China: Building socialism in an imperialist world

By Gary Wilson

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China: Building Socialism in an Imperialist World is a report on how over a billion people are building a socialist society inside a world dominated by imperialism. It follows the Chinese Revolution as a long struggle to create new social relations: from the land reform and collectivization that broke feudal power, to the mass campaigns that built industry from scratch, to the Cultural Revolution’s effort to curb rising privilege and keep the revolution on a socialist path.

The report shows how socialist construction created the foundations of modern China: state ownership of key sectors of industry, technology and banking, planning, broad participation, universal education and healthcare, and an industrial base able to withstand pressure from the capitalist powers. It also examines how these foundations were strained after 1978, when market policies widened inequality and allowed new layers of privilege to grow — and how today’s leadership is working to limit these pressures and strengthen the role of state ownership and planning.

Instead of treating China as a puzzle or a template, the report approaches it as a workers’ state developing inside a global capitalist order. China’s advances and its difficulties both arise from the ongoing work of socialist construction — work shaped by struggle, challenged by capitalist forces, and still rooted in the revolution of 1949.

China: Building Socialism in an Imperialist World offers a clear, direct account of how socialism is built in real conditions — and why that process continues to shake the world system shaped by imperialism.