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p The prime manifestation of the impact of the world socialist system on world development lies in the fact that by force of the example set by it it is revolutionising the world and helping mankind to move towards the socialist future. “Socialism,” Lenin said, “has 68 the force of example. . . . We must show the significance of communism in practice, by example.”

p Socialism and communism are setting the peoples of the world a magnificent example of how to abolish exploitation and all form of oppression, surmount economic and cultural backwardness, organise society along genuinely democratic lines, create the conditions for promoting the well-being of people, solve the nationalities problem, resolve the agrarian problem in favour of the working peasants, establish real friendship and comradeship among people and nations, and ensure and consolidate peace.

p Socialism influences the course of world history chiefly by its successes in economic development and in economic competition with capitalism. On this score Lenin wrote: “...We are now exercising our main influence on the international revolution through our economic policy... . The struggle in this field has now become global. Once we solve this problem, we shall have certainly and finally won on an international scale.”  [68•* 

p Despite the extremely unfavourable conditions under which the Soviet Union began the economic competition with capitalism (backwardness in economic development, dislocation caused by the First World War and the Civil War, the economic blockade), the economic gap between it and the developed capitalist countries was closed thanks to the titanic efforts of the Soviet people. The Soviet Union’s share of the world industrial product rose from less than 3 per cent in 1917 to nearly 10 per cent as early as 1937. In the course of 15 years the Soviet Union achieved a level of economic development that had taken capitalist countries many decades to attain. It has now become a mighty industrial power with complete economic independence.

p After the Second World War the Soviet Union restored its war-ravaged economy and secured fresh advances in economic development. In 1965 Soviet industry accounted for approximately 20 per cent of the world industrial output. It must be emphasised that these successes were scored not by exploitation at home and abroad, as had been the case in a number of capitalist countries, but by 69 the dedicated labour of the people, who availed themselves of the advantages of Soviet economic management. Can there be more convincing proof of socialism’s enormous vitality, of its superiority over capitalism?

p Far-reaching economic successes have been scored by other socialist countries as well.

p In 1965, compared with the pre-war level, industrial output rose 21.6-fold in Bulgaria, more than 11-fold in Mongolia and Poland, 9.6-fold in Rumania, 6.1-fold in Hungary, 5.1-fold in Czechoslovakia and 4.2-fold in the German Democratic Republic. The socialist countries are engaged in building the material and technical basis of socialism and communism. These successes are giving them an ever greater share of the world output. In 1950 this share came to about 20 per cent, rising in 1955 to nearly 27 per cent, and in 1965 to approximately 38 per cent. A feature of economic development in the socialist countries is that it uninterruptedly raises the standard of living and the cultural level, while in the capitalist countries it benefits only a narrow circle of big capitalists.

p Socialism has set the peoples of the world an example of solving social and political problems. Indeed, what other social system guarantees all members of society political equality, makes them co-owners of the means of production and accords them the right to participate in the management of social affairs and to elect and be elected to organs of stale power? What other social system can settle the eternal peasant problem so that the peasants would till the soil for the sake of their own and social interests? What other social system can solve one of mankind’s most intricate and acute problems, namely, the nationalities problem in such a way as to grant equality to different peoples, big and small, coloured and white ?

p Socialism has set an example in the cultural field as well. The Soviet Union, once a backward country with nearly 80 per cent of its population illiterate, has risen to the front ranks of cultural development. Socialism places the incalculable wealth of spiritual culture at the service of man. Capitalism, on the other hand, denies a huge mass of people any opportunity to receive sometimes even the most elementary education. Even in the United States of 70 America, the richest of the capitalist countries, nearly 11 million citizens are illiterate.

p True, in per capita output the Soviet Union is still behind the most highly developed countries. However, this gap, too, will be closed with time. Thereby, socialism will gain the upper hand over capitalism in the key sphere of human activity, the sphere of material production. The conviction that this will be achieved is founded on the fact that socialism is outstripping capitalism in the rate of economic advance. For instance, in 1965 as compared with 1937 the industrial output of the socialist countries increased approximately 10-fold, while in the capitalist countries there was only a 3.4-fold increase. Today the Soviet Union is in the front rank of space exploration, nuclear physics, mathematics, electronics, radio engineering, metallurgy, rocketry, aircraft-building, and so forth, i.e., in fields that arc decisive today.

p The five-year plan of economic development for 1966-70 marks a major step in Soviet economic and cultural progress. Fulfilment of this plan, it was pointed out at the 23rd Congress of the C.P.S.U., will give the Soviet Union a still better position in the economic competition with capitalism, and this will give a further tremendous boost to the world revolutionary process.

p The approaching victory in economic development will be a further triumph of socialism and communism. “When the Soviet people will enjoy the blessings of communism,” states the Programme of the C.P.S.U., “new hundreds of millions of people on earth will say: ’We are for communism!’ It is not through war with other countries, but by the example of a more perfect organisation of society, by rapid progress in developing the productive forces, the creation of all conditions for the happiness and well-being of man, that the ideas of communism win the minds and hearts of the masses.”

Naturally, it would be wrong to assert that in the socialist countries economic and cultural development proceeds without let or hindrance. It is an extremely complex matter to build the new society, the socialist economy, particularly in countries most of which have been backward. Besides, this building has to follow uncharted paths, and 71 therefore shortcomings, difficulties and even errors are unavoidable. In most cases these shortcomings and difficulties are due to errors of a subjective nature, whose essence lies in ignoring the objective laws of social development, in losing sight of the need for a scientific approach to guidance over social processes. However, led by Communist Parties the peoples of the socialist countries bring to light and correct errors, overcome shortcomings and difficulties and thereby bring the administration of the economy and of all social life into line with scientific requirements. They know that the strength of socialism and its influence on the course of world development depend upon the unity of the socialist countries, upon how successfully affairs proceed in these countries themselves and upon how successfully they carry out their plans of economic and cultural development.