p Now that socialism has turned into a social force which increasingly determines the course of world events, the development of relations between the Soviet Union and African countries not only helps them to become independent, sovereign states, but also makes it easier for them to choose such a path of social development which is more consistent with the vital interests of their peoples—the path of socialist orientation.

p In Tropical Africa this path has been taken by Guinea, the People’s Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, Socialist Ethiopia, the People’s Republic of Benin, the Democratic Republic of Madagascar, the People’s Republic of Angola, the People’s Republic of Mozambique, and the Seychelles.

p The Soviet Union’s relations with the socialist-oriented countries are particularly close and friendly. What brings the USSR and these countries closer together is a certain community of ideas and a desire to advance along the road of social progress. In his report "The Great October Revolution and Mankind’s Progress" Leonid Brezhnev made the point that the newly free countries which reject the capitalist road of development arid become socialist-oriented have true and reliable friends in the person of the socialist countries which are ready to assist and support their progressive development in every way.  [122•16 

p There are socialist-oriented African countries, where scientific socialism is the official ideology and the basis of their development programmes (Angola, Mozambique, Benin and the People’s Republic of the Congo). In other countries the political and ideological positions of the revolutionary democrats are not fully consistent with scientific socialism, yet they are quite close to it in some questions (this, however, does not rule out regression, manoeuvring and departure of revolutionary democrats from scientific socialism at a particular period in one or another African country).

p Revolutionary democratic forces in African countries that have taken the road of social progress, know that capitalism cannot offer a constructive programme for surmounting the economic, social and cultural lag of the newly free states. They have learned from their own experience that the solution of problems connected with the abolition of backwardness, such as the establishment of control over natural resources, the development of national industry, and reorganisation of agriculture, inevitably leads to a confrontation with imperialism.

p The very logic of truly independent development and the desire to attain economic independence without delay prompt progressive African leaders to make the socialist choice. President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere wrote that his country’s poverty and national weakness left them with only one sensible choice—socialism.

p |Tt is not by accident that interest in the experience of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries is mounting in Africa. And Julius Nyerere referred precisely to this experience in his reply to those who talk about the " inefficiency of socialism”. He wrote that in 1917 the USSR was a backward, feudal war-ravaged country, which suffered heavy losses during the subsequent civil and international conflicts. Yet no one would dare to deny the material changes that have taken place there over the years after the October Revolution.  [123•17 

p Examining the problem of how the newly free states could surmount their backwardness President Agostinho Neto of the People’s Republic of Angola said that it was necessary to reject capitalism as a social system that has bred colonialism and imperialism. Instead of capitalism, he said, the people of Angola have to build a socialist society which alone guarantees independence and social progress.

p The views expressed by Julius Nyerere and Agostinho Neto and other prominent African revolutionary democrats, the introduction of socio-economic revolutionary transformations in those countries of Tropical Africa which are following the non-capitalist road show that the development of socialist-oriented states in that part of the continent should not he assessed in isolation from the competition between 124 the two world systems—it should be viewed as an organic part of the world confrontation and opposition of two modes of production. This confrontation is in evidence in political, economic, cultural, ideological and other spheres.

p On the one hand, there are the forces of socialism and social progress which oppose all forms of oppression and work for peace and international detente, and, on the other, there are the forces of imperialism and neocolonialism which strive to plunder and exploit Africa. In his report "The Great October Revolution and Mankind’s Progress" Leonid Brezhnev noted that imperialism did not reconcile itself to the progressive development of African countries. Its positions in the former colonies, he said, were sometimes still fairly strong and imperialism was trying its utmost to preserve and, if possible, to deepen and broaden them.

p The socialist-oriented countries in Tropical Africa are building a new society while remaining outside the world system of socialism and continuing to be dependent on the capitalist market. This creates additional difficulties which cannot be surmounted without Soviet support which has two main directions.

p First, the example of the Soviet Union proves the effectiveness of the socialist-oriented social development. The vast experience and the enormous gains of the Soviet people in all spheres of activity attest to the advantages of this orientation.

p Second, the Soviet Union provides not only moral and political, but also economic, scientific and technical assistance to the socialist-oriented countries of Tropical Africa.

p IThe choice of socialist orientation by some countries of Tropical Africa opened additional opportunities for promoting economic cooperation with the Soviet Union. It placed this cooperation on a solid foundation and strengthened mutual interest in the further expansion and improvement of the organisational forms of these links.

p It is absolutely clear that the ideological positions of the Soviet Union and the socialist-oriented countries of Tropical Africa, particularly those where working people’s parties base their activity on Marxist-Leninist theory, are drawing closer together. In many ways this is a result of the broader contacts between the CPSU and the revolutionary- democratic parties, including the Democratic Party of Guinea (DPG), the Congolese Labour Party (CLP), FRELTMO, 125 MPLA—Party of Labour, and the Party of the People’s He volution of Benin.

p Tho lirst contacts were established in the mid-1960s. Addressing the 23rd Congress of the CPSU in 1966, Leonid Brezhnev noted thai the Soviet Union had established close, friendly relations with the young countries steering a course towards socialism. "The relations between the CPSU and the revolutionary-democratic parties of these countries are likewise developing,” he said.  [125•18 

p Since then the Soviet Union’s relations with free Africa have made substantial progress in these spheres. This fact was mentioned at the 25th CPSU Congress. In the years under review, the CC CPSU report said, "we continued to extend our ties with progressive non-Communist parties— revolutionary-democratic, and also left-socialist".  [125•19  It should be mentioned that the DPG, TANU and CLP sent their representatives to the 23rd, 24th and 25th CPSU congresses.

p Leaders of revolutionary-democratic parties also speak of the importance of inter-party contacts. Addressing the 24th CPSU Congress Member of the National Politbureau of the DPG Lansana Diane described the participation of the DPG in the work of the Congress and in some other important forums of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as "an historical necessity ... politically determined by the identity of our aims and our struggle”. The experience of socialist construction in the USSR which was summed up in the decisions of the CPSU congresses, he went on to say, "inevitably attracts the close attention of the Democratic Party of Guinea which strives to turn the Guinean people into a leading builder of socialism in Africa".  [125•20 

p In his speech at the 25th Congress of the CPSU, Member of the Politbureau of the DPG Central Committee Mamadi Keita said that his delegation was happy and proud of taking part in the work of the 25th Congress of the CPSU.

p Party contacts have become permanent and businesslike and are used by the parties to share their practical experience. For instance, the Agreement on Cooperation between the CPSU and the MPLA (now the MPLA—Party of Labour) 126 signed in October 1970, in addition to an ail-round exchange ol experience of party work, envisages exchange oi views on other issues oi mutual interest, cooperation in trainingparty cadres, joint scieutihc study ol vital problems of contemporary social development, and so lorth. The conclusion and consistent implementation ol such agreements will undoubtedly foster the ideological maturity ol the revolutionary-democratic parties.

p These parties are seriously interested in the organisational activity of the CPSU and its ideological and propaganda work. The further expansion of inter-party ties will promote still closer unity of action of the Soviet Union and the socialist-oriented countries in the ideological struggle and help to complete the passage of the African revolutionary democracy to scientific socialism. This will give rise to even more favourable prerequisites lor strengthening the progressive regimes and their advance along the non-capitalist road.

p The neocolonialists are going to ail lengths to disrupt the links between African countries and the Soviet Union. In particular this applies to those countries which have chosen the socialist path. In order to do this the neocolouialists resort to outright blackmail, intimidation with allegations of "communist penetration”, economic pressure, and direct efforts to overthrow African governments which want to expand their ties with the USSR. Nevertheless, it is impossible to stop the revolutionary process in Africa, just as it is impossible to wall off the socialist-oriented African countries from the USSR. Speaking on the occasion of the bOth anniversary of tiie Great October Socialist Revolution, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provisional Military Administrative Council of Ethiopia Berhanu Bayih observed: "We Ethiopian revolutionaries draw our inspiration and confidence from the fact that we are not alone in our struggle. The world’s iirst socialist state and other progressive forces of the world are on our side.”  [126•21  Many other leading oliicials in the socialist-oriented countries have spoken in a similar vein.

The friendly, steadily developing relations existing between the Soviet Union and other countries of the socialist community and the socialist-oriented states of Tropical Africa will deiiiiiteiy strengthen the iatter’s determination to advance along the path of social progress.