Voluntarism, Economic, a subjectiveidealist interpretation of economic phenomena and processes, considering people’s consciousness and will as decisive in economic development; methods of economic management corresponding to this interpretation. The essence of economic voluntarism is its claim that the internal causes of society’s economic development are the volitional (psychological) stimuli of the activities of people, and first of all of outstanding individuals. The existence of objective laws governing economic development is in principle denied. Economic voluntarism in one sense or the other is inherent in many concepts of bourgeois economics, particularly in the so-called theory of violence, social and legal concepts and subjective-psychological economic theories. Eugen Diihring tried to interpret society’s economic development from the angle of the theory of violence; his views were sharply criticised from profound scientific positions by Engels. This theory is widely acclaimed in contemporary 384 bourgeois concepts that treat imperialism as an expansionist policy with no organic links with the capitalist economy. The theory of violence underlies the ideology and politics of fascism and its concept of an authoritarian economy to be managed by large monopolies merged with the fascist state. Economic voluntarism permeates many bourgeois social and legal concepts, which falsely declare that law and legal consciousness are the basis and the principal motive force of society’s economic progress. The psychological subjective current in bourgeois political economy holds that political economy is concerned with the study of volitional and psychological motives of individuals engaged in economic activities, which are determined by their needs (see Keynesianism). Economic voluntarism is erroneous not because it recognises the active role of consciousness and will; historical materialism equally recognises ideal, volitional motives in economic activities, but unlike voluntarism, it does not consider them as the ultimate and principal causes of economic phenomena. Will is of no use if the material conditions, which are the result of the historical evolution of the production of the means of existence, are lacking. Marxism sees the profound and primary motive forces of economic development in the objective laws of material production. "The idea of determinism,” wrote Lenin, "which postulates that human acts are necessitated and rejects the absurd tale about free will, in no way destroys man’s reason or conscience, or appraisal of his actions. Quite the contrary, only the determinist view makes a strict and correct appraisal possible instead of attributing everything you please to free will" (V. I. Lenin, Collected Works, Vol. I, p. 159). In socialist society the economy is developed consciously and according to plan, which presupposes the consolidation of the will and unity of action of the entire people aimed at achieving common goals. However, this does not eliminate the fact that material (those of the base) relations are primary and ideological (superstructural) relations are secondary. The transformative power of human volition on economic development under socialism consists of the possibility of scientifically cognising and applying in practice objective economic laws in a concrete historical situation. Here as well, ignoring objective laws may lead to economic voluntarism. The CPSU, guided by Lenin’s thesis that politics is the concentrated expression of economics, has elaborated and implemented its economic policy at all stages taking into account objective realities and relying on the cognition and conscious application of the economic laws of social development. This policy is directed both against the voluntaristic ignoring of economic laws and against making a fetish of them, against spontaneity and laissez-faire in building socialism. The principal weapon in the struggle against economic voluntarism is the comprehensive development of the science itself, which fundamentally substantiates the system of objective laws governing the communist mode of production, as well as the economic mechanism of their operation and concrete application in economic practice. Of great importance in this respect is ensuring a high level of education standard for all those involved in the economy. If this standard is insufficiently high, a tendency to deal with all questions of economic organisation by purely administrative methods may arise. The CPSU has always fought against all manifestations of economic voluntarism both in theory and in economic practice; it is ensuring the Leninist style of work throughout the economy, i. e., a creative style, opposed to subjectivism and featuring a scientific approach to all social processes.