The fifth chapter illustrates why the Stalinist bureaucracy is capitalist. Daum thus shows how the laws of motion operate in statified capitalism. The violations of law of value are shown to be inherent in decaying capitalism itself. Chapters six and seven are an excellent review and critique of post-war developments in theory and practice. The comments on the postwar economic boom are especially incisive.
Special attention is paid to the degeneration of the trotskyite movement.
The eighth chapter written before the full collapse of the Soviet bloc now seems even more insightful. As may not be surprising, I especially enjoyed the combination of theoretical argument with polemicism. This book makes for exciting reading, for it is free of any defeatist attitude towards the revolutionary capactity of the working class. I'll end with a passage near the beginning of the book. The system-side crisis can only be caused by bad planning or oppression.