Andrew’s Reviews > Critical Notes on Political Economy: A Revolutionary Humanist Approach to Marxist Economics > Status Update

So far my only disagreement would be that Che doesn't give sufficient consideration to the global context of USSR socialism, in which from their inception they were competing with capitalist superpowers (Germany, GB and the U.S.) in a literal existential struggle. Unclear if there was any pathway apart from something like NEP to preserve both nation and revolution, and I don't think Che fully takes that into account.

A large point of disagreement is also in USSR's emphasis on proletariat and working class, giving them primacy in a socialist revolution/state over farmers/campesinos. This directly contradicts the experience of the Cuban, Chinese and Vietnamese revolutions and Che isn't shy about pointing it out. I don't know much about Maoism but my impression is that this puts Che solidly in the Maoist camp.

He points out clear propagandistic passages that are unsupported by real-world evidence, and is also heavily skeptical of state socialism in general.

Seeing the manual lay out their argument and then Che respond passage by passage is really a perfect learning tool not only for the subject of political economy, but also for how to read a text critically.

Obvious why this was suppressed until mid-00s... very critical of USSR, Lenin, and specifically Lenin's NEP as sort of an original sin of state socialism (trying to create a hybrid economy with capitalism).

Loving this so far, not only is it fascinating to see Guevara's personality while commenting on the USSR Manual, but it's an incredibly helpful way to learn about the intricacies of 20th century state socialism, and the problems therein.