ChinaTalk

Soviet Ruins and China's Future

Listen Later

Why did the Soviet Union collapse? Which lessons from Cold War history are relevant for China’s future?

To discuss the successes, failures, and strategies of Soviet leaders, ChinaTalk interviewed Yakov Feygin. Feygin is the author of Building a Ruin: The Cold War Politics of Soviet Economic Reform, which examines how various Soviet leaders, institutions, and economists attempted to boost Soviet growth and national power. 

Co-hosting today is Jon Sine, writer of the Cogitations substack.

We discuss:

  • The strengths and limitations of the Stalinist economic model,
  • Khrushchev’s shift to “peaceful competition” with capitalism,
  • Alternative policy paths that could have saved the Soviet Union,
  • How technological optimism shaped Soviet reform efforts, inspiring the CCP in the process,
  • Parallels between the institutions of the Soviet Union and those of contemporary China,
  • The battle between political scientists and historians when analyzing the political economy of authoritarian states.

    • Outro music: Building a Ruin - Skyclad (Youtube link)

    Links to all the books and papers referenced in this show are available on the ChinaTalk substack.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    ChinaTalkBy Jordan Schneider
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6

    4.6

    21 ratings

    More shows like ChinaTalk

    View all
    Odd Lots by Bloomberg

    Odd Lots

    1,929 Listeners

    EconTalk by Russ Roberts

    EconTalk

    4,260 Listeners

    Foreign Policy Live by Foreign Policy

    Foreign Policy Live

    602 Listeners

    War on the Rocks by Ryan Evans

    War on the Rocks

    1,070 Listeners

    Sinica Podcast by Kaiser Kuo

    Sinica Podcast

    609 Listeners

    ChinaPower by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

    ChinaPower

    213 Listeners

    The President’s Inbox by Council on Foreign Relations

    The President’s Inbox

    717 Listeners

    ChinaTalk by Jordan Schneider

    ChinaTalk

    288 Listeners

    Net Assessment by War on the Rocks

    Net Assessment

    423 Listeners

    Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

    Dwarkesh Podcast

    517 Listeners

    Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies

    Pekingology

    142 Listeners

    Ones and Tooze by Foreign Policy

    Ones and Tooze

    341 Listeners

    The Foreign Affairs Interview by Foreign Affairs Magazine

    The Foreign Affairs Interview

    449 Listeners

    Face-Off: The U.S. vs China by Airwave Media

    Face-Off: The U.S. vs China

    164 Listeners

    The Economics Show by Financial Times

    The Economics Show

    149 Listeners