth, there is always the possibility of counterrevolution, both from without and from within. The latter was a pretty new recognition at the time. Hence Mao argued the importance of continual, albeit protracted, revolution.

[RasTheDestroyer]

The link is appreciated.

The author of the introduction of Mao's book points out that Mao's reading of the text by Stalin was an effort to correct the perceived errors of the Soviet model (the bureaucracy and elitism, the failure to promote the mass-line, and the rapid development of the productive forces in 'primitive socialist accumulation' without making changes to the social system/relations of production/superstructure) and at the same time preserve what he considered valuable about it, namely, Stalin's defense of the need to maintain the commodity form during the stages of socialism on the transition to communism). Does that sound accurate?

[RasTheDestroyer]

thanks MRD, it seems like you beat me to it :)

[RasTheDestroyer]

And he (Mao) also pointed out that yes new bourgeois elements can arise even after the initial expropriation of the means of production as a result of the ongoing unevenness that's experienced under socialism, left over from the old society. Until all this unevenness is uprooted, and until the enemy is defeated everywhere on Earth, there is always the possibility of counterrevolution, both from without and from within. The latter was a pretty new recognition at the time. Hence Mao argued the importance of continual revolution.

I see. By 'unevenness' do you you mean the contradictions which he identified as defining socialist countries, between the government and the masses, the workers and the peasants, and intraparty ideological conflict?

[Monkey Riding Dragon]

(Sorry I haven't been able to get back with you sooner, Ras. Got really busy this week.)

Anyhow, you're certainly welcome! To answer your question...


I see. By 'unevenness' do you you mean the contradictions which he identified as defining socialist countries, between the government and the masses, the workers and the peasants, and intraparty ideological conflict?

Yeah, exactly. I kinda have my own way of wording things sometimes, but you've got the idea.

Yeah, I've read a lot of Mao's stuff over the last couple years. The item you're reading though is a particularly important one and actually happens to be one whose contents I'm presently re-evaluating at the theoretical level.

[Dave B]

From the Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung.


THE ONLY ROAD FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF CAPITALIST INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE September 7, 1953



The transformation of capitalism into socialism is to be accomplished through state capitalism.

1. In the last three years or so we have done some work on this, but as we were otherwise occupied, we didn't exert ourselves enough. From now on we should make a bigger effort.

2. With more than three years of experience behind us, we can say with certainty that accomplishing the socialist transformation of private industry and commerce by means of state capitalism is a relatively sound policy and method

........blah blah


http://www.marx2mao.com/Mao/TC53.html (http://www.marx2mao.com/Mao/TC53.html)


....