- 12 Jan 2011 00:12
#13598466
Most modern forms of authoritarianism, whether based upon Marxist doctrine or some other doctrine, seem to conclude that the principles of the free market are incompatible with an authoritarian state. The reasons given for this vary in their form, but generally seem to coalesce around two arguments, namely, that a free market either leads to "the oppression of the proletariat," or that it weakens domestic industries and causes the degradation of national prosperity. Generally, authoritarian regimes adopting either of these positions have fallen, or, in the case of countries such as China and Vietnam, adopted a form of capitalism controlled by the state.
The failure of such dictatorial regimes to flourish in the absence of some form of capitalism begs the question (at least for me) whether a free market system, not including forms of state capitalism, is possible under a dictatorial or authoritarian regime. I have an opinion on this particular debate already, but I am wondering what others think. Is a merger of a dictatorial regime and a free-market economy possible?
The failure of such dictatorial regimes to flourish in the absence of some form of capitalism begs the question (at least for me) whether a free market system, not including forms of state capitalism, is possible under a dictatorial or authoritarian regime. I have an opinion on this particular debate already, but I am wondering what others think. Is a merger of a dictatorial regime and a free-market economy possible?
"Politics is the art of the possible." - Otto von Bismarck