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p The history-making achievements of communist construction in the USSR, the victory of the socialist revolution in a number of European and Asian countries and the rise and consolidation of the world socialist system have ushered in a new stage in the joint struggle of these countries for socialism and communism. New possibilities and prospects for achieving the ultimate goal of communism have opened to all socialist states.

p Today, the joint struggle of the peoples of the socialist states for communism is an objective historical law determined by the development level of the world socialist economic system. As socialist society advances towards communism, this law is increasingly in evidence.

p The operation of capitalism’s economic laws, which radically differ from the laws governing the development of socialism, determines the uneven, faltering development of capitalist countries, especially at the imperialist stage. The quest of the monopolies for ever bigger profits and the fierce competitive struggle of monopoly groups preclude harmonious development. Today some states spurt ahead, tomorrow others. Those who are in the lead persistently fight to preserve it, to extend their influence and subordinate other countries.

p Under capitalism the contradictions between states are “resolved” only by subordinating some countries to others and this, of course, does not genuinely resolve them. On the contrary, it is a major cause of increasing struggle. Constant bitter rivalry, conflicts, the rise of militarism and the threat of world wars—such is the inevitable 156 consequence of the law of capitalism’s uneven development. All this further exacerbates contradictions and ultimately weakens the world capitalist system as a whole.

p Entirely different laws operate in the socialist system. The law of planned, proportional economic development fully precludes the anomalies inherent in the capitalist world. Its operation is displayed specifically in that erstwhile economicallybackward countries draw on the experience of other socialist states, on equal co-operation and fraternal mutual assistance, making up for lost time and bringing their economies up to the level of the advanced countries.

p The possibility of evening out economic levels was first demonstrated in the course of socialist and communist construction in the USSR. This experience is of the greatest international significance. The successful elimination of the economic backwardness of socialist countries is, in effect, a continuation of the same process as the abolition of economic and cultural backwardness of the many nationalities in the Soviet Union.

p In analysing the prospects of the People’s Democracies one must consider the incredibly low level of productive forces most of them had under capitalism. Here are some examples. In a quarter of a century (from 1913 to 1938) Poland, far from making any headway economically, did not even regain in many respects the level that existed before the First World War. In 1938, for example, industrial output was 95 per cent of that in 1913. Steel production did not exceed 1.4 million tons, while in 1913 it was 1.7 million tons. The respective figures for pig iron were 900,000 157 tons and 1,100,000 tons and oil, 507,000 and 1,114,000 tons.

p Even in Czechoslovakia, which had a comparatively advanced industry, the main branches developed at a slow pace during the interwar years. In Bulgaria the share of industry in the gross national product was less than one-third in 1938.

p These data show that under capitalism the economy of the present People’s Democracies would simply have languished, particularly since the Second World War inflicted tremendous losses.

p The task facing the countries which embarked on the socialist path was not limited to eliminating the consequences of centuries-old economic backwardness and war devastation. In the course of socialist construction they had to efface the aftermath of uneven economic development by bringing up the economically backward areas of each country and the countries themselves to the level of advanced areas and states.

p Socialism’s intrinsic law of planned, proportional development began to operate on the scale of the entire socialist system. In the Soviet Union the operation of this law resulted in eliminating in a relatively brief period the backwardness of the Soviet Eastern Republics, most of which stood at the pre-capitalist stage prior to the October Revolution. While for the Soviet Union as a whole total industrial output (within present borders) increased 66 times between 1913 and 1966, it rose 101 times in Kazakhstan, 117 times in Kirghizia and 119 times in Armenia. The evening-out of the economic level of the Union Republics and their general advance enabled all Soviet peoples successfully to complete the building of socialism and 158 Growth Rates of Industrial Output (per cent of previous years) 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1907 1968 1969 Member countries of CMEA . 110 109 109 107 108 109 103 109 108 107 USSR ........ 110 109 110 108 107 103 109 110 108 107 Member countries of CMEA excluding USSR . Bulgaria . 111 113 109 112 108 111 105 110 108 110 109 115 108 112 109 113 108 110 108 110 Hungary ...... 112 110 108 107 109 105 107 109 105 103 German Democratic Republic ........ 103 106 106 104 107 100 106 107 106 108 Mongolian People’s Republic ........ 128 125 114 104 103 107 110 107 108 110 Poland ........ 111 110 108 105 109 109 107 108 109 109 Rumania ........ Czechoslovakia 116 112 116 109 114 106 112 99 114 104 113 108 112 107 114 107 112 106 111 105 159 simultaneously to undertake the full-scale building of communism.

p The evening-out of the economic levels of fraternal socialist countries is a law of socialism and a process that is inseparably linked with the growth rates of industry.

p The table on page 158 shows that growth rates of industrially less-developed countries are much higher than in the industrially developed. This is a characteristic feature of economic growth of socialist countries and determines the main trend in the process of evening-out economic levels.

p These figures show that notwithstanding serious difficulties which arose at certain stages (for example, in 1961-1965),  [159•1  the main tendency, the relative evening-out of economic levels, was maintained and developed. At the same time, these data indicate that this is quite an intricate process which requires a whole historical epoch. It cannot be approached in a simplified way. Mutual assistance of fraternal countries and the system of their economic relations create objective conditions for bringing the less-developed countries up to the level of the industrially advanced. This system undoubtedly helps to step up the pace of this process, but this does not mean that the evening-out of levels is a single action or that it can be done in, say, live or ten years. It has to take place without upsetting a country’s natural 160 economic development or reducing the economic growth rates of one country or a group of countries. As all countries of the socialist community advance economically, the gap in their levels is being bridged at an accelerated pace. Should the rates decrease the bridging of the gap would slow down. Many other factors connected both with the internal problems of each country and with an improvement of major forms of economic cooperation among socialist states, are equally important.

p The economic development of all countries in the socialist community has assumed an industrial trend. Industrial output accounts on the average for about 75 per cent of their gross national product.

p These achievements have been made possible by the advantages of the socialist system and the benefits each country enjoys in the world socialist economy. The forms of economic co-operation of socialist countries are increasingly improved, and they facilitate the gradual rapprochement of the peoples, the successful development of national economies and the world socialist economy as a whole. The process of political and economic consolidation is a decisive factor in making the entire world socialist system stable and immutable.

p Mutual co-operation helps to accelerate growth rates of all countries, including the highly developed. The concern of each country for the interests of all is one of the cardinal manifestations of proletarian internationalism in socialist relations, which demand both good will, thoughtful analysis and sober account of the economic expediency of all measures taken.

p For the socialist community to thrive the 161 economy of each member has to operate profitably in the broadest sense of the word. " Combining efforts to develop the national economy of each socialist country with the common effort to strengthen and extend economic co-operation and mutual assistance—such is the highroad for the further advance of the world socialist economy."  [161•1 

p But the rational use of internal resources is possible only with the broad mutual assistance of socialist countries, their all-round and constantly intensifying economic co-operation.

p Industrial specialisation and co-operation are the highest form of the international socialist division of labour. They open up additional possibilities for accelerating economic growth rates both in the socialist system as a whole and in each of its members.

p Prior to 1964, national economic plans of CMEA member countries were co-ordinated as follows: the Soviet Union and the other CMEA countries first drew up national economic plans, approved them and only then undertook to coordinate them. Naturally, thorough dovetailing of the long-term plans of the fraternal countries was not always achieved because the planning agencies of the respective countries, co-ordinating the approved plans, for understandable reasons could not introduce essential changes, although this was at times dictated by economic necessity. Under the changed procedure the USSR and the other CMEA countries hold preliminary bilateral consultations on draft long-term plans. The 162 national economic plans for 1966-1970 were formulated on the basis of initial projections. Ihese drafts were first coordinated and only then approved by the directing bodies of the fraternal countries.

p The constant improvement of the international socialist division of labour made it necessary to choose the major trends of industrial specialisation in each country of the socialist community. To ensure their general needs in the most efficient way it is important to determine what sectors and in what combination have to be developed in each country, what raw materials are to be used.

p The economic aspect of individual socialist countries in the system of the international socialist division of labour already looms quite clearly. In Bulgaria, for example, primary significance attaches to branches of the engineeringindustry which produce equipment for the light and food industries, farm machinery and electrical equipment which use the country’s non-ferrous metals, and also some sectors of the chemical industry. Alongside this, an important part in the economy, as before, will be played by the growing of fruit, grapes and early vegetables, and the processing of agricultural raw materials. In Czechoslovakia, priority is given to the heavy and power machinery, chemical industries and some branches of light industry. Engineering, particularly the production of chemical equipment, metal-working machine tools, ships, and precision tools and optical equipment have become the major specialisation sector of the German Democratic Republic. The chemical industry and consumer goods also occupy an important place in the economy of the GDR.

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p Specialisation and co-operation enable each country not to disperse its forces but to concentrate efforts on sectors for the development of which it has the necessary conditions: raw materials, skilled workers and engineering and technical personnel, and production know-how.

p The development and improvement of the international socialist division of labour and the most active participation of countries in it are a vital necessity and constitute a definite law. The international socialist division of labour promotes the solution of the basic tasks confronting each socialisl country and the world socialist system as a whole.

p Proper use of the internal resources of each country, in combination with the advantages of the world socialist system, open up unlimited possibilities for solving all problems of socialist and communist construction. At the same time, this promotes the further drawing together of national economies and the evening-out of economic and cultural levels and stimulates the integration of the countries in the world socialist system.

p Proletarian internationalism is a multifaceted and diversified phenomenon. It must not be reduced, for example, solely to economic assistance. By building communism, the Soviet people are blazing the trail for all mankind, testing in practice the correctness of this path and elaborating the forms and methods of building the future society. Since the laws of communist construction in the USSR and other socialist countries are basically the same (taking into account the historical and national specific features of each country), the advance ol all is essentially facilitated.

p The experience accumulated by the Soviet 164 Union during socialist construction has played a tremendous part in creating a developed national economy and in building the first phase of communism in all the socialist countries. Thanks to Soviet know-how these states have been able swiftly to accomplish the main tasks of socialist construction—and do so much faster than the Soviet Union which had to cope with them singlehanded and without experience. That is not all. By building communism, the Soviet Union is substantially strengthening the economic potential and defensive capacity of the entire community, is erecting a high barrier against imperialist reaction and aggression. Never before in their entire history were these states so confident in their strength and in their future. The constantly growing economic and military potential of the socialist community fully guarantees their advance along the chosen path, the security of each socialist country against the reckless onslaughts of international imperialism.

p The course of history made the Soviet Union the first country in which the new social system triumphed. The European and Asian countries which fell away from the capitalist system and took to the socialist path after the Second World War, stood at a somewhat different stage of development. That the Soviet Union is the first to undertake the building of communism fully meets the interests of all socialist states, the nature of their community and the relations established between them. Such development of world communism is quite natural. It were strange if, say, the Soviet Union, which earlier than others completed the building of socialism, would wait for 165 the evening-out of the general economic levels of the socialist countries and only then launch the building of communism.

p Such an approach to the transition of socialist states to communism would be at odds with Marxism-Leninism and the international solidarity of the working people. It would run counter to the Leninist doctrine of socialist revolution. The consequences of such an approach could be quite negative both for the Soviet Union and for the entire international working class and communist movement.

p This question is of general significance. The world socialist system expands through the falling away of new countries from capitalism, including economically-backward states. Heroic Cuba embarked on the socialist path in the 1960s. This process will take up an entire historical epoch. Have the existing socialist states a right "to wait" until the new socialist states, in whose economy traces of former backwardness are strongly felt, are raised economically and culturally to the level of the industrially developed socialist countries?

p The building of communism in the USSR fully meets the interests of all socialist countries. Communist and Workers’ Parties and the People’s Democracies have taken the magnificent plans of communist construction in the Soviet Union as their own vital cause, as a prerequisite for the further advance of all socialist countries to their single goal.

p The steady advance of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries towards communism meets the basic interests of the working people 166 of the world, the aspirations of all mankind. Today, it is clear more than ever before that as the might of the socialist system grows it increasingly helps accelerate the progressive development of mankind.

p Substantial changes, determined by the change in the relationship of world forces in favour of socialism, are under way in all spheres of international relations. In the past it was difficult to imagine the liberation of the colonies without prolonged and bitter struggle. Prior to the Second World War, the numerous revolts of the enslaved peoples, like the Riff uprising in Morocco in the 1920s, were cruelly suppressed. In our days, too, we also witness colonial wars. But in contrast to the past, these wars as a rule end in the victory of the enslaved peoples. In a number of cases the colonialists have had to grant some form of independence so as to prevent open rebellion. The imperialists have grown “wiser” and will " withdraw from the colonies" just before being ejected by the people.

p Thus, depending on the situation, the forms of imperialism’s disintegration, abolition of the colonial system and transition of new peoples to the socialist path, may differ. The strength of the world socialist community is today such that it can affect the nature of these processes so as to ensure the success of the revolutionary changes of society through bloodless methods. In these conditions the humane content of socialism and communism is displayed ever more strikingly.

p At the same time, the emergence of such possibilities creates new favourable requisites for accelerating revolutionary transformations 167 because it enlists into the social and national revolutions sections of the population of capitalist countries which, until now, refrained from participating in national liberation movements, fearing grave, bloody upheavals. In other words, the strengthening of the world socialist community and the consequent emergence of possibilities not only for the forcible, but also relatively peaceful accomplishment of the tasks of national liberation and social remaking of society, have greatly improved the prospects of the world revolution in a broad sense, have imparted a new, unprecedented scope to the struggle for the revolutionary transformation of human society.

The attempts of international imperialist reactionaries to stem or at least halt temporarily the powerful movement towards socialism and communism arc doomed to failure because they cannot arrest the objective course of history. Never bci’oie have there stood out in such bold relief the con I ours of future human society, whose prototype is the world socialist system—namely, a social, economic and political community of free and sovereign peoples and states following the road of socialism and communism.

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