Mr Erwan Moysan

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

My research interests include: Political Theory, Political Science, Economic Thought, Economic History, Marx, Marxism, Class Consciousness, Surrealism, Terrorism.

My thesis is a Marxist critique of the Soviet economy. The USSR is often used to discredit Marx's thought. My thesis aims to submit the USSR to a Marxist critique to help differentiate the two. After all, the official ideology of the regime claimed to be based on Marx's thought. But this is not a mere critique of ideology. This thesis aims to uncover the nature of the Soviet mode of production.

There have been many critical Marxist theories on the subject. The most common are: degenerated workers' state, Asiatic mode of production, bureaucratic collectivism, state capitalism, competetive capitalism. This thesis will help weed out misunderstandings on Marx's thought and clarify the core features of the capitalist mode of production and thus also define communist society. My thesis criticises all previous theories, including those close to my conception. I not only confront these theories to Marx's thought, but also to empirical data about the Soviet economy.

However, the goal is not to unearth, collect and present empirical data on the Soviet economy. Rather, my thesis will present a Marxist analysis of the development of the Soviet economy based on a synthesis of empirical studies in order to shine a light on the political debate around the nature of the USSR. Thus, my work is not a vivid description of Soviet society but seeks to theorise the economic and political basis of this society.

Moreover, many Marxist criticisms of the USSR concentrate on political events, especially the Revolution, and not an analysis of the relations of production. Most Marxist theories of the USSR either ignore or distort the role of the world market, ignore class striggle and cannot explain the Soviet economy's long crisis and the collapse of the Soviet Union. My thesis aims to rectify these defects.

Thesis

A Marxist Critique of the Soviet Economy

The USSR is often used to discredit Marx's thought. This thesis aims to submit the USSR to a Marxist critique to help differentiate the two. After all, the official ideology of the regime claimed to be based on Marx's thought. But this is not a mere critique of ideology. This thesis aims to uncover the nature of the Soviet mode of production.

There have been many critical Marxist theories on the subject. The most common are: degenerated workers' state, Asiatic mode of production, bureaucratic collectivism, state capitalism, competetive capitalism. This thesis is closer to the latter. If the Soviet economy can be shown to be based on the labourer’s separation from the conditions of labor, then the theoretical categories developed in Marx's Capital are sufficient to analyse it.​ This thesis will help weed out misunderstandings on Marx's thought and clarify the core features of the capitalist mode of production and thus, negatively, define communist society.

But this thesis criticises all previous theories, including those close to its conception. A good critical overview of these theories was given by Marcel Van der Linden in his book Western Marxism and the Soviet Union. However, while it confronted these theories to Marx's thought, it did not confront them to empirical data about the Soviet economy. By contrast, this thesis will not limit itself to an immanent critique of Marxist theories on the nature of the USSR.

However, the goal is not to unearth, collect and present empirical data on the Soviet economy. Rather, the thesis will present a Marxist analysis of the development of the Soviet economy based on a synthesis of empirical studies in order to shine a light on the political debate around the nature of the USSR. Thus, this work is not a vivid description of Soviet society but seeks to theorise the economic and political basis of this society.

Moreover, many Marxist criticisms of the USSR concentrate on political events, especially the Revolution, and not an analysis of the relations of production. Most Marxist theories of the USSR either ignore or distort the role of the world market, treat the working class as a mere economic category or as domesticated and have difficulty explaining the collapse of the Soviet Union. This thesis aims to rectify these defects.

Teaching

This year I am teaching seminars in the following modules:

• Introduction to Political Thought (2023-2024 Autumn Semester)
• Introduction to Political Science (2023-2024 Spring Semester)

I have taught the following modules:

• Introduction to Political Thought (2022-2023 Autumn Semester)
• Introduction to Political Science (2022-2023 Spring Semester)

I have completed the ‘Launchpad: Introduction to Teaching and Supporting Learning’ workshop and am currently part of the Cardiff University Education Associate Fellowship Programme.

Supervisors

Graeme Garrard

Professor in Politics