cover of episode Soviet Ruins and China's Future

Soviet Ruins and China's Future

2024/10/21
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John Sine
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Yakov Feygin
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Yakov Feygin 的核心论点围绕苏联经济改革的政治经济学展开,他认为斯大林主义计划经济模式基于对世界、资本主义和国际关系的特定假设,在苏联社会日益复杂化以及美国霸权崛起后,该模式不再适用。他详细分析了斯大林、赫鲁晓夫、勃列日涅夫和戈尔巴乔夫时期苏联经济改革的尝试,以及这些尝试背后的政治博弈和意识形态冲突。他指出,苏联经济问题的核心在于资源分配的失衡,即党和国家对重工业和国防的过度投资,以及对消费需求的忽视。他认为,苏联经济改革者们在政策空间受限的情况下,未能有效解决资源分配问题,最终导致经济停滞和苏联解体。他还探讨了“科技革命”的设想如何影响苏联的经济改革,以及苏联经验对中国社会主义现代化的启示。 John Sine 的观点与 Yakov Feygin 的论点相呼应,他强调了苏联经济改革的政治背景,以及不同领导人对经济政策的取舍。他指出,赫鲁晓夫试图通过与美国的“和平竞争”来提升苏联的合法性,但最终失败。他还分析了苏联经济改革中不同利益集团之间的博弈,以及这些博弈如何影响改革的进程。此外,他还探讨了苏联经验对中国社会主义现代化的启示,特别是在制度竞争和经济发展模式方面的借鉴意义。

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The book explores Soviet domestic politics and the challenges of defining a socialist project in the post-Stalin era. It examines how various factions and ideas attempted to reinvent the Soviet system, ultimately destabilizing its institutional underpinnings. The author argues that the Stalinist model, while effective in its context, became obsolete in a more complex world dominated by American hegemony.
  • Examination of Soviet domestic politics in the post-Stalin era
  • Analysis of the challenges of defining a socialist project and economy
  • The impact of the changing global landscape on the Soviet system
  • The obsolescence of the Stalinist model in a world dominated by American hegemony

Shownotes Transcript

Why did the Soviet Union collapse? Which lessons from Cold War history are relevant for China’s future?

To discuss the successes, failures, and strategies of Soviet leaders, ChinaTalk interviewed Yakov Feygin. Feygin is the author of Building a Ruin:)* The Cold War Politics of Soviet Economic Reform, *which examines how various Soviet leaders, institutions, and economists attempted to boost Soviet growth and national power. 

Co-hosting today is Jon Sine, writer of the Cogitations) substack.

We discuss:

  • The strengths and limitations of the Stalinist economic model,

  • Khrushchev’s shift to “peaceful competition” with capitalism,

  • Alternative policy paths that could have saved the Soviet Union,

  • How technological optimism shaped Soviet reform efforts, inspiring the CCP in the process,

  • Parallels between the institutions of the Soviet Union and those of contemporary China,

  • The battle between political scientists and historians when analyzing the political economy of authoritarian states.

Outro music: Building a Ruin - Skyclad (Youtube link))

Links to all the books and papers referenced in this show are available on the ChinaTalk substack.

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