ABSTRACT
A well-known party is looking for revolutionary ideas may come as a surprise, but the communists are no longer claiming they have invented every good idea under the sun. On the contrary, they are eagerly hoping that Westerners may have invented a few before them. The post-World War II thrust of nationalism prevented any undue optimism about the capacity of socialism to triumph as a world system and as an international ideology. When internationalism finally did make its move, it did so in corporate rather than proletarian guise. The fundamental antagonism within the socialist bloc has been the development of an industrial society without a corresponding modernized society. The Soviet Union can mount trips to outer space, but cannot satisfy consumer demands for automobiles; it can launch supersonic jet aircraft; but cannot supply the accoutrements of personal satisfaction to make such travel enjoyable.
