RFH Episode110 Value and Labor Relations in Capitalism and Socialism, Part 2

Radio Free Humanity: The Marxist-Humanist Podcast

Is the “law of value” specifically capitalistic, or does it also operate in socialism? What is the import of Marx’s claim that labor in capitalism is only indirectly social, but that it will be directly social in socialist society? If you’re a worker, what does that mean for you? To address these and related questions, Theresa Henry interviews Andrew about the 1943 article in which the Russian Stalinists revised their previous doctrines. In the Part 2, they discuss why the law of value is specifically capitalist, differences between Marx’s and the Stalinists’ conceptions of directly vs. indirectly social labor, the article’s claim that “distribution according to labor” prevailed in the USSR, and the harm caused when no effort is made to resolve theoretical and interpretive disputes. Plus current-events segment: Could Trump establish a dictatorship in a second term? The co-hosts (Gabriel and Andrew) discuss recent Politico pieces on the topic.