p Taken together the developing countries occupy an important place in the modern world. They cover over 68 per cent of the territory and have more than 72 per cent of the population of the capitalist world. These countries which, as Lenin put it, the colonialists had for centuries kept "out of history" have now ceased to be an object of politics and have turned into an active participant in politics. Fighting for national and social liberation, the peoples of the Asian, African and Latin American countries are one of the basic contingents of the world anti-imperialist front.

p In recent years the peoples of countries that had cast off the colonial yoke have made definite headway in economic and cultural development.

p The developing countries have considerable natural resources with which to build up their national industry. They possess more than 50 per cent of the capitalist world’s resources of natural gas, over 60 per cent of its iron, about 70 per cent of its copper and nickel, more than 80 per cent of its oil, manganese and cobalt, 90 per cent of its tin and large reserves of other useful minerals. But all this mineral wealth, frequently indiscriminately worked by imperialist monopolies, is still yielding little benefit to the developing countries themselves.

p For the volume of industrial production the developing countries occupy a modest place in the world. They account 143 for a mere 10 per cent of the aggregate industrial output of the capitalist states, and as regards the per capita output it is on the whole a tenth, and in some countries onetwentieth and even one twenty-fifth of that of the industrially advanced capitalist states.

p At present the economy of the developing countries rests primarily on agriculture which yields from 50 to 90 per cent of their gross national product. In the majority of them agriculture is still dominated by obsolete agrarian relations and primitive farm methods. Agriculture is the most backward in some African countries.

p The single-crop farming system, the domination of foreign capital and latifundistas in the plantation economy and of feudals and landowners in the local sector, are just a few of reasons of the slow rates of economic growth of the developing countries and the shortage of food which they are experiencing. While the food requirements in these countries rise 6 per cent a year, the annual growth rate of locally produced foodstuffs is not greater than 3 per cent.

p Many developing countries, particularly the young independent African and Asian states, are increasing grain imports in a not very successful attempt to solve the food problem. The majority of the working people are underfed or nearly starve despite the fact that most of the developing countries have favourable natural conditions and the possibility of not only supplying the population with food but also of producing a surplus of it.

p The social structure of these countries mirrors their economic backwardness. An overwhelming majority of the people are peasants. In some countries there is a fairly large stratum of seasonal workers—semi-peasants and semi- proletarians.

p The working class has not yet been formed in most of the developing African and Asian countries which lack largescale industry. But as industry grows so does the number of workers. They became better organised and the working class increases its struggle against imperialism and local reaction.

p The consolidation of the developing states is accompanied by increased social differentiation and intensification of internal social clashes. This, above all, is manifested in the mounting struggle between imperialism and the pro-imperialist 144 internal reaction, on the one hand, and the working class, the peasantry, all patriotic forces striving to achieve greater political independence, overcome economic backwardness and promote social progress, on the other.

p Involved as they are, the social problems confronting the developing countries are further aggravated by the tribal, national and religious heterogeneity of their population.

p The national question is all the more complicated because in many young independent countries, particularly in Asia and Africa, the withdrawing colonialists left behind arbitrary frontiers that do not correspond to zones of settlement of the peoples. This handicaps their reunification, retards their cultural and social development and precipitates frequent border disputes.

p Another serious impediment to economic and social progress is that many young independent states are still dependent on foreign monopoly capital.

p To supplement their economic offensive the neo- colonialists are undertaking aggressive military actions against the national-liberation movement: the criminal war waged by the United States in Vietnam, the US assistance to the Israeli aggression against Arab countries, the organisation of counter-revolutionary coups in a number of emergent countries and numerous other imperialist provocations.

p The Main Document of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties held in Moscow in 1969 pointed out: "In its struggle against the national liberation movement, imperialism stubbornly defends the remnants of the colonial system, on the one hand, and, on the other, uses methods of neocolonialism in an effort to prevent the economic and social advance of developing states, of countries which have won national sovereignty. To this end it supports reactionary circles, retards the abolition of the most backward social structures and tries to obstruct progress along the road to socialism or along the road of progressive non-capitalist development, which can open the way to socialism.”

p There is mounting awareness of the danger of neocolonialism and imperialism in the young independent states. It is becoming more and more obvious to genuine fighters for peace and progress in these countries that in order to safeguard their national interests it is of the utmost importance to 145 establish a firm alliance of the working class and the peasantry, of all anti-imperialist forces.

p A very important role in marshalling the progressive forces for the struggle against imperialism is played by their revolutionary-democratic parties. The establishment of close ties between the fighters for national liberation and the Communist Parties, the consolidation of the revolutionary alliance of the young national states and the countries of the socialist community, are an earnest of the successful struggle against imperialism for the progressive social development of the liberated countries.

p The majority of the young independent states have entered a phase of struggle for social progress and economic emancipation without which, as Lenin had pointed out, no national freedom can be complete. Criticising the apologists of capitalism, Lenin noted that they "are talking of national liberation ... leaving out economic liberation. Yet in reality it is the latter that is the chief thing.”

p To establish a national economy based on modern industry and technology and raise cultural standard and material welfare of the people, it is absolutely necessary to carry out deep-going socio-economic reforms.

p It is of the utmost importance to effect democratic agrarian reforms, remove the obsolete feudal and pre-feudal relations, put an end to the domination of foreign monopolies, democratise social and political life, revive national culture and further develop its progressive traditions, consolidate revolutionary parties and establish them in countries which do not have them. Only genuinely revolutionary transformations will enable the developing countries to assert their newlywon independence and confidently advance along the road of economic and social progress.

p Now that liquidation of backwardness and social inequality is the basic task of the developing countries, the crucial issue is the choice of the road of social progress. The weakening of imperialism and the strengthening of the world socialist system open up before the liberated countries a new prospect of overcoming age-old backwardness and achieving economic independence along the non-capitalist road of development.

p Non-capitalist development that a number of young states have chosen, is a path, which, as the Main Document of the 146 1969 International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties stresses, ensures the possibility of overcoming backwardness inherited from the colonial past and creating conditions for the transition to the path of socialist development. No difficulties can belittle the significance of the main fact: a principally new trend in the development of the liberated countries has been made and their example will show more fully the advantages of the non-capitalist path.

Important socio-economic changes have taken place in those developing countries which are orientated towards socialism. The land which was owned by feudal lords and foreign planters, has as a rule been confiscated and turned over to those who till it. Peasants are encouraged to unite in agricultural co-operatives. The state sector is being strengthened. These countries gradually carry out industrialisation and achieve a general upsurge of the economy and consistently expand their economic, scientific and technological and cultural co-operation with socialist countries.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES
OF INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES

p Developing countries are by no means homogeneous and the majority of them are in Asia and Africa. There are more than a hundred young independent states and colonies on the vast territory extending from the African coast of the Atlantic Ocean to and including the Pacific islands. They cover an area of 46 million sq. km. and have a total population of about 1,400 million, or more than 80 per cent of the aggregate population of all the developing countries. But the Asian and African countries account for only about a half of the total volume of industrial production of the developing states.

The Latin American states are comparatively more advanced in the economic respect. Having a smaller population they yield a greater share of the industrial production of the developing countries.