p M hen classes come into being, they bring to life a new social phenomenon called politics. Politic. is the relationship that obtains between classes, nations and other social groups within a country or between countries. Politics does not cover all and any relations between classes but specifically those pertaining to the struggle for state power, its order, orientation, methods and means; to relations with other countries; to internal competition between parties, etc. Lenin defined politics as the relation "of al. classes and strata to the state and the government".  [113•1 

p We distinguish between internal politics, or relations among classes, parties, and nations comprising a single state, and external politics, embracing external relations. The two are closely interrelated, with the former being determining.

p It has been proved historically that external politics is a continuation of internal politics. States behave on the international scene much the same way as their ruling classes do at home. In an exploiter society, the internal policy of oppression is balanced out externally with a striving to enslave other nations and a policy of intimidation of and aggression against them. This holds true for contemporary bourgeois states, and notably for US imperialism - reactionary to the extreme both internally and externally.

p Aggressive foreign policies are dangerous to peace, and, not infrequently have plunged nations into war. War as an organised armed struggle between states is generated by a society of antagonistic classes. War is a continuation of politics by other, violent, means. Lenin wrote: "The policy which a given state, a given class within that state, pursued for a long time before the war is inevitably continued by that same class during the war, the form of action alone being changed.”   [114•1  Hence, the oppressive and reaction- 115 ary policy of the exploiting classes leads to unjust, predatory, imperialist wars. Just wars are wars of social or national liberation waged by oppressed classes and nations (civil war and national liberation war). The same applies to wars against aggressors. The Great Patriotic War of the USSR and the war of other nations of Europe against Nazi aggression, the Vietnam war and the Korean war waged against US imperialism were just wars.

p The emergence of socialism gave the start to the world’s passage to a new historical epoch without wars. The absence in socialist society of social antagonisms, generating war, and of classes whose interest lies in war and the arms race is reflected in the socialist countries’ foreign policy of peace and friendship among nations.

p Nowadays, thanks to the existence of the world socialist system and the support of the socialist countries’ peace policy by the broad masses in all countries, it is quite possible to curb the aggressive ambitions of the imperialists and to banish wars from the life of society. It is evident to many people that today there is no alternative to peaceful coexistence among nations, and that the only way to achieve further social progress is to eliminate war, to prevent a nuclear conflict.

p The relationships of classes and other groups in a society are regulated by various organisations, institutions, unions, associations, and so on, 116 which comprise the political system of society. The principal units of a political system are the state, political parties, workers’ trade unions, peasant unions, youth leagues, and other organised bodies.

p Some have a definitely political character and constitute the core of the political system (the state, political parties, workers’ trade unions, youth leagues, and some others); whereas others (writers’, artists’, composers’ and other such unions, sports clubs, cultural societies etc.), while not strictly neutral from the class point oi view, have no pronounced political character.

p The ruling classes maintain their interests and exercise their rule through the political system, relying primarily on the state and political parties.

p The political system exists in a class society only. It may be antagonistic or non-antagonistic, depending on the type of class relations.

p The political system in a society of antagonistic classes is (he more complex in structure. The existence of exploiting and exploited classes causeits division into two contending parts with unequal strength: the organisations and institutions of the ruling class whereby it imposes its dictatorship, and the organisations of the oppressed class (its political parties, trade unions, and so on), through which it fights for liberation.

In a socialist society relations between classes 117 and other social groups are those of alliance and co-operation ; consequently, the political organisation is a close-knit, unified system of bodies regulating the social and political relations between all individuals and groups. Its key units in the developed socialist society of the USSR are: 1) the socialist state of all the people; 2) the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (the core of the Soviet political system); 3) the mass organisations: 4) work collectives.