Selected Political and Economic Writings of Eugen Varga: From the Hungarian Revolution to Orthodox Economic Theory in the USSR

Born in 1879, Eugen Varga became the most prominent Marxist economist in the Soviet Union, referred to as ’Stalin’s economist.’ As the official theorist of the early USSR, Varga was easily one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, yet his ideas are largely unknown in the West. By selecting and translating--often for the first time--some of his most important works, this volume aims to correct the record.

Selected Political and Economic Writings offers a wide and representative selection of his works, dating from his entry into the Hungarian Communist Party in 1919 through to his criticisms of John Maynard Keynes in the 1950s. It also includes the entire text of his Economic Problems of the Proletarian Dictatorship, cited by Lenin as the best work on the collapse of the revolutionary government in Hungary.

A detailed critical introduction by Varga’s biographer, André Mommen, supplies valuable background detail on the circumstances of Varga’s work, contextualising it in relation to political events and the development of orthodox economic theory in the USSR.

Eugen Varga (1879-1964) was one of the most prominent writers on economic affairs in the USSR.

André Mommen (1945-2017) was a Belgian political economist, editor and author. He authored many books and essays, including a biography of Varga, Stalin’s Economist (Routledge).