Economic Competition Between Socialism and Capitalism, a form of the class struggle between the two opposing social systems in the principal field of human endeavour—the sphere of material production. The main indicators in economic competition are: growth rates of social production and national income; growth rates and level of the labour productivity; per capita production of industrial goods and farm produce; living standards and the satisfaction of people’s social requirements; indicators of scientific and technical progress, etc. The best conditions for competing with capitalism emerge in the context of peaceful coexistence between states with different social systems and detente, which make it possible to graphically show and make use of the advantages of the new social system over the capitalist economic system. In the course of economic competition, the USSR and other socialist countries are quickly overcoming their historical lagging behind the developed capitalist countries in the level of economy and are steadily advancing towards economic superiority. Today the economic competition is conducted between the two world economic systems and also on a regional scale (for instance, between the EEC and the CMEA) and between individual socialist and capitalist countries ( USSRUSA, GDR-FRG, Bulgaria-Greece, etc.). The socialist countries aim at surpassing the capitalist world in per capita output of industrial goods and farm produce on the basis of higher efficiency of production, in the productivity of social labour and in living standards. In the age of the scientific and technological revolution, competition between the socialist and capitalist worlds in developing science and technology and the rate of scientific and technological progress assumes particular importance. This involves introduction of the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution into production, the development of high technology, and creation of a progressive and effective branch and territorial infrastructure of production. The socialist countries are resolving the historical tasks of the economic competition with capitalism on the basis of using both the advantages of the new social system in each country and the advantages of mutual economic cooperation and socialist economic integration (see Integration, Economic Socialist). The socialist system has proved its superiority over the capitalist system in economic growth rates—the general indicator of the development of production, determining the ultimate outcome of economic competition in favour of socialism. Thanks to the dynamic development of social production, the socialist countries are increasing their share in world industrial output. The Soviet Union now heads the world in the production of major products (oil, coal, iron ore, pig iron, steel, mineral fertilisers, tractors, cement, woolen fabrics, leather footwear, etc.). The socialist countries have higher labour productivity growth rates than the capitalist countries, and on this basis are steadily raising the people’s material and cultural standards. As regards many indicators of living standards, especially satisfying social requirements (medical care, education, social security, leisure, etc.), the Soviet Union has outstripped the United States and the rest of the capitalist world. In general calorie consumption, Soviet diet corresponds to the accepted physiological standards. Between 1966 and 1980, per capita consumption of meat and meat products in the Soviet Union increased by 41 per cent; milk and milk products— 25 per cent; eggs—nearly 100 per cent; vegetables—35 per cent; vegetable oils— 24 per cent; and sugar—30 per cent. At the beginning of the 1980s, the CPSU set the following task: using the country’s expanded economic capability to ensure a steady supply of all kinds of foods and in the shortest possible time considerably improve the diet structure in the direction of the most valuable products. In the socialist countries, unemployment has been eliminated for good, and every member of society is guaranteed the right to work. Society grants him broad opportunities for raising his qualifications and receiving an education, and for his inner development. The course of the economic competition graphically demonstrates that socialism alone rids the working people of 99 exploitation and all forms of oppression, social insecurity and unemployment, and creates the most favourable conditions for a happy life and the all-round development of all members of society. This in the final analysis has a decisive impact on the further unfolding of the struggle of the working people in the capitalist countries for their social liberation, accelerates the revolutionary transition from capitalism to socialism, and brings closer the victory of the new social system on the world scale. The USSR and fraternal socialist countries pursue the Leninist policy of peace, consolidation of security and broad international cooperation, which is the important condition of success for the socialist system in the economic competition between socialism and capitalism.