p The history of the world socialist system in effect begins with the 1917 Great October Revolution which ushered in a new era, the era of socialism and communism. The victory of the revolution signified the birth of a new socioeconomic system, the defeat of the old, capitalist system and the beginning of its general crisis.

p The sphere of capitalist rule contracted geographically and capitalism lost some power to shape events in its part of the world. The social processes that developed after the October Revolution, under its direct impact and as a result of building socialism in the USSR, are increasingly determining the course of world events.

p For about 30 years after the October Revolution only one country constituted the socialist system, yet signs of the future emergence of socialism beyond the bounds of one country were clearly apparent. The revolutionary events in Europe resulted in workers’ gains and the formation of Soviet Republics in Hungary, Bavaria and 10 Slovakia. The October Revolution was also of tremendous significance for the colonies. "The disintegration of the capitalist world,” Lenin said, "is steadily progressing, unity is steadily diminishing, while the onslaught of the forces of the oppressed colonies ... is increasing.”  [10•1 

p The relations between the Soviet states which arose on the territory of the former Russian empire, the experience (however brief) of fraternal relations between Soviet Russia and the revolutionary Hungarian and Bavarian republics, the co-operation between the Russian Federation (and subsequently the USSR) and Mongolia, where a popular revolution triumphed in 1921 were all of fundamental importance. The experience of the first five years after the October Revolution demonstrated that, notwithstanding the exceptionally hard conditions, the revolutionary movement which swept a number of countries had brought entirely new, fraternal relations based on principles of proletarian solidarity. The working class of Russia, under the guidance of the Bolshevik Party, undertook not only to consummate the revolution in its country, but also to render other peoples help in their liberation struggle.

p Lenin readily acclaimed the young Hungarian Soviet Republic. "The Eighth Congress of the Russian Communist Party,” the message he wrote declared, "sends ardent greetings to the Hungarian Soviet Republic. .. . The working class of Russia is making every effort to come to your aid.”  [10•2  "All honest members of the working class 11 all over the world are on your side,"  [11•1  Lenin wrote to the Hungarian workers. Notwithstanding all the difficulties caused by the frenzied onslaught of world imperialism, close co-operation began to take shape between the Russian Federation and the Hungarian Republic. Although Soviet Russia was unable to render direct military and economic assistance to the Hungarian Republic, it did everything to support its government. In particular, the Government of the Russian Federation appealed to Russian prisoners-of-war who were in Hungary to join the Hungarian workers and peasants who were defending their revolution.

p The Hungarian Soviet Republic at once proposed a military defensive alliance to Soviet Russia, seeing its natural ally in the first socialist country. This alliance was not a product of overt or covert diplomatic action; it arose as a result of international proletarian solidarity. "We are happy and proud that Hungary is the second Soviet Republic,” Bela Kun, leader of the Hungarian Communist Party, stated on March 23, 1919, at a meeting of Communist Party members. " Believe me, the rejoicing in Moscow today is even greater than in our country.  [11•2  We express gratitude and send greetings to the Russian Soviet 12 Republic which has invariably rendered us help. . . .”  [12•1 

p Though the Soviet Republic in Hungary lasted only 133 days, its experience and the arduous struggle of the Hungarian workers for Soviet power were of tremendous significance for the working class and revolutionary movement elsewhere in Europe, and also for Soviet Russia.

p The Government of Soviet Russia helped the Soviet Republics in the Baltic area (Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia), which were able to hold out briefly towards the end of 1918, and it concluded a treaty with the Finnish Socialist Republic which existed from late January to April 1918.

p The relations established between states which arose on the present Soviet territory, prior to the creation of the USSR, merit special attention. The peoples of the Soviet Republics subsequently decided to unite in one state, but the earlier ties between them enriched the theory and practice of relations among states of the socialist type. The formation of Soviet Republics—the Russian Federation, the Ukraine, Byelorussia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bukhara, Khorezm and the Far Eastern Republic  [12•2 —- facilitated their military, political and economic cooperation. It was then that ways and means of 13 interstate relations between sovereign peoples, relations based on the principle of proletarian internationalism, began to take shape.

p In studying the relations between the Soviet Republics, the specific conditions in which these Republics arose and established contact must be borne in mind, inasmuch as they all featured proletarian dictatorship in the form of Soviet power under the leadership of a single MarxistLeninist Party on the territory of the former Russian empire.

p Soviet Russia rendered them direct military assistance in their struggle for national and social liberation. After the proclamation of Soviet power and the formation of sovereign Soviet national states, the Russian Federation continued to safeguard the revolutionary gains of their peoples against the many external and internal enemies.

p The legal basis for relations between socialist Republics was laid by the military and economic treaties of alliance concluded by the Government of Soviet Russia with other Soviet Republics.  [13•1  Underlying these alliances were the community of interests, recognition of the independence and sovereignty of each Republic, and awareness of the need to "pool their forces both for defence 14 against external enemies and for their economic development.”  [14•1  The treaties reaffirmed the right of all peoples to self-determination, renunciation of the colonial policy of former Russian governments, and complete recognition by the Russian Federation of the sovereignty and independence of other Soviet Republics. They stressed that the need for close military and economic union met the interests of the working people and that their life could be improved only by their joint struggle and by uniting their forces.

p These treaties are historic documents of proletarian internationalism. They, and the special agreements supplementing them, enable us to judge how great was the assistance rendered by the people of the Russian Federation to the other peoples who embarked on the socialist road. Under the treaty of alliance between the Russian Federation and the Khorezm People’s Soviet Republic, the RSFSR undertook to render Khorezm (formerly Khiva) technical assistance by supplying machinery, tools, complete plant and technical personnel (Article 21); to assist in developing national culture and education (Article 18) and it gave Khorezm a subsidy of 500 million rubles.  [14•2  The other treaties and agreements contained similar provisions.

p Without the military and economic assistance of the Russian Federation, popular government could not have survived in any of the other socialist Republics. ".. .We, who are faced by a 15 huge front of imperialist powers, we, who are fighting imperialism,” Lenin wrote in February

p 1920, "represent an alliance that requires close military unity, and any attempt to violate this unity we regard as absolutely impermissible, as a betrayal of the struggle against international imperialism.”  [15•1 

p The treaties undoubtedly must be classed as international legal treaties and not as intrastate documents, since they provided for the creation of a united military organisation and military command and also of some economic agencies. In the statement concerning the Red Army, made by the Union Republics of the Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Byelorussia at the 9th All-Russia Congress of Soviets on December 26,

p 1921, they declared: "The Union Republics cannot and will not allow their territory again to become a bridgehead for foreign imperialism. We are prepared to give full support to all the undertakings of the federal authority in defending the common frontiers, we are placing at its disposal all the necessary resources and insistently urge the workers and peasants of the entire Soviet Federation, both directly and through Soviet bodies, to exert every effort so that our united Red Army invariably measure up to its historical tasks.”  [15•2 

p Close contacts existed between the People’s Commissariats for Foreign Affairs of the various Republics, joint diplomatic missions were set up abroad, while in some cases Soviet Republics empowered Russian delegations to represent their 16 interests at international conferences (for example, in February 1922, eight Soviet Republics empowered the delegation of the Russian Federation to represent them at the Genoa Conference) or combined delegations were formed (for example, the Russian-Ukrainian-Georgian delegation to the Lausanne Conference held between November 20, 1922, and July 24, 1923).

It is of interest to trace the history of SovietMongolian friendship, the close military, political and economic relations between the USSR and the Soviet areas which arose in the course of the Chinese Revolution in the mid-1920s, the experience of fraternal solidarity with the Republic of Spain which changed during the war from a bourgeois-democratic republic into a people’s republic.