9781422277676

H H istory, in the view of the true believers, was lead- such a society, private property would be abolished. Land would belong to everyone, and factories would be controlled by workers and operated for the benefit of all. In such a society, there would be no social classes. There would be no money. There wouldn’t even be a need for government anymore. A society organized completely around the pursuit of the common good: this was the dream of ardent Communists. It was understood that such a society wouldn’t emerge overnight. Still, in 1958, Mao Zedong of China appeared to take a major step toward making that ideal a reality. ing irresistibly toward a society with no rich and no poor. In such a society, everyone would have enough. In

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