New Light on Mao: 2. His views on the Soviet Union'sPolitical Economy

Abstract

Although much has been written about Maoist economic theory (about the role of material and moral incentives, for instance, and about the relation between industry and agriculture), the recent appearance of the two volumes entitledMao Tse-tung ssu-hsiong wan-suiand in particular five pieces therein (“Reading notes on the Soviet Union'sPolitical Economy,” the three critiques of Stalin'sEconomic Problems of Socialism in the U.S.S.R.and Mao's comments on Stalin's “Reply to Comrades Sanina and Venzher”), permits analysis to push beyond “Maoist” economics into the theory of Mao himself. In fact these pieces in theWan-suion political economy may well be compared to Mao's public speeches and theSelected Worksas Marx'sGrundrisseis toDas Kapital.