--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During the 1930s, some of the leading…" description: "\"During the 1930s, some of the leading intellectuals in America condemned our economic system and pointed to the centrally planned Soviet economy as a m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/thomas-sowell-247_1930s_during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-int_2218287.jpg" --- # During the 1930s, some of the leading intellectuals in… ![“During the 1930s, some of the leading intellectuals in America condemned our economic system and pointed to the centrally planned Soviet economy as a model -- all this at a time when literally millions of people were starving to death in the Soviet Union, from a famine in a country with some of…” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/thomas-sowell-247_1930s_during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-int_2218287.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/thomas-sowell-247_1930s_during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-int_2218287.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/thomas-sowell-247_1930s_during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-int_2218287.jpg) > “During the 1930s, some of the leading intellectuals in America condemned our economic system and pointed to the centrally planned Soviet economy as a model -- all this at a time when literally millions of people were starving to death in the Soviet Union, from a famine in a country with some of the richest farmland in Europe and historically a large exporter of food.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intellectuals criticized US capitalism while praising Soviet central planning, despite the USSR’s severe famine and food shortages. **In simple terms:** Critics praised the USSR despite its famine. Key Takeaway Beware of idealizing flawed systems. Themes economics politics ideology history propaganda Mood critical skeptical historical Type essay argumentative analytical When to use this quote - policy debates - academic discourse - public commentary - media analysis Key Concepts central planning market failure intellectual hypocrisy human cost Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your economic model? - How do you weigh human cost against ideology? A Different Perspective The argument ignores the human suffering caused by the Soviet system. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Economic system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-system/) [Economic systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-systems/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Famine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famine/) [Farmland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmland/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) ## Related quotes > [In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state's role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/in-the-20th-century-the-soviet-union-made-the-state-s-role-absolute/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The Communist bloc of old was a study in the failure of failure. Losers in the Soviet economy were the people at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-communist-bloc-of-old-was-a-study-in-the-failure-of-failure/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“A confidential report delivered in June 1965 by Abel Aganbegyan, director of the Novobirsk Institute of Economics, highlighted the difficulties. Aganbegyan noted that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-hosking/a-confidential-report-delivered-in-june-1965-by-abel-aganbegyan/) Geoffrey Hosking > [By the 1970s, Western sanctions had hollowed out the Soviet economy. Ultimately, however, what brought down the Soviets was their inability to repair the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-toole/by-the-1970s-western-sanctions-had-hollowed-out-the-soviet-economy/) [Erin O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-toole/) > [Contrary to what many skeptics had earlier believed, the Soviet economy is proof that a socialist command economy can function and even thrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/contrary-to-what-many-skeptics-had-earlier-believed-the-soviet/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [“Economics is more than just a way to see patterns or to unravel puzzling anomalies. Its fundamental concern is with the material standard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/economics-is-more-than-just-a-way-to-see-patterns-or-to-unravel/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The government is now in a position to do what Franklin D. Roosevelt did during the Great Depression of the 1930s - use a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-government-is-now-in-a-position-to-do-what-franklin-d-roosevelt/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When it comes to portfolios, my personal advice is for anyone who can, put money into forestry or farmland. Long term, you would probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-grantham/when-it-comes-to-portfolios-my-personal-advice-is-for-anyone-who-can/) [Jeremy Grantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-grantham/) > [The securest guarantee of the long-term good health of both farmland and city is, I believe, locally produced food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-securest-guarantee-of-the-long-term-good-health-of-both-farmland/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The "developed" nations had given to the "free market" the status of a god, and were sacrificing to it their farmers, farmlands, and communities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-developed-nations-had-given-to-the-free-market-the-status-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Growing Greener doesnt produce money for farmland preservation or open space preservation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-rendell/growing-greener-doesnt-produce-money-for-farmland-preservation-or/) [Ed Rendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-rendell/) > [But I'll tell you what, there was a lot of farmland between Falls Church and Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fowler/but-i-ll-tell-you-what-there-was-a-lot-of-farmland-between-falls/) [Jim Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fowler/) > [“With daylight (it was exactly a week since he last dressed for the office) he found himself passing through farmland over which a light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/with-daylight-it-was-exactly-a-week-since-he-last-dressed-for-the/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“Your purpose is God’s success. You can’t pay for what God want to be done. It’s God’s business; it’s his farmland, so when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/your-purpose-is-god-s-success-you-can-t-pay-for-what-god-want-to-be/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“If you want to live in the farmland, haul your sorry hide off to Pennsylvania.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/if-you-want-to-live-in-the-farmland-haul-your-sorry-hide-off-to/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More 1930s quotes > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [My grandmother was a minister as well, which was not that common in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/my-grandmother-was-a-minister-as-well-which-was-not-that-common-in/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [It reminds me in some ways of the debate taking place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-reminds-me-in-some-ways-of-the-debate-taking-place-in-this-country/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [As a result of the efforts of Hayek .. and the many others who share his general outlook, the idea of a centrally planned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kristol/as-a-result-of-the-efforts-of-hayek-and-the-many-others-who-share-his/) [Irving Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kristol/) > [When I was in Philadelphia during the Depression in 1930 or '31, I got a very sad job as a night watchman in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/when-i-was-in-philadelphia-during-the-depression-in-1930-or-31-i-got/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [Working in 3D I didn't experience much of a difference, except that the cameras are very big so they can't be moved around with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frain/working-in-3d-i-didn-t-experience-much-of-a-difference-except-that/) [James Frain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frain/) > [Whatever the reasons may be, I was very much affected by events of the 1930s - the Spanish Civil War, for example, though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/whatever-the-reasons-may-be-i-was-very-much-affected-by-events-of-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We're a little bit low in the 1970s, right, post-Vietnam, Watergate era, malaise, all that, but this is more like the 1930s where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/we-re-a-little-bit-low-in-the-1970s-right-post-vietnam-watergate-era/) [Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/) > [In the immediate postwar era, financial crises in advanced countries were rare events, and before 1970 did not happen at all. Since then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-m-taylor/in-the-immediate-postwar-era-financial-crises-in-advanced-countries/) [Alan M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-m-taylor/) > [I would not say that Harvard possesses any sort of absolute dominance. And I personally do not take the rankings of schools all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/i-would-not-say-that-harvard-possesses-any-sort-of-absolute-dominance/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [In the 1930s one was aware of two great evils - mass unemployment and the threat of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-meade/in-the-1930s-one-was-aware-of-two-great-evils-mass-unemployment-and/) [James Meade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-meade/) > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/) [Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/) > [In his 1930 book, Dirac took for granted that measurements could be made, but was very vague about what was actually involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-lamb/in-his-1930-book-dirac-took-for-granted-that-measurements-could-be/) [Willis Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-lamb/) > [Under the gold standard America had no major financial panics other than in 1873, 1884, 1890, 1893, 1907, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/under-the-gold-standard-america-had-no-major-financial-panics-other/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [The crucial role communists played in organizing industrial unions in the 1930s and struggling for social reforms, peace, and civil rights strengthened rather then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-crucial-role-communists-played-in-organizing-industrial-unions-in/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) Browse all 255 1930s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "During the 1930s, some of the leading intellectuals in America condemned our economic system and pointed to the centrally planned Soviet economy as a model -- all this at a time when literally millions of people were starving to death in the Soviet Union, from a famine in a country with some of the richest farmland in Europe and historically a large exporter of food.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-intellectuals-in-america/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "1930s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-intellectuals-in-america/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/thomas-sowell-247_1930s_during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-int_2218287.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/thomas-sowell-247_1930s_during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-int_2218287.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/thomas-sowell-247_1930s_during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-int_2218287.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“During the 1930s, some of the leading intellectuals in America condemned our economic system and pointed to…” — Thomas Sowell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Sowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "During the 1930s, some of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-intellectuals-in-america/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/during-the-1930s-some-of-the-leading-intellectuals-in-america/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```