Socialism Is Slow to Mature By Vijay Prashad Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.

While the capitalist system rewards short-term cycles, building a dignified future is a slow task that requires disciplined organisation and an enduring struggle to bring forth the social forces of a new world. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/05/socialism-is-slow-to-mature/ May 22 2026 - In 1921, a few years into the Soviet experiment, V. I. Lenin published an essay with the revealing title ‘New Times and Old Mistakes in a New Guise’. The essay opened a line of inquiry that would remain with Lenin until the end of his life three years later. What captivated him was the issue of how to build socialism in a country ravaged by war, with minimal capital at its disposal, a largely peasant society with high rates of illiteracy (around 70%), and no public administration capable of running a socialist-oriented state. In the essay, Lenin reflected: Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.