this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2024
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There are historical examples of completely and actually socialist countries, so it's not some impossible idealistic notion for me.
The transitory period of New Economic Policy lasted only a few years in USSR, and China under Mao was much closer to actual socialism than later under Deng Xiaoping.
And the trend of expanding government control over the economy only comes alive in the 2020's, roughly since the COVID-19 outbreak (just a milestone, not saying they are related). Previously, the trend was strongly on privatization of industries, with the share of state-owned enterprises falling from 80% to 30% in the previous decade, and it's too early to make any conclusions.
Such as?
The aforementioned USSR, for example.
Who's to say that's the best length of time for a transitory period, in all countries? Why are you sure you're right and China's leadership is wrong? If the USSR could allow limited private control of businesses for a time and then revoke that, why can't China?
Note that Mao himself was far from strictly opposed to private ownership of capital, at least as long as the national bourgeoisie did not seek to undermine the socialist project:
I'm not saying their leadership is wrong - I say they are not socialist, and New Economic Policy was also not socialist, but rather liberal. Whether the tradeoff is worth it is not up to me to estimate.
Neither did I say that Mao was a perfect example of a strictly socialist leader; it's just that Deng Xiaoping has moved Chinese economy into a more liberal territory.