The nature of the Soviet Union and its economy has been one of the most vexed questions in the realm of those who lay claim to the Marxist tradition. Even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the issue has retained relevance – not merely as a historical question, but as one that sheds ample light on the immediate aims of the proletarian movement, the nature of communist society, and even the fundamentals of the critique of capitalist society. From the moment it was founded, the Soviet Union (then still the RSFSR) was a lightning rod of controversy within the working class movement.