Lecture Rehearsals: 3.2. Really-Existing Socialism

For 2021-10-05

3.2. Really-Existing Socialism

(55:08)

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3.2.1. Lecture—The Alternatives to Semi-Classical Semi-Liberalism

The ultimate victory of social democracy—the shotgun marriage of von Hayek to Polanyi, blessed by Keynes, that ruled in the global north after 1945—was neither inevitable nor perceptible before 1945. One alternative contestant was Lenin’s really existing socialism (6:45):

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/2021-10-05-lecture-3.2.1.pptx>

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3.2.2. Lecture—There Was No Blueprint

Lenin’s Communist Bolshevik Party comes to power in Russia, and starts trying to build really-existing socialism… (22:51):

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/2021-10-05-lecture-3.2.2.pptx>

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3.2.3. Lecture—How Could the System Work?

How could the planned-economy system work? How did the planned-economy system work? How well did it work? (6:23):

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/2021-10-05-lecture-3.2.3.pptx>

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3.2.4. Lecture—The Rule of Josef Stalin

The rise, policies, and terror of Dread Tsar Josef (19:09):

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/2021-10-05-lecture-3.2.4.pptx>

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Readings:

• DeLong, Slouching Towards Utopia ch 8 <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/readings/2021-07-31-slouching-%23tocopyedit.pdf>

• Rick Ericson: The Classical Soviet-Type Economy: Nature of the System and Implications for Reform <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/readings/ericson-soviet.pdf>

• Yegor Gaidar: The Soviet Collapse: Grain & Oil<https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/readings/article-gaidar-soviet-collapse.pdf>

• Rosa Luxemburg: The Russian Revolution <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/readings/luxemburg-russian-revolution.pdf>

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