Analysis of Marxist Ownership Theory: Research on Ownership Issues under Mixed Economy and State Intervention

Author: Liu Yajian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The theory of ownership is the core content of Marxist theory, a rich and complete system, and has been an important theory guiding the continuous growth and significant achievements of the world's working-class revolutionary movement since the birth of Marxism. However, for a long time, especially after Stalin's definition of production relations was sanctified, ownership was simply defined as merely a question of the attribution of property rights in production means, forming what is commonly known as traditional ownership theory. Traditional ownership theory served as the political economic theoretical foundation for the working class to overthrow the capitalist system through violent revolution, implement socialist transformation of the ownership of production means, establish traditional public ownership and planned economy, and establish the theory of continuous revolution under the condition of working-class dictatorship centered on class struggle. Although this theory grasped the core issue of ownership regarding the attribution of property rights in production means and played a significant role in the history of the establishment and construction of socialist systems, it became a basic standard for measuring the achievements of scientific socialist movements in countries from the Soviet Union to China, as well as the achievements of socialist movements in Western developed countries. However, with the deepening development of socialist practice and changes in the era, it has exposed contradictions. We express the meaning of "Exploring Marxist Ownership Theory" as: the sum of three rights—possession, control, and use—in the four stages of production, exchange, distribution, and consumption, based on the possession of property rights in production means. Under contemporary mixed economies and conditions of state intervention, the right of possession and control over production means has, to a significant extent, been separated from the right of use. The private form of possession of production means and the socialized form of possession, combined with the socialized control and use of production means, constitute the important feature of the socialization of production means in mixed economies, becoming the fundamental basis for determining the nature of ownership in various economic components. Mixed ownership economy has already formed the economic foundation of contemporary market economy countries.