Russian or Chinese "Communism"?

[TheCuriousJournalist]

So I'm going to write an exam in the next couple of days, an intro class to comparative politics. There's a high chance that there will be a question asking whether we'd prefer to live under Russian "Communism" or Chinese "Communism".

The prof is very biased against communism as expected, so I realize that the question dosen't really make sense if you actually understand communism, and what it is. But if you had to choose between the two systems, which would you live under? I realize this spans a great timeline so maybe you can list specific years you would like to live under one, or etc.

Also, just as a note, he seems to definitely favour the Chinese model.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Both are pretty much the same.... so it is just a skin game...honestly you can see pictures of Mao and Stalin together and from their policies conclude that both were just about the same.

What time eras do you have for Russia? If doing your project when Lenin was in power than that would be a good window to grab.

[socialistjustin]

Eh, I second the Lenin time period suggestion. I another entirely sure why you have to choose these two and couldn't choose Spain 1936.

[TheCuriousJournalist]

Both are pretty much the same.... so it is just a skin game...honestly you can see pictures of Mao and Stalin together and from their policies conclude that both were just about the same.

What time eras do you have for Russia? If doing your project when Lenin was in power than that would be a good window to grab.

For USSR from 1917 to 1990.
And it's just a possible essay question on the exam, so I think it's looking for more broader connections. Ie, talking about how China underwent massive reforms under Deng, pushing back the Soviet model, and then eventually came into technocratic control.

I guess USSR followed a similar model, but towards the end it allowed a great deal of political liberties without the economic ones and thus fell, whereas China kept the strict authoritarianism, but implemented market reforms.

[TheCuriousJournalist]

Eh, I second the Lenin time period suggestion. I another entirely sure why you have to choose these two and couldn't choose Spain 1936.

It's not an essay, just a possible essay question on the exam, so we have to look at material covered in class.


Also to both of you, why the Lenin period?
Was this not filled with civil war, starvation, and a great deal of stagnancy more or less?

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Lenin because despite all the hardships great progress was made in terms of gay,environmental and social rights.When one takes into consideration the conditions and what was created it is a great accomplishment.

[socialistjustin]

I despise Stalin so I wouldn't choose his period. Really I am grasping at whatever here because I am not a fan of either countries attempt at communism. At least Lenin paid lip service to true workers control.

[Susurrus]

Possibly the people's communes in China would be at least an attempt at socialism.

[eric922]

I'm glad I'm not in that class, me and the professor would have problems. I swear, what kind of terrible professors asks such a biased question?

[Die Neue Zeit]

So I'm going to write an exam in the next couple of days, an intro class to comparative politics. There's a high chance that there will be a question asking whether we'd prefer to live under Russian "Communism" or Chinese "Communism".

The prof is very biased against communism as expected, so I realize that the question dosen't really make sense if you actually understand communism, and what it is. But if you had to choose between the two systems, which would you live under? I realize this spans a great timeline so maybe you can list specific years you would like to live under one, or etc.

Also, just as a note, he seems to definitely favour the Chinese model.

Soviet system by far. Developmentally speaking, the Chinese were forced to go Deng's route because Mao's economic policy was pathetic and not centralized enough to achieve the Stalin-era double-digit growth year-in-and-year-out. Welfare-wise, the Soviets were better. Militarily, the Soviets were better. Heck, local-politics-wise, the Soviets were better.

Try Khrushchev or Andropov.

[OHumanista]

I'd be very paranoid (or even dead) in the post Lenin period but I'd definitely prefer the USSR:p
(still given a choice, Lenin period despite the chaos of the civil war and the legacy of centuries of the monarchy)

[TheCuriousJournalist]

Soviet system by far. Developmentally speaking, the Chinese were forced to go Deng's route because Mao's economic policy was pathetic and not centralized enough to achieve the Stalin-era double-digit growth year-in-and-year-out. Welfare-wise, the Soviets were better. Militarily, the Soviets were better. Heck, local-politics-wise, the Soviets were better.

Try Khrushchev or Andropov.

Can you expand at all?
From my understand Mao tried the central planning Stalin system and it failed, leading to Deng's reforms.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Mao explicitly said all the way through to the era of the Great Leap Backward that they weren't following Soviet-style economic development because it was too centralized. Basically, he wanted to keep the "national" bourgeoisie onboard and eventually wanted the Soviets out of the development aid efforts.

[Jose Gracchus]

Your professor is an idiot. There's no meaningful way to generalize in his sense across the entirety of the 1917-1991 period in the RSFSR & allies/USSR on one hand, and the PRC from 1949 til today on the other. Point out that it is extremely ambiguous to compare the extremely different periods of Soviet and Chinese history amongst one another.

[Jose Gracchus]

Also: in a Comparative Politics class you're getting assigned an essay exam question on whether you would prefer to live under "Russian" and "Chinese" "Communism"?

They are not just screwing you in terms of value-added in your education, they are doing high school in college.

[Apoi_Viitor]

The obvious answer is the USSR, since it was more industrialized and had a much higher standard of living at the time of the PRC's conception.