The victory of October radically changed the course of human development and marked the beginning of the restructuring of the entire system of international relations on a fair and democratic basis. There is practically no sphere of international life that does not experience the beneficial impact of the ideas of the Great October Socialist Revolution, their creative implementation in the practice of the Soviet Union and other countries of socialism. Its achievements help progressive humanity in the struggle for peace, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, democracy, and social progress.
In the context of the unprecedented acceleration of the process of internationalization of economic life, which is characteristic of our time, the international division of labor and the effective use of its associated advantages are of particular importance for the development of all countries. This area of international life has been strongly influenced by the ideas of October for more than half a century.
The formation of the world socialist system was the beginning of the formation of a historically new type of division of labor between countries, based on the principles of socialist internationalism. Today, the ideas of October are embodied in the development and deepening of socialist economic integration - a qualitatively new stage in the international socialist division of labor, the material basis for the natural rapprochement and consolidation of the countries participating in it.
In today's conditions, when the Soviet Union, other socialist countries, and all peace-loving forces are turning from the "cold war" to defusing tensions and peaceful coexistence of States with different social systems at the initiative and thanks to the efforts of the Soviet Union, international economic cooperation serves as an effective means of materializing detente. In the process of restructuring international economic relations, socialist states go hand in hand with developing countries on many issues, for which the ideas of October and the real experience of their implementation serve as a reliable guide in the struggle for strengthening national independence and solving current socio - economic and international problems.
"The October Revolution is such a socio-political event, the greatness of which is revealed more deeply and more clearly with each new step of humanity along the path of social progress" 1 . The impact of the Great October Socialist Revolution and its principles on the formation of international relations, including in the fields of economics, science, and technology, will always increase-
1 "On the 60th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution". Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU of January 31, 1977, Moscow, 1977, p. 23.
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to grow, reflecting the world-historical significance of the victory of October, the experience of real socialism, the strengthening of the forces of peace and social progress on a global scale.
The questions of the impact of world socialism on international economic relations and the formation and development of the international socialist division of labor have already been repeatedly covered in Soviet literature .2 The purpose of this article is to briefly examine the historical relationship between the ideas of the Great October Revolution and the development of international economic relations, and to show the consistent implementation of these ideas in the foreign economic policy of the USSR and the entire socialist community, in their struggle for peace and cooperation between peoples.
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Already shortly after the victory of October, when socialism was represented on the world stage by only one state - Soviet Russia, which was just beginning to embark on the path of peaceful development, V. I. Lenin noted that the face of the world is determined by the confrontation of "two methods, two formations, two farms - communist and capitalist."3 The principles of economic relations between these two types of farms began to take shape during the first contacts of Soviet Russia with the capitalist states surrounding it, which were forced to make such contacts after the failure of the economic blockade and foreign intervention. Both sides were interested in this: the world of capitalism - in markets and profits, in raw materials; Soviet Russia - in establishing the principles of peaceful coexistence, in the goods and technical experience necessary for the restoration and development of the national economy.
Taking into account not only the hostility of the capitalist environment, but also the objective logic of the development of international economic life, Lenin defined the prospects of economic relations between the two systems as follows: "There is a force greater than the desire, will and decision of any of the hostile governments or classes, this force is the general economic relations of the world, which compel them to with us " 4 . This emphasized the indisputable fact that political considerations can only deform world economic relations for a certain period, delay their development, but in the end, objective necessity must inevitably make its way. The policy of peaceful coexistence and development of economic cooperation with capitalist countries was not only proclaimed by the Soviet government, but was also consistently implemented in practice. At the Genoa Conference in April 1922, where economic relations between the two systems were discussed for the first time on a multilateral basis, the Soviet delegation, guided by Lenin's instructions, declared: "In the current historical era, which makes possible the parallel existence of the old and emerging new social system, economic cooperation between the States representing these two property systems is imperative"5 .
2 See, for example, "50 Years of Soviet Foreign Trade", Moscow, 1967; O. T. Bogomolov. Teoriya i metodologiya mezhdunarodnogo sotsialisticheskogo razdeleniya truda [Theory and methodology of the International Socialist Division of Labor]. Tt. I-IV. M. 1967; "East - West Economic relations: problems and opportunities" M. 1967; V. L. Tyagunenko. International Division of Labor and Developing Countries, Moscow, 1976; Maksimova M. M. (in Russian). USSR and International Economic Cooperation, Moscow, 1977, et al.
3 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 42, p. 75.
4 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 44, pp. 304-305.
5 "Documents of foreign policy of the USSR", Vol. V. M. 1961, pp. 191-192.
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Lenin not only justified the possibility and necessity of economic cooperation with capitalist countries on the basis of the principles of peaceful coexistence of the two systems, but also defined the conditions under which this cooperation can be carried out, and above all, full equality of the parties. As an example, he cited the Rapallo Treaty of 1922 with Germany. 6 Another fundamental principle of economic cooperation with capitalist countries, he considered mutual benefit. In a letter to G. V. Chicherin with directives from the Central Committee of the RCP(b) for the Soviet delegation to the Genoa Conference, Lenin wrote:: "We will not do anything unprofitable for us. We will not comply with ultimatums. If you only want to "trade", then go ahead, but we will not buy a pig in a poke and, without calculating the "claims" to the last penny, we will not make a deal. " 7 The Soviet government has always followed and continues to follow these principles, which at each subsequent stage were enriched with new content, and in modern conditions are turning into generally recognized norms of international communication.
The Soviet Union has always been a stranger to autarky, considering foreign economic activity to be a factor in improving the efficiency of economic management and strengthening the ideas of peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems. At numerous international forums, he consistently pursued the policy of developing and strengthening equal and mutually beneficial economic ties with all countries, and of completely eliminating all obstacles and artificial restrictions that stand in this way, although this line was not always implemented in practice due to the opposition of aggressive imperialist forces. At the same time, the normalization of trade with the Soviet country, to which world capitalism was forced to go in the 20s and 30s, gave it considerable benefits. The benefits of economic ties with the Soviet Union were especially noticeable in the capitalist countries in the early 1930s, when they were experiencing the greatest economic crisis, and the USSR, implementing the first five-year plan, was the largest importer of many types of machinery, complete equipment, and technical experience. In the pre-war years, the USSR was forced to strengthen its policy of self-sufficiency with everything necessary, and the successful creation of its own powerful industrial base provided the necessary material basis for this, and increased the country's technical and economic independence. The events of World War II fully confirmed the correctness of this line, which made it possible not only to resist fascist aggression, but also to defeat the enemy, to win, relying on the powerful economic and military potential created, on the superiority of the socialist system, the new social system born of Great October.
The defeat of fascism and the victory of the socialist revolutions in a number of European and Asian countries led to the creation of a world socialist system and a radical change in the balance of power in the international arena. All this had a profound impact on the content and direction of the Soviet Union's foreign economic activity, on the structure of the international division of labor. Along with the world capitalist market, the world socialist market has developed, encompassing trade, economic and credit relations of socialist countries and expressing the specific features of the international socialist division of labor, which, in contrast to the capitalist one, "is carried out consciously and systematically, in accordance with the laws of the Soviet Union."-
6 See V. I. Lenin, PSS. vol. 45, p. 193.
7 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 44, p. 386.
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in accordance with the vital interests and tasks of the comprehensive development of all socialist countries, it leads to the strengthening of their unity. " 8
Interstate economic relations within the framework of the world socialist system acquire a qualitatively new character, determined by the more advanced social system that has strengthened in the countries that are entering this system, the commonality of their Marxist-Leninist ideology, a peace-loving foreign policy based on socialist internationalism, and intermediate and final goals.
The parallel existence and development of two world markets, each of which embodies and expresses patterns inherent in two different socio - economic systems, is a fundamental feature of international economic cooperation in the post-war period. The formation of the world socialist system of economy and the world socialist market, however, did not mean the elimination of the world market, within which two different markets interact, nor did it mean the elimination of the world economy, which is represented by two opposing and co-existing systems. At the same time, fundamental changes of historical significance have been made to both these concepts - the world market and the world economy.
The socialist countries by no means intended to pursue a policy of collective protectionism and collective autarky; the development of the international socialist division of labor has always taken place and is taking place taking into account the World Division of Labor and its possibilities. However, not everything depended on the socialist countries. The formation of the world socialist system significantly limited the maneuverability of the imperialist forces and increased the progressive impact of socialism on the development of international economic cooperation, not only through the example of consistently democratic and mutually beneficial relations between the fraternal countries included in this system, but also directly through the expanded scope of their participation in such cooperation.
Soon after the end of the war, the forces of world imperialism, led by the United States, frightened by the revolutionary changes in Europe and Asia and seeking to regain their lost positions, based on the "policy of force", atomic blackmail and the concept of "throwing off communism", again, as in the post-October period, turned to the weapons of economic boycott against the countries of socialism, hoping thereby to turn back history, impose their own terms of cooperation on these countries, and delay the growth of their economic and military-technical potential. However, if such a course did not yield the expected results immediately after October, when Soviet Russia, ravaged by two wars and surrounded by hostile capitalist states, alone resisted the forces of world and domestic reaction, then such an attempt was all the more futile in the new conditions.
The cold war launched against the socialist countries accelerated the process of their economic and military-political consolidation around the Soviet Union - the homeland of October-the main force of the socialist community, which has the greatest material and other resources and experience in socialist development. In the economic sphere, this natural process was expressed by the creation in early 1949 of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), the first universal socialist international organization for multilateral economic, scientific and technical cooperation, with the aim of creating a new economic model.
8 " Basic principles of the international Socialist Division of Labor. Multilateral Economic Cooperation of Socialist States", Moscow, 1972, p. 106.
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whose activities are inextricably linked to the entire subsequent development and deepening of the international socialist division of labor.
Although the cold War and related activities in various fields, inspired by the United States and the military-political groups it created, significantly complicated the international situation, put the burden of an unrestrained arms race on the shoulders of the peoples, and reduced the economic ties between the two systems to a minimum, they could not justify the hopes of the imperialist forces. The policy of" rejecting "or" containing "communism, the " balance of fear", the economic isolation of the countries of socialism, and the whole system of discrimination directed against them in the sphere of international cooperation have shown their futility. Life has once again confirmed the far-sighted conclusion that the economic blockade is a double-edged weapon. "As for the blockade, experience has shown," Lenin wrote, "that it is not known whether it is more difficult for those who are being blocked or for those who are being blocked." 9 The recognition of one of the pillars of American monopoly capital, financier D. Rockefeller, who wrote:: "In the last 20 years, we have almost completely stopped trade, abandoned most of our exports, and this has not put them (i.e. the countries of socialism. - L. B. it did not force them to beg from us, nor did it prevent them from rearming and becoming more powerful."10 At the same time, the economic embargo significantly deformed the structure of the international division of labor, primarily due to the loss for the West of promising, continuously growing markets of socialist countries, especially noticeable in the 50s and 60s, characterized by the intensification of inter - imperialist competition between the leading centers of the world capitalist economy, and the deepening of crisis phenomena in it.
Of course, some costs were also incurred by the socialist countries, which were forced to focus on maximizing the use of national and intraregional opportunities, even when more rational solutions could have been found in one direction or another within the framework of the global division of labor. It was necessary to achieve self-sufficiency in conditions when broad international cooperation could provide more optimal solutions to certain economic problems. However, the overall balance was clearly not in favor of the inspirers and organizers of the economic embargo, which served as an important factor in its weakening and then practical elimination. The logic of the world division of labor and the need to deepen it again prevailed over the short-sightedness of politicians who, not wanting to take into account the demands of the times, still continue to repeat about the one-sided benefits allegedly derived by the socialist countries from restoring cooperation with the West, that the latter, they say, is less interested in such cooperation, and therefore, it may require appropriate political compensation.
The post-war development is characterized by another factor of world-historical significance, the origins of which are rooted in the profound change in the balance of world forces caused by Great October, which began the process of revolutionary restructuring of the world. Under the powerful influence of the national liberation movement, the colonial system of imperialism collapsed, and dozens of new independent states emerged, whose role in world development is increasing. Despite the fact that most of them still remain in the system of world capitalist economy, these states are fighting for the right to self-government.-
9 V. I, Lenin. PSS. T, 44, p. 301.
10 "U. S. News and World Report", 13. VIII.1973.
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for the restoration of their economic independence, for their liberation from the yoke of neo-colonialism, for changing their place and role in the system of the world division of labor, for the restructuring of international economic relations on an equal democratic basis, excluding the plundering of their national wealth by imperialist Powers and multinational monopolies.
The Soviet Union and other socialist countries provide all possible support to the developing countries in their struggle for complete liberation from imperialist exploitation, which is largely due to economic, scientific and technical cooperation based on the principles proclaimed in October, which allows these countries to solve the problems of national development more successfully and reduces their dependence on imperialism. Although the economic relations of developing countries as a whole have not yet completely separated themselves from the system of the international capitalist division of labor, they constitute a special sphere in it, the development of which is strongly influenced by the principles proclaimed and approved in the conditions of socialism and reflecting the economic laws inherent in this system. All this significantly expands the progressive influence of socialism on international economic cooperation, contributes to its restructuring in accordance with the new alignment of world forces, taking into account the global revolutionary transformations that began in Great October.
International economic cooperation in the post-war period was greatly affected by the scientific and technological revolution (STD), which significantly accelerated the natural process of internationalization of productive forces, and consequently expanded the scope and possibilities of division of labor and cooperation between countries, turning this cooperation into an important condition for the development of modern production and the acceleration of scientific and technological progress. The emerging scientific and technical cooperation is becoming a special and most dynamic area of the international division of labor, which has an increasing impact on its development. Under the influence of NTR, the ratio of raw materials and agricultural products in the international exchange, on the one hand, and products of the manufacturing industry, on the other, is fundamentally changing in favor of the latter. This reflects the impact of R & D on the structure of productive forces, the rapid development of new, mainly knowledge-intensive industries and sub-sectors, the deepening of international specialization and cooperation in science, technology, and production, and the predominant development of intra-industry, sub-industrial, and technological specialization, complemented by broad cooperative ties.
Scientific and technological progress and its contradictory development under the conditions of capitalism, associated with the predatory consumption of natural resources and the catastrophic deterioration of the environment, have presented humanity with new complex problems: the rational use of irreplaceable resources, the development of new sources of raw materials and energy, scientific nature management, increasing food resources, and many others, the effective solution of which is almost impossible without division of labor, involving all countries and regions of the world in it. General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee L. I. Brezhnev, at the World Congress of Peace-loving Forces held in Moscow in October 1973, emphasized that "it is possible to keep up with the times, to reach the level of requirements and opportunities of the scientific and technological revolution, only by relying on a broad international division of labor" 11 .
11 L. I. Brezhnev. Lenin's Course, vol. 4, Moscow, 1974, p. 327.
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In modern conditions, the autarkic path of economic development is particularly unpromising. NTR connects various countries and peoples through the global market. International economic cooperation is a powerful catalyst for economic development, its specialization and diversification within the global economy, scientific and technological progress, and the widespread use of its results and opportunities for peace and social progress. The Soviet Union and other socialist countries consistently take into account the requirements of the NTR in their national development and their deepening mutual cooperation. The process of socialist economic integration currently unfolding is directly linked to the scientific and technological progress and the tasks of fully intensifying economic development based on the full use of the advantages and opportunities of mature socialism and the latest achievements in science and technology. Having put forward the task of historical importance - to organically combine the achievements of scientific and technological progress with the advantages of socialism and its inherent economic methods, the fraternal countries consider the integration process as an increasing external factor in the successful solution of this task.
In modern conditions, international economic cooperation, the forms and directions of which are constantly developing and enriching, going far beyond traditional trade and penetrating deeply into the sphere of science, technology, production, and services, is becoming increasingly important as a factor in stabilizing peace and strengthening mutual understanding between peoples, and the emergence of common interests between them. The Final Document of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as the activities of the United Nations and its specialized and regional organizations, primarily in connection with the development of a new legal and organizational framework for expanding and deepening economic cooperation between countries with different social systems and levels of development, as well as creating the most favorable climate, legal and organizational conditions for this purpose, are given great attention in the Final Document of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. an international economic order that meets the demands of the times and the changing balance of global power. In all this activity, which is of great importance for the fate of peace and progress on our planet, the ideas of Great October, which are consistently carried out by the Country of Soviets and the entire socialist Community, serve as an everlasting beacon. They inspire progressive peace-loving forces in their struggle for the democratic restructuring of international economic relations in the interests of all countries and peoples and their equal and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Describing the development of international economic relations, Lenin identified as its most important trend the objective process of rapprochement of national economies, the internationalization of economic life caused by the needs of the development of productive forces, and the deepening of the international division of labor. "The entire economic, political, and spiritual life of mankind is becoming increasingly internationalized already under capitalism," Lenin noted. "Socialism completely internationalizes it." 12 He described as simplistic and in principle incorrect the idea that "a democratic state of victorious socialism will exist without borders ...that the boundaries will be determined "only" according to the needs of production " 13 . These fundamental theoretical propositions were confirmed-
12 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 23, p. 318.
13 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 30, p. 21.
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They were already used in the post - October period, and after the Second World War on a broader international basis-in the course of the formation and development of the world socialist system, the international socialist division of labor. In their political and economic relations, the socialist countries have always acted as fully equal, free and sovereign States, united by common interests and goals and fraternal ties of international socialist solidarity. Guided in their relations by the general democratic principles of equality and sovereignty of the parties, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, these countries consider fraternal mutual assistance, which manifests the principle of socialist internationalism, to be an integral part of their relations. Their solidarity is not directed against any other State, but serves the interests of all peace-loving peoples, strengthening the cause of peace and international cooperation among all countries.
The disinterested assistance of the Soviet Union, which is especially necessary at the first stage of development: the international socialist division of labor, and the mutual cooperation of fraternal countries, played an invaluable role in the restoration and socialist restructuring of the national economy of these countries, in carrying out socialist industrialization, creating modern national economic complexes, and in countering imperialist expansion on the part of the West, its policy of economic boycott and discrimination. With the help of Soviet supplies and concessional loans, economic and technical assistance in various forms, entire industries and sub-sectors that now form the basis of their material and technical base were re-created or technically re-equipped in the fraternal countries. The technical documentation and production experience provided to these countries almost free of charge allowed them to save billions of dollars in hard currency, which otherwise would have had to be paid for their purchase on the world capitalist market. The U.S.S.R.'s assistance in training national cadres of specialists in fraternal countries and in transmitting to them the experience of socialist management is invaluable.
With the strengthening of the material and technical base of socialism in the fraternal countries and the deepening of the international socialist division of labor, forms of direct economic assistance to a large extent began to transform into mutually beneficial cooperative ties. While developing deeper forms of the international socialist division of labor, the fraternal countries consistently take into account the national interests and peculiarities of individual countries, creating favorable conditions for their proportional, versatile development, taking into account the existing prerequisites, for the formation of full-fledged modern economic complexes in each of these countries, with their increasing structural complementarity and optimization within the framework of the world socialist economy. The systematic nature inherent in the world socialist division of labor contributes to the maximum use of the advantages of socialist management in the course of its development and deepening, to the rational allocation of the productive forces of fraternal countries, to the establishment of correct proportions in their national economy, and to the effective use of available national resources. In all this, the international socialist division of labor convincingly demonstrates its fundamental differences and advantages over the capitalist one.
A quarter of a century of development of the international socialist division of labor, which strengthened the relations of fraternal countries not only in the field of trade, but also in science, technology, and production, and gave rise to it
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new effective forms and methods based on the planned interaction of economic structures and mechanisms have naturally raised the question of moving to a qualitatively new, higher stage, characterized by a systematic and comprehensive development of economic integration. The integration processes that have developed in the world in recent decades are a manifestation of the internationalization of productive forces, which has intensified in the context of scientific and technological progress, which has pushed the concentration and specialization of production, changed the parameters of optimality of national and international markets, and accelerated the formation of powerful international economic complexes characterized by a certain structural and institutional unity.
With a certain commonality of material and technical prerequisites, the socio-economic and political essence, goals and objectives, and mechanism of international economic integration are determined primarily by the social system and industrial relations within which it is formed and developed. This explains the profound difference between the integration processes taking place under the conditions of socialism and capitalism, and, accordingly, the activities of the COMECON and the European Economic Community (EEC), which are two types of regional integration.
While capitalist integration is carried out on the market principles inherent in capitalism, supplemented by state-monopoly regulation, and its main agents are multinational corporations and supranational bodies, socialist integration develops on a planned and coordinated basis, and its main subject is sovereign socialist states. This process takes place in the interests of all participants, while consistently respecting their prerogatives regarding the definition of national economic policies and their voluntary coordination in order to achieve jointly defined goals. If capitalist integration moves forward to the extent that it increases private monopoly profits and since this movement is compatible with the competing interests of participants, primarily national monopolies, socialist integration develops primarily at the macro-structural interstate level, which allows for a wide maneuver of the material, financial and intellectual resources available to the respective states on the basis of an agreed strategy. a strategy focused on the effective solution of common socio-economic tasks and goals, consistently implement the policy of convergence, complementarity and optimization of economic structures, equalization of levels and acceleration of economic, scientific and technological development.
Capitalist integration, as practice shows, has sharpened the competitive struggle between its participants and proved unable to solve the problems that have arisen in connection with the deep cyclical and structural crisis experienced by the capitalist economy. Its implementation has increased discrimination and protectionist tendencies in the global market, and negatively affected the trade interests of third countries, especially developing ones. Socialist integration does not experience such cataclysms, its development is organically connected with the further consolidation of the countries of socialism along all lines, it not only did not limit their opportunities for active participation in the world division of labor, but on the contrary, it created additional material, technical and organizational prerequisites for this. The open nature of the COMECON's activities is convincingly confirmed both by the rapidly growing trade turnover of its member countries with other states, and by their participation in various mutual projects.-
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in its activities of third countries, both socialist and non-socialist. The experience of COMECON and socialist integration is attracting more and more attention outside the socialist community and is being used by developing countries in organizing their regional cooperation and in the struggle for progressive restructuring of international economic relations as an example of truly equal and mutually beneficial cooperation on a planned basis, with consistent consideration of the fundamental interests of all participants and international cooperation as a whole.
The launch of the Comprehensive Program for Further Deepening and Improving Cooperation and Development of Socialist Economic Integration of the COMECON Member countries, which defines the main tasks, forms, methods and stages of development of the integration process, coincided with the implementation of the five-year plans for 1971-1975 by these countries .14 During this five-year period, they made significant progress in the most important areas of socio-economic development, in sharp contrast to the deep decline experienced in the same period by the entire capitalist economy, including the EEU countries. Over the past five years, the national income of the COMECON countries has increased by 36%, and in the EEC countries-by 12%, the COMECON countries ' industry has developed 4 times faster than in capitalist countries. In 1975, the Commonwealth countries produced more than twice as much industrial output as the "Common Market"countries. Over the past five years, the real incomes of the population of the fraternal countries per capita have increased by 29%, while during the crisis in the capitalist countries everywhere there was a decline in living standards .15
A considerable part of the success achieved can be attributed to socialist integration, which plays an increasing role in solving the main socio-economic problems facing the fraternal countries, primarily related to improving the efficiency of production and the quality of management, accelerating the pace of scientific and technological progress, and steadily raising the material and cultural standard of living of workers on this basis.. As noted at the xxxth session of COMECON, more has been done in the field of economic cooperation in the five years since the adoption of the Integrated Programme than in the previous decade, both in terms of expanding the scope of the mutual division of labor and in terms of its organization .16
The mutual trade turnover of the COMECON countries, which reflects the results of the development of their cooperation in almost all forms, primarily through the deepening of specialization and cooperation of production, almost doubled during this period, amounting to about 71 billion rubles in 1975. (the average annual growth rate was 14.4% compared to 8.2% in 1966-1970) 17 . Scientific, technical and industrial cooperation has significantly expanded and deepened, especially in the raw material sectors, and a series of large-scale joint construction projects have been launched to meet the growing needs of countries for raw materials, energy, and semi-finished products. The institutional framework of cooperation has been strengthened through the creation of new COMECON bodies, international organizations of coordination and economic type (Interelectro, Interatominstrument, Interatomenergo,
14 See: N. V. Faddeev. The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance is a collective cooperation body of socialist countries. Voprosy istorii, 1971, No. 8; L. N. Nezhinsky. The USSR and the Socialist countries of Europe. Voprosy istorii, 1974, No. 3; I. I. Orlik. The USSR and the strengthening of the Socialist Community. Voprosy istorii, 1975, No. 4; I. V. Dudinsky. The Socialist Community and World Development. Voprosy Istorii, 1976, No. 7.
15 Pravda, 10. VII. 1976; see also Politicheskoe Samoobrazovanie, 1977, No. 1, pp. 34-42
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
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Intervolokno, Intertextilmash, Interetalonpribor, the International Investment Bank, more than 50 scientific and technical coordination and other centers, improving the legal framework for cooperation, introducing the CMEA standard.
There has been a significant deepening of joint planning activities, which serve as the basis for the development of the integration process in the socialist commonwealth, both through improved coordination of the five-year national economic plans of the COMECON countries, and new forms that allow expanding the time horizon of this activity (coordination of long-term plans in the most important areas), while significantly deepening it at the macro-and micro-economic levels. Along with consultations on economic, scientific and technical policies, development of cooperation in the field of forecasting, and joint planning, the most important direction in this area was the development of the Agreed Plan of Multilateral Integration Activities for 1976-1980 adopted at the XXIX session of the COMECON. It included the most important objects in the field of economic, scientific and technical cooperation, including the largest joint construction projects, with a total estimated cost of 9 billion rubles. With a precise definition of the scope of obligations of each participant and ensuring their implementation by appropriate allocation of resources in their national plans, which significantly strengthened the material basis of cooperation 18 . Among these facilities are such major joint construction projects as the Orenburg - Western Border of the USSR gas pipeline, Ust-Ilim pulp and Kiyembaevsky asbestos plants, the Vinnytsia-Albertirsha high-voltage power transmission line, nickel production facilities in Cuba, etc. The International Geological Expedition to the MNR begins its work. Other special measures are being implemented to accelerate the economic, scientific and technological development of the MNR and the Republic of Cuba, taking into account the specific conditions of building socialism in THESE countries and the need to provide them with collective assistance in this matter .19
The first five years of the Comprehensive Program's implementation already show that the COMECON countries have found the right way to accelerate and increase the efficiency of economic development in the context of socialist economic integration by combining efforts and resources, which is incomparably more effective and meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of these countries than the integration process under capitalism.
At the same time, the accumulated experience creates the necessary prerequisites for further deepening of socialist integration in accordance with objective laws and new needs. In addition, life presents our fraternal countries with new, larger problems of socio-economic, scientific and technological development, the solution of which can be found only through further pooling of efforts and resources, and with a long-term perspective and with a more complete use of a program-oriented, integrated, intersectoral approach, the advantages and opportunities of mature socialism. Such a key element for the coming period is the development and implementation of long-term targeted cooperation programs in key economic complexes in accordance with the decisions of the XXX session of COMECON 20 . These are programs designed for 10-15 years in the fuel and energy and raw materials industries, mechanical engineering, food production, industrial consumer goods, and transport. This list already shows that
18 "Pravda", 28. VI. 1975.
19 "Political self-education", 1977, N 1, p. 37.
20 Pravda, 10. VII. 1976.
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We are talking about areas that are vital for the COMECON countries, providing resources for further economic development, accelerating the pace of scientific and technological progress, more fully meeting the growing needs of the population, and strengthening territorial and economic ties between these countries.
As L. I. Brezhnev noted in his speech at a meeting with the heads of the academies of sciences of socialist countries, "such a deepening of relations between socialist countries raises many new questions, poses new problems for which there is simply no precedent."21 That is why an innovative, largely unconventional approach is needed both to program development, defining their goals and sub-goals and ways to achieve them, and to the mechanism of their implementation, meaning an organic combination of various forms and tools of cooperation, long-term and ongoing planning at the international and national levels, effective methods of cross-sectoral management of program implementation at these levels. levels. The implementation of a comprehensive program, long-term targeted programs of cooperation, represents an important stage in the long-term and step-by-step deepening process of socialist economic integration, which, in turn, serves as an important stage on the historical path to the unified world economy regulated by the proletariat of all nations according to a common plan, which Lenin once spoke about .22
The integration process developing in the socialist community, the entire system of bilateral and multilateral economic relations of the socialist countries serves as a material basis for further rapprochement of these countries in various directions. The Report of the Central Committee of the CPSU to the XXV Party Congress noted: "With the flourishing of each socialist nation, the strengthening of the sovereignty of socialist states, their interrelations are becoming closer and closer, and more and more elements of community are emerging in their politics, economy, and social life, there is a gradual leveling of development levels. This process of gradual rapprochement between the countries of socialism is now quite definitely manifesting itself as a pattern. " 23 The forms of manifestation of this process are increasingly diverse. L. I. Brezhnev, in his speech at the XVI Congress of Trade Unions of the USSR, called the remarkable initiative of the staff of the Hungarian enterprise "Krasny Chepel" and similar initiatives of the workers of Bulgaria, the GDR, Poland, and Czechoslovakia to fulfill export supplies to the USSR ahead of schedule in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Great October as a sign of solidarity with the October cause, with our country, and with our communist work. . The enormous progressive influence of the ideas of October on the formation and development of the fraternal COMECON community was discussed at the XXXI session of the COMECON 25 .
Developing mutually beneficial economic ties, deepening the natural process of economic integration, the countries of socialism do not seek to isolate themselves, to create a kind of closed community that opposes the entire system of international cooperation. On the contrary, and in the materials of the past congresses of fraternal communists-
21 "Pravda", 18. II. 1977.
22 See V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 41, p. 164.
23 L. I. Brezhnev. Lenin's Course, vol. 5, Moscow, 1976, p. 453.
24 L. I. Brezhnev. Soviet trade unions are an influential force in our society, Moscow, 1977, p. 19.
25 Pravda, 25. VI. 1977.
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In the joint documents of these countries, the line is clearly drawn for the full development of equal and mutually beneficial economic ties with all countries, regardless of the differences in their social systems and economic levels. The intensification of these relations is an important factor in improving the efficiency and quality of economic management and accelerating scientific and technological progress, which is the main task of the economic development of the fraternal socialist countries at the present stage. At the same time, it serves to strengthen the material basis of the policy of detente and peaceful coexistence, which is a defining feature of the current international situation, despite all the machinations of its opponents. The socialist countries do not intend to stand aside from solving global problems that affect the interests of all mankind (raw materials and energy problems, elimination of the most dangerous and widespread diseases, environmental protection, space exploration and the resources of the World's oceans), and in accordance with their peaceful, deeply humanistic policies, they strive to make a feasible contribution to their solution in the interests of all countries and peoples.
This principled line of the fraternal socialist countries is not only proclaimed, but also actively implemented, which is confirmed both by the high growth rates of their trade turnover, economic, scientific and technical cooperation with other countries, and by an active foreign economic policy aimed at a progressive, democratic restructuring of international economic relations, at resolutely eliminating all artificial restrictions and discrimination imposed by imperialism. The initiative of the USSR and other socialist countries related to the preparation and holding of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which resulted in 35 countries defining the principles, ways, forms and methods of developing and deepening trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation on a broad, pan - European basis, is well known. As a follow-up to the agreements reached, which are strictly observed by the fraternal countries, the USSR put forward a proposal to hold international congresses or interstate meetings on cooperation in the field of environmental protection, transport development, and energy, which received support from many countries.
The initiative of the COMECON, which, on behalf of the COMECON Governments, proposed that the EEC establish formal relations and submitted to the Council of Ministers of the EEC a draft agreement on the basis of relations, which provides for the creation of favorable conditions for equal cooperation between both organizations and their member countries, is also very significant in this regard. This initiative, which was followed by contacts between competent representatives of the parties, deals with a wide range of topical issues of cooperation and is primarily aimed at improving the terms of trade between the member countries of both organizations on the basis of the most-favored-nation regime, and developing trade relations between them on a non-discriminatory and mutually beneficial basis.
Trade and political issues of Soviet-American economic cooperation remain unresolved due to attempts by the US Congress to link their solution with demands for political concessions, with unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the USSR. At the same time, the broad development of mutually beneficial trade and economic ties based on the elimination of discriminatory obstacles created in the United States and the entry into force of previously signed agreements on the mutual provision of the most-favored-nation regime generally accepted in world practice and the creation of normal credit conditions.-
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An increase in exports would benefit the peoples of both countries and international cooperation in general.
As is well known, the XXV Congress of the CPSU named the struggle for the elimination of discrimination and any artificial obstacles in international trade, for the elimination of all forms of inequality, dictatorship, and exploitation in international economic relations among the urgent tasks of the struggle for peace and international cooperation .26 This program of action, which is primarily aimed at consistently protecting the interests of developing countries, which bear the brunt of inequality and exploitation in the world capitalist economy and the system of international capitalist division of labor, also has in mind the broader task of improving international economic relations in relation to all their participants. The measures taken within the framework of the UN and other international forums to restructure the system of international economic relations imply not only the elimination of obvious anachronisms of colonialism, but also the creation of conditions that do not allow exploitation on an international scale, a mechanism for preventing the destructive and generally negative consequences of the impact of the capitalist mode of production on the world economy and international economic cooperation. In such a restructuring of international economic relations, the interests of developing and socialist countries objectively converge.
As L. I. Brezhnev noted in his speech at the October 1976 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Soviet Union is taking active steps to support the just demands of the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America to restructure international economic relations on the basis of equality, and to eliminate all forms of exploitation by capitalist states of weaker partners in the "third world"27 . The Soviet Government's statement of October 4, 1976, "On the restructuring of International Economic relations", in which the USSR defends the sovereignty of countries over their natural resources, the right of every nation to freely choose the path of its development, and the cessation of the exploitation of developing countries by foreign capital and international corporations, shows the unwavering determination of the USSR to consistently promote a positive solution to this goal. .
The new international economic order implies eliminating the consequences of colonialism, reducing the impact of cyclical fluctuations in supply and demand on world trade, establishing a fair price system for raw materials and finished products, and providing effective technical and economic assistance to developing countries. However, the imperialist states are trying to limit themselves to modest measures that do not change the essence of capitalist exploitation of developing States, while at the same time placing the costs of such exploitation on all industrialized countries - both capitalist, who are directly responsible for it, and socialist, who have never participated in such exploitation. Unfortunately, the theory of collective responsibility of "rich countries" still finds support in some developing countries, although its failure is obvious. The U.S.S.R. and other socialist countries have provided and continue to provide comprehensive and effective assistance to developing countries in overcoming their economic backwardness and poverty.
26 L. I. Brezhnev. Lenin's Course, vol. 5, p. 477.
27 L. I. Brezhnev. Speech at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU on October 25, 1976, Moscow, 1976, page 31.
28 Pravda, 5. X. 1976.
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The creation of a modern multi-industry economy is not due to "historical responsibility", but based on the principles of international solidarity with oppressed peoples, proclaimed by Great October. This helps the liberated countries to create and strengthen the material and technical basis of their national independence, to resist neo-colonialism more successfully, and to defend and defend their interests in the face of imperialist expansion.
The Soviet Union and other socialist countries develop trade and economic relations with the liberated States on an equal and just basis, while consistently taking into account the interests of their national development. They have provided broad incentives for developing countries ' industrial exports, as well as their traditional goods. In 1971-1976, the average annual growth rate of imports of finished goods and semi - finished products from developing countries was approximately 22%, and in the last two years of this five - year period-more than 36%. The socialist States are expanding their economic and technical assistance to developing countries on the basis of concessional loans and taking into account the needs of their national development. Thus, about 90% of the total amount of such assistance provided by the Soviet Union falls on the sphere of production, including 3/4 - on industry and energy. In total, COMECON countries have built and are building about 3 thousand national economic facilities in developing countries, which form the basis of their national economy and the strengthening public sector .29
With the help of the Soviet Union, about half a million specialists and skilled workers from developing countries were trained, and in total, more than 25 thousand undergraduates and postgraduates from these countries are trained annually in the countries of the socialist commonwealth .30 A large number of specialists are trained directly in developing countries at enterprises and training centers created with the help of socialist countries. The transfer of technology in various forms to developing countries is expanding, and cooperation in production, science and technology is growing. All this helps these countries to join the NTR, allows them to overcome the technological monopoly of the West more successfully.
Thus, without any elements of discrimination, inequality, or political dictatorship, the economic ties between developing and socialist States serve as an example of fair cooperation between States with different social systems and levels of development that meet the interests of the "third world" countries. At the same time, the solution of the economic problems of the liberated countries is inseparable from the general state of the international situation, from the deepening of detente, from the implementation of the disarmament program, because part of the funds that would be released in such a case could, as the socialist states propose, be devoted to the development of the "third world"countries.
A genuine improvement of international economic relations in accordance with the spirit of the times presupposes the development of this process simultaneously in all directions, including the East-West direction, because the results of large-scale mutually beneficial cooperation between the socialist and developed capitalist countries would inevitably have a beneficial effect on the economic situation of the liberated states, and would expand the opportunities available to-
29 Pravda, 9. II. 1977.
30 Ibid.; see also A. N. Bykov. On the path of Socialist Economic Integration, Moscow, 1975, p. 113.
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of providing assistance to their economic development. The intensification of the participation of socialist countries in the world division of labor, in equal and mutually beneficial international cooperation, which represents the long-term and firm course of these countries, as set out in their program documents, fully meets the interests of world socialism, all progressive forces, and the desire of the peoples of all continents for peace, security and social progress.
A broad international division of labor, the benefits and necessity of which are now clearer than ever "and were in the past, allows all participants to benefit from the differences between countries in the provision of natural and accumulated resources, in the conditions and costs of production, industrial and technical traditions and experience, in natural, climatic and geographical conditions, in the scope, structure, and capabilities of scientific, technical, and industrial potential. Today, international specialization and cooperation in science, technology, and production are the most important prerequisites for economic growth, scientific and technological progress, increased production efficiency, and its diversification. They allow for a more rational use of live and materialized labor, investment resources, expand employment, opportunities for mutually beneficial trade and improve its structure in accordance with the requirements and trends of scientific and technological progress.
All these prerequisites can be used significantly more than before in the framework of East-West cooperation, making it large-scale and long-term with equal benefits for both sides. In this regard, it is sufficient to point out such promising areas as the joint development and use of energy and raw materials resources, especially large deposits in the east of our country, with the creation of new production facilities for primary processing of raw materials, especially those associated with the consumption of large amounts of energy, with the construction of main gas pipelines and power transmission lines to consumer countries. No less promising is the development of cooperation in the manufacturing sectors with the creation of new and modernization of existing enterprises on a compensatory and other basis.
Scientific and technical exchange, especially scientific and technical cooperation, opens up broad prospects, including those based on the vast scientific potential of the USSR, supplemented by various forms of production and sales cooperation, which also extends to the markets of third countries. The development of cooperation in the production of food and consumer goods, including the exchange of technology and experience, specialization and cooperation in various forms, also promises great benefits. Western partners could participate in the implementation of relevant long-term targeted cooperation programs by COMECON countries in mutually acceptable forms.
The development of large-scale cooperation in the scientific and industrial sphere can significantly contribute to the stable growth of trade turnover between East and West, improve its structure, and eliminate the existing asymmetry of commodity flows. It would make it possible to boost mutually beneficial cooperation in the monetary and credit sphere and in the markets of third countries, including developing ones. The enormous market and production opportunities of the socialist countries, the growing export resources and import needs, the planned and steady growth of the economy, and the social tasks of socialist and communist construction create real prerequisites for a constant expansion of the scale of such cooperation.
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It is often suggested in the West that the prospects for cooperation with socialist countries, especially in the most promising complex forms, are limited by the "inconsistency" of their economic mechanisms. The fundamental differences between these mechanisms stem from differences in social systems, and in this respect they are objective and irremediable. At the same time, experience and practice show that there are conditions that allow two systems to interact well in the interests of cooperation, when both sides are striving for this. New challenges require systematic improvement of the mechanism of cooperation and search for the best forms of such interaction.
In the socialist countries, including the USSR, much has already been done in this regard. The planned system of the economy, the socialist principles of organizing foreign economic activity on the basis of state monopolies on it, create, as practice shows, favorable opportunities for the stable development of long-term cooperation with foreign countries, for consistent consideration of the needs of such cooperation in the system of economic activities planned and carried out at various levels. They make partners from socialist countries extremely reliable in terms of creditworthiness and perfect fulfillment of their obligations, both short-term and long-term.
Progress in modern international economic relations depends to a large extent on the success of realistic-minded forces in the West in curbing the opponents of detente, who in every possible way hinder the development of international cooperation. In this connection, it is impossible not to point out that the Western countries are no less interested in overcoming this opposition than the socialist countries, especially now, when the capitalist world is experiencing unprecedented difficulties with the sale of goods, with increasing employment, with providing reliable sources of raw materials and fuel, and with solving many other complex economic and social problems. social problems that directly depend on the development of international economic cooperation with the participation of all countries and regions. As for the path it will take, bearing in mind the obstacles raised by its opponents, it is useful to recall Lenin's truly prophetic words as far back as 1922, when Soviet Russia was on the verge of restoring cooperation with the West: "The most urgent, urgent, practical and sharply revealed interests of all in recent years". capitalist powers demand the development, regularization and expansion of trade with Russia. And if such interests exist, then one can argue, one can quarrel, one can disperse in various combinations - it is even quite plausible that one will have to disperse - and yet, in the end, this basic economic necessity will pave the way for itself. " 31
Since then, much has changed in the balance of global forces, in the available opportunities and needs, and in the amount of losses that are associated with delaying the solution of the problem of establishing a fair system of international economic relations that meets the dictates of the times, which is relevant for the fate of the world and progress. But even in the present conditions, Lenin's ideas and the ideas of October serve as a true compass as they did more than half a century ago.
31 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 45, p. 71.
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