p As the first phase of the communist formation, socialism is a complex system of socio-economic relations springing from historical development. In order to understand modern socialism it is necessary not only to study current specific phenomena and relations but to trace how they took shape and were consolidated. Moreover, a retrospective view of the history of socialism helps to determine and ascertain the content of some categories of historical and other sciences that make it possible to subject the problems of the transition from capitalism to socialism to a sufficiently thorough examination.

p Inasmuch as in all countries moving from capitalism to socialism the principal forms of production (capitalism, small-commodity production) and the chief social classes (bourgeoisie, proletariat, peasants) are basically identical, they are all governed by common objective laws of the formation of the socialist mode of production. The features deriving from the concrete historical conditions of socialist construction in each country do not contravene general laws. Socialism can be built successfully only if these laws and features are taken into account.

p The practice of the transition from capitalism to socialism brings to the fore many new, including historical, problems. On the other hand, the more headway and experience is gained in socialist construction, and the firmly the socialist 223 system becomes established, the greater become the efforts of the enemies of socialism to distort the experience of socialist construction and the theory of transition from capitalism to socialism. Besides, even in the fraternal parties of the capitalist countries there are scholars who do not always treat these problems with adequate competence. As a result, there is much confusion and even distortion over some issues of the struggle for the transition to socialism under working-class power.

In this connection we should like to analyse some of the pressing problems of socialist construction over which the ideological struggle is particularly sharp.