Episode 4: The China Question

In this episode of On Mass I expand my argument in regards to whether China is a socialist country or a capitalist-imperialist country in the present day. I begin by conceptualizing how we should think about socialism, and then move towards giving a brief account of how China developed after it's revolution in 1949 with an emphasis on the Cultural Revolution's attempt to correct problems that developed in most socialist countries as they pertained to the transition to socialism on the level of economics, culture, ideology, and politics. For this argument I focused on the question of whether China is capitalist and briefly discussed its imperialistic elements, but didn't go into detail in regards to imperialism as a concept. A concept we'll revisit in the near future.

References
Charles Bettelheim - Cultural Revolution and Industrial Organization in China: Changes in Management and the Division of Labor (http://www.marx2mao.com/Other/CRIOC74.html)

Charles Bettelheim - Class Struggles in the USSR

Deng Yuan Hsu & Pao Yu Ching - Rethinking Socialism (http://www.marx2mao.com/Other/WIST.html)

Xi Jingping - Governance of China (p. 114 of PDF version)

Lenin - State and Revolution (For understanding of socialism as transitional phase and the role of the state)

Lenin - The New Economic Policy And The Tasks Of The Political Education Departments (https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1921/oct/17.htm)

Mao - Communes Are Better (https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-8/mswv8_13.htm)

Mao - On State Capitalism (http://www.marx2mao.com/Mao/OSC53.html)

China in Africa Podcast - https://www.chinaafricaproject.com/podcast-africa-ethiopia-hawassa-inustrial-park-william-levison/ and https://www.chinaafricaproject.com/china-africa-belt-road-aging-population-lauren-johnston/

Rev Left Radio - https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/in-defense-of-china-as-a-socialist-state-w-ajit-singh and https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/on-mass-maoism-hip-hop-black-panther