Results Before Ideology or Demobilization Follows

“The naivety of the theory of the socialization of the means of production comes from neglecting implementation. For people to converge and mobilize, they need attractive ideas, but these ideas must lead to convincing results relatively quickly. If the results are not there, a real disbanding occurs as everyone turns to their own interests and loses interest in the collective project. This is essentially what leads to corruption and the ensuing violence, as we have shown in a recent text11.”

“This appealing theory was also naive, and it remains so. It assumes that once the theory is developed, and thus the strategy formulated, implementation goes without saying. In fact, as with the Chinese Great Leap Forward and as the Soviets also experienced, implementation is the crux of the matter. Human beings are capable of idealistic mobilization, but only when the outcome is not in doubt or when they have no choice. That was the case with the national liberation struggle. When results are lacking, they discredit the strategy, and demobilization of people follows. This accelerates the movement toward defeat, regardless of the strength of the leaders and the political parties that support them. Mao Zedong was a powerful man, and his party controlled all of China. This did not prevent the catastrophes now revealed by the Chinese government. The Great Leap Forward caused famines that resulted in the deaths of more than 30 million Chinese. The Cultural Revolution was even worse for China’s economic development capacity.”