Publication Date
6-15-2023
Document Type
Working Paper
Advisor
Professor John Hall
Journal of Economic Literature Classification Codes
B14, B24, B31, P21, P31
Key Words
E.A. Preobrezhenskii, Joseph Stalin, Socialist Accumulation, Soviet Industrialization Debates, Soviet Union
Abstract
This inquiry seeks to establish that author and economist Evgenii Alekseevich Preobrazhenskii provided a substantial theoretical foundation for the Soviet “Grand Experiment.” What Preobrazhenskii sought to address were identifiable contradictions inherent in a nascent socialist system surrounded by capitalist countries. This inquiry focuses on Preobrazhenskii's contributions during the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) at the start of the 1920s and to an area in the field of the “History of Economic Thought” known as “The Soviet Industrialization Debates.” Efforts are made to highlight key ideas advanced in his article On Primary Socialist Accumulation [1926]. In addition, this inquiry considers the charged political atmosphere of these times, including Stalin's rise to power and his appropriation of Preobrazhenskii's novel ideas. In sum, this inquiry aims to shed light on the often overlooked importance of Preobrazhenskii's earnest contributions to the formation of the nascent Soviet economic system.
Rights
Copyright 2023 Jason McGhee
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/40401
Citation Details
McGhee, Jason. "An Inquiry into the Foundations of Primary Socialist Accumulation, Working Paper No. 76", Portland State University Economics Working Papers. 76 (15 June 2023) i + 26 pages.