New International Economic Order, the young politically independent states’ concept of restructuring international economic relations, advanced during the intensifying crisis of the imperialist system for exploiting the fuel, raw material and manpower resources of the developing countries. It includes the following requirements for providing external factors for the economic development of the developing countries: establishment of complete national sovereignty in the use of natural resources and in carrying out economic activities of all kinds; smaller fluctuations in prices for raw materials and a narrowing of the gap between them and the prices of manufactures; expansion of the preferences in trade with developed countries; normalisation of the international monetary system; stimulation of the expansion of the developing countries’ industrial exports; adoption of a complex of measures for narrowing the technological gap between the developed and the developing countries; a lightening of the burden of financial debt and an increase in the inflow of real resources from the developed into the developing countries; regulation of and control over the activities of the multinational corporations. These measures would meet the interests of all developing countries. "Collective self- sufficiency”, a concept that envisages allround mutual economic cooperation between young states, is a most important method for realising these goals. Formulated in the Declaration and the Programme of Action on Establishment of a New International Economic Order, adopted by the Sixth Special Session of the UN General Assembly (May 1974), this concept has subsequently been specified in a number of documents and materials. The movement for the new order is a sweeping antiimperialist front encompassing various Asian, African and Latin American countries with different levels and trends of socio-economic development. The developing countries link the realisation of these objectives with their hopes for implementing at least partial restructuring of their economic relations with industrially developed capitalist countries to their own advantage and intensifying certain kinds of economic ties with the socialist countries. For some developing countries, above all the socialistoriented ones, the struggle for the new international economic order results from a desire to supplement their home economic efforts with more favourable foreign economic conditions. The participation of capitalist-oriented states in this movement reflects attempts by their ruling circles to place the responsibility for the grave position of their peoples mainly on external factors, to shift the struggle beyond their frontiers and thus win time to strengthen the positions of national capital. The main weakness of the NIEO concept lies in discrepancies in its aim: it is impossible to transform international economic relations and put an end to neo-colonialism leaving intact the foundations of capitalism. It should be remembered, however, that the NIEO concept is in formative stages. New propositions are added and ones already adopted are being modified. Representatives of certain developing countries are beginning to dovetail the NIEO idea with the struggle to cut military expenditures and supplement political with military detente. Advocating an expansion and deepening of foreign economic relations with the developing countries on the basis of complete equality and mutual advantage, the Soviet Union, as was noted in the Soviet Government Statement of October 4, 1976 "On Restructuring the International Economic Relations”, "regards with understanding the ... broad programme of undertakings reflecting vital and long-term interests of the developing countries and supports its principled orientation”. The support given by the USSR and other socialist countries to the just and lawful antiimperialist aspirations of the young states has helped in getting the United Nations to adopt important international documents aimed at establishing the new international economic order. This support has played a positive role in all subsequent international forums on problems of the new 252 international economic order. In view of growing demands of the developing countries and support they receive from the socialist countries, the imperialist states have to make partial concessions, but they are all united in striving to replace the proposals made by the developing countries with their own, neo-colonialist, concepts for transforming international economic relations.