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kleinbl00 · 3675 days ago · link · · parent · post: Redditer finds original source to Steinbeck's famous Americans-as-temporarily-embarrassed-capitalists quote
I haven't read anything that would cause me to assign the name "capitalism" to any aspect of the Soviet system. The phrase I hear most is "command economy." From my understanding, the key aspect of "capitalism" is the market and market forces as the moderating action over prices, scarcity, etc. Under Marxism/Leninism, the planned economy dictated prices, mandated scarcity and abundance, and assigned profitability. In theory, this was all accomplished through science in altruism. In practice it was accomplished through cronyism and opportunism. The czarist system was replaced with the nomenklatura, who were every bit as hereditary and protected a class as the bourgeoisie.