Neon Liberalism Why Did the Soviets Fail?
Dec 21, 2025
Yakov Feygin, a historian and author of *Building a Ruin*, dives deep into Soviet economic history, revealing why the USSR's initial successes turned into stagnation and eventual collapse. He explains how the Soviet system uniquely blended market elements with a repressive state that struggled to manage its complexities. With poignant comparisons to China's current model, they discuss how both systems grapple with macroeconomic balance and the perils of focusing on military production. Feygin's insights shed light on the lessons we can draw from the Soviet experience today.
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Mobilizing State, Weak At Details
- The Soviet state lasted because it mobilized society toward massive goals despite many institutional flaws.
- Yakov Feygin calls it a weak state: repressive and powerful at scale but poor at detailed, nuanced policy execution.
Party Charisma Drove Rapid Industrialization
- Bolsheviks built a party-state that used charisma to turn peasants into bureaucratic actors and drive rapid industrialization.
- This structure excelled at big, centralized mobilization but not at fine-grained economic management.
Kosygin Reforms Revealed Political Limits
- The 1965 Kosygin reforms aimed to decentralize firms and reward profitability to boost consumer goods and competition.
- Political risks and threat to party authority caused leaders to slow and then abandon deep market-style changes.