One theory I’ve heard about the accelerating of the worsening conditions of western proletariat is that the USSR used to provide a bulwark against things getting too bad. People would point at the USSR and the illusion that capitalism was better for individual prosperity would collapse in comparison. Then, with the USSR gone things have been deteriorating for the past ~30 years.
If that is true, even somewhat, why haven’t we seen a similar effect from China’s example? Is the theory simply wrong? Maybe western capitalism is just unable to even offer scraps from the table at this point. Maybe people are unaware of how things are in China? Could we dare to expect that China’s example will force a lifting of the boot from our necks?
Because the concessions occurred because the communists were at the gates. Socialism was seen as valid, popular, etc. They also hadn’t had decades to make propaganda and red scare counter narratives. In light of that and the fall of the Soviet Union plus different global circumstances (in the 50s there was still plenty of the global south subject to barely disguised open plunder profits from which were high enough that they felt they not only had to but could afford to buy off the working class of the imperial core).