Economic Strategy of the CPSU, a form of the economic policy of the CPSU setting the long-term, fundamental goals of economic development and the means of achieving them. Under socialism, the objective possibility and necessity of evolving an economic strategy are determined by the domination of social ownership of the means of production, the 114 operation of the objective laws of socialist economic development, expressing the long-term tendencies of social progress, and centralised economic management. Proceeding from the vital interests of the working people, the communist parties in the socialist countries determine the general perspective of social development along the road to communism and the main trends of the policy of the socialist state. A steady rise in the material and cultural level of the Soviet people, the creation of the best conditions for the comprehensive development of the individual on the basis of the greater efficiency of all social production, higher labour productivity, and the Soviet people’s growing social and labour involvement are the highest goals of the economic strategy of the CPSU. A general strategic economic policy depends on the duration and character of the given historical period. It embraces the establishment and development of individual stages of the socialist mode of production and is reflected in the CPSU Programme. The strategic economic policy implemented in accordance with the decisions of the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th CPSU Congresses is aimed at creating the material and technical base of communism, perfecting socialist social relations and transforming them into communist relations, and moulding the new man of communist society. It presupposes the organic merging of the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution with the advantages of the socialist economic system. A shorter-term economic strategy for certain periods of building socialism and communism is worked out alongside a long-term general strategy. The 24th, 25th and 26th CPSU Congresses elaborated an economic strategy reflecting the features of the current stage of developed socialism. The strategy provides for further increasing the economic strength of the Soviet Union, expanding and radically renewing the production assets, ensuring a steady and balanced growth of heavy industry, which is the foundation of the economy. It presupposes the transition from the extensive to intensive development of production (see Intensification of Production under Socialism), profound changes in the branch and territorial structure of the economy, as well as improvement of the organisation and management of social production. The economic strategy of the CPSU, the Party’s leading role in its development and implementation are proclaimed in the Constitution of the USSR: "The Communist Party, armed with MarxismLeninism, determines the general perspectives of the development of society and the course of the home and foreign policy of the USSR, directs the great constructive work of the Soviet people and imparts a planned, systematic and theoretically substantiated character to their struggle for the victory of communism.” The 26th CPSU Congress resolved that in the 1980s the CPSU will persistently follow its economic strategy, whose highest aim is to steadily raise the people’s material and cultural standards, create better conditions for the all-round development of the individual on the basis of greater efficiency of social production, higher labour productivity, and increased social and work involvement of the people.