The world-wide triumph of socialism is a complex and multifaceted process spanning a long period of history. The whole process, sparked off by the October Revolution, has unfolded when the capitalist system is on the whole ripe for change. The 1917 Revolution did more than give birth to the world of socialism; it had a profound effect on all aspects of social life in capitalist society, started the general crisis of capitalism, and reinforced all those elements of capitalism that must inevitably bring about its demise.