World War II ended 80 years ago. Four years later, the Communist Party of China took power.

China has since that time emerged, or maybe re-emerged, as a global power. And the United States

interprets China's rise as an existential threat to America's global power. In fact, the United States is right now planning for war with China.

Today we're talking about the political, social, and class character of the Chinese Socialist Project.

We need a new system. We need a new society. We need to demand that which may have sounded impossible even a few weeks ago,

but is not only realizable, but an imperative necessity. Welcome to the Socialist Program. I'm your host, Brian Becker.

Today we're talking with Professor Ken Hammond. Professor Hammond is a scholar. He's an educator.

He teaches in the United States and in the People's Republic of China.

He's the author of many books, from Yao to Mao. 5 Five thousand years of Chinese history is one of his books.

Another is the human tradition in pre-modern China.

Another is the human tradition in modern China.

More recently, he's written China's Revolution and the Quest for a socialist future, and China and the world.

Professor Hammond, welcome back.

Glad to be here.

Well, Ken, we have a lot to talk about.

I know you're just back from China.

You've been back and forth to China for decades.

You've taught in China.

You're obviously, as people can see by the books you've written an expert on Chinese history.

You pay close attention to the Chinese political and economic system.

And you're also a socialist.

So this gives you a particular important perch, I think, from the point of view of perspective

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