As follow-up to earlier parallel program on the USSR, this program seeks to offer (1) an overview of China's economic development mostly over the last 25 years (GDP, real wages, etc.), and (2) its economic strategy: learning but also differing from Soviet strategy. Some historical context is also provided.

 Here we try to go beyond simplistic, sterile Cold War debates of demonizers vs celebrants of the USSR. USSR's strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures are examined from revolutionary beginnings in 1917 to its 1989 implosion. Second in 2-part series will do same for the People's Republic of China.

 Updates on US church membership and its tax subsidies, Toyota and Merkel slam US economic nationalism, 40 US states sue price-gouging pharma firms, Trump ("self-described "tariff man") does not understand that Americans pay all tariffs he imposes, Mothers' Day and the minimum wage, capitalism and politicians' corruption. Interview Neha Mathew-Shah, Pres., Progressive Workers Union.

Blurb: As ever more people become anti-capitalist and look toward socialist alternatives, it is important to grasp key differences among the alternative kinds of socialism. This program explains those differences among (1) the moderate or "democratic" socialism ( a la Scandinavia), (2) the communist kind of socialism (in the USSR and People's Republic of China, and (3) the new socialism focused on democratizing the work place. Doing better than capitalism will require deciding which of these three kinds of "socialism" (or what combination of them) will be the better economic structure.

This special edition of "Economic Update" is devoted to Understanding Marxism, the title of a short new book just published by Democracyatwork. Today's program, like the book, explains Marxism's systemic insights into capitalism now. We discuss Marxism's basic criticisms of capitalism and also its complex relationship to socialism. Finally, we offer a survey of the last century of Marxism's huge, diverse influences on modern economics, politics and culture around the world.