Is Socialism Still An Alternative for the Third World

To ask at the present moment whether socialism is a real prospect for Third World countries may seem an extravagant question, an outlandish question, even an anachronistic question. For more than a year what was once known as the "socialist bloc" has hardly existed, and many of the countries that belonged to it now seem hell-bent on integrating themselves into the capitalist world. Of course, it may be argued that they were not truly socialist. But there is no universally agreed upon definition of "genuine" socialism, and for more than half a century both of the superpowers have tried to convince the international public that what existed in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was in fact socialism.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website

Anachronism · Capitalism · Communism · Economic history · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Socialism · Sociology · Soviet union · State socialism · Third world · History · Law · Post-Communist Economic and Political Transition

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