The development of the world socialist system briefly. Klotsvog: The economic system of socialism. The economic system of socialism in the USSR

The world financial system The main tool for the destruction of nature, therefore, the destruction of both health and social harmony between people, as shown by the Nobel Prize winners in economics and academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is the modern market economy.

12.3. Klotzvog: the economic system of socialism

12.3. Klotsvog: the economic system of socialism Chapter 3 "Socialism as a socio-economic system, its main features" was written by F.N. Klotsvog. Here he sets out his model of socialism, which we considered above (Section 8.3) as one of the varieties of the market economy.

12.4. Rudinsky: the political system of socialism

12.4. Rudinsky: the political system of socialism In Chapter 4, the political system of socialism is considered on the basis of the experience of the USSR and other socialist countries. Rudinsky formulates the ideal model of the socialist political system as follows.

15.1. Political system of socialism

15.1. The political system of socialism This topic is the most important, since the political system determines the very possibility of the existence of socialism in a given country. The most important element in any political system is not the state, but the guiding force of society,

15.2. Economic system of socialism

15.2. The economic system of socialism The first question to be decided is whether, along with the socialist, non-socialist structures are allowed. Most theorists recognize the admissibility of such a multi-structure, that is, in solidarity with Engels, who spoke

The Soviet Union, having built socialism, is solving the tasks of communist construction not alone, but in the fraternal family of socialist countries. Now socialism is being built by many countries of the world.

The victory of the Soviet Union in the Second World War, the defeat of the fascist "new order" in Europe, the defeat of militarist Japan created favorable conditions for people's democratic revolutions.

The peoples of a number of countries in Central and Southeastern Europe overthrew the bourgeois-landlord system. They were led by the communist and workers' parties, whose authority had grown enormously among the masses during the war. So they arose in 1945 - 1948. people's republics in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Romania, Yugoslavia. In 1949, the German Democratic Republic emerged.

At the same time, major revolutionary events took place in Asia.

On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was solemnly proclaimed on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. People's democratic power was also established in North Vietnam and North Korea.

"Revolutions in the countries of Europe and Asia," says the Program of the CPSU, "are the biggest event in world history since October 1917." The people's democracies in Europe and Asia, which have embarked on the road of socialism, have formed together with the Soviet Union a single and mighty world socialist system. Capitalism has ceased to be unified and all-encompassing.

Now two systems confront each other on earth: the socialist, growing and strengthening, and the capitalist, heading towards inevitable death.

If the world capitalist system was created for hundreds of years, then the formation of the world socialist system took only a few decades. The world system of socialism has already shown its immeasurable advantages over capitalism. It becomes the driving force behind the development of human society. The future is hers!

The forces of the socialist countries are incalculable. Their population exceeds one billion people. They occupy almost 26% of the territory of our entire planet and provide 36% of the world's industrial production.

As N. S. Khrushchev noted at the 22nd Congress of the CPSU: “The main thing now is ... to achieve a preponderance of the world socialist system over the capitalist one in absolute volume of production.” And this will soon be achieved!

The enormous advantages of socialism over capitalism are reflected in the rapid growth of industrial production in all socialist countries. The average annual growth of industry in 1958-1960. in the socialist countries - 15.2%, and in the countries of capitalism - only 4.2%.

In 1960, the total industrial output of the socialist countries increased by 6.8 times compared with 1937. During 1959-1965. industrial production in the countries of the socialist system will increase by another 2.3 times. By the end of this period, the socialist camp will produce more than half of the world's industrial output.

By preliminary calculations by 1980 the world socialist system will account for approximately two-thirds of world industrial production.

In all socialist countries an indestructible fraternal alliance of workers and peasants has taken shape and is growing stronger. The exploitation of man by man has been abolished forever. Factories, plants, mines, banks, transport and communications are owned by the state. The peasantry in these countries has, in the main, already united in large collective farms and uses modern technology.

Working people of various nationalities are participating shoulder to shoulder in the building of the new society. Throwing off the yoke of capitalist oppression, the working people of the socialist camp live and work for the sake of their happiness and the happiness of future generations.

The successes of the socialist countries are explained primarily by the fact that the leading force in them is the working class, guided by the Marxist-Leninist parties. The successes of the socialist states are the result of their close fraternal co-operation and mutual assistance, and above all the fraternal assistance of the Soviet Union. The most important condition for the success of the socialist states is their unity and cohesion.

The peoples of the Soviet Union and all socialist countries propose to the camp of capitalism: let's compete in raising the material well-being and cultural level of the people! We are not afraid of such a competition, because we know that we and our friends do everything for a person and in the name of a person.

The USSR, the most powerful country in the world socialist system, is successfully competing with the largest and strongest capitalist country, the United States of America. By the end of the seven-year plan, the Soviet Union will surpass the USA in absolute production of the most important types of products. The program of the CPSU set before the Soviet people a task of world-historical significance - to ensure in the Soviet Union the highest standard of living in the world.

The USSR competes with the capitalist world not alone, but shoulder to shoulder with all the socialist countries. In this peaceful competition, the countries of the socialist camp also achieved considerable success. For example, Czechoslovakia has already left England, Sweden, France, Italy and Japan behind in steel production per capita, and France and Italy in electricity generation. By 1965, Czechoslovakia will outstrip England and the FRG in industrial output per capita, and the United States in output of the main branches of industry.

The German Democratic Republic is ahead of England, Germany, France and Italy in terms of electricity production per capita. By 1965 Poland will exceed the present level of Italy in the production of the main types of industrial products per capita and will almost overtake France.

All the peoples of the socialist camp have the same goals: to defeat capitalism in peaceful economic competition, to build socialism and then communism, to ensure eternal peace on earth. The countries of the socialist camp have the same type of state system - the power of the people, headed by the working class. The peoples of the socialist countries have a common worldview, an identical understanding of the laws of development of human society. In their activities they are guided by the Marxist-Leninist doctrine.

An entirely new type of economic and political relations, unprecedented in history, has been established between the socialist countries. The peoples of the socialist camp are like brothers: they have common friends - the workers and working people of the capitalist countries, they are jointly waging a struggle for peace, against international imperialism. After the 20th Congress of the CPSU (1956), which condemned the cult of personality and opened wide scope for the creative forces of the Party and the people, relations between the fraternal socialist countries became even closer and stronger.

Relations between the socialist states are based on complete equality, mutual respect for state independence, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

In contrast to the capitalist camp with its sharpest contradictions, competition, exploitation of the weak by the strong, the main feature of the socialist camp is commonwealth and fraternal mutual assistance.

The USSR, for example, helps other socialist states in the construction of many large industrial projects. The Soviet Union provided the countries of the socialist camp with credits and loans worth several billion rubles. Deliveries of equipment and raw materials from the Soviet Union accelerated the industrialization of the socialist countries of Europe and Asia. Let's take the Polish People's Republic as an example. In the USSR, equipment for its largest enterprises: the V. I. Lenin plant in Nowa Guta (it smelts the same amount of steel that all Polish metallurgy produced before the Second World War), a metallurgical plant of high-quality steels in Warsaw, factories producing aluminum, trucks and cars, various chemical products it. and.

Even such previously economically backward states as Bulgaria and Romania are now exporting the most sophisticated machine tools. Two decades ago, there was no modern ferrous metallurgy in Poland and Hungary. Now they are supplying Czechoslovakia with steel sheets.

The people's democracies, for their part, promote the development Soviet economy. From the German Democratic Republic we receive machinery, various equipment, chemical products, consumer goods; from Romania - oil products, timber, cement, fruits; from Czechoslovakia - various cars, shoes, furniture.

Czechoslovakia and the GDR provide constant assistance to the fraternal countries. The German Democratic Republic is participating in the construction of a number of enterprises in China, Poland, Rumania, Hungary, and Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia assists Poland in the development of the chemical industry and coal mining. The Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the GDR and Hungary are helping the Mongolian people in building factories, mines and power plants.

To strengthen such mutual assistance, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) of the socialist countries of Europe was created in 1949. Since 1959, the CMEA has also coordinated economic plans. A general long-term plan for the economic development of the USSR and the European socialist countries is being worked out.

The CMEA constantly sees to it that in each of the socialist countries the branches of industry for which there are the most favorable conditions develop in the first place. Thus, the production of blast furnace equipment is concentrated in the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia; machines for factories of chemical fiber and enrichment of brown coal - in the GDR; equipment for aluminum enterprises - in the USSR and Hungary.

The socialist countries jointly solve common economic problems. The gigantic Druzhba oil pipeline, 4,500 km long, is coming into operation. Through the pipes of the oil pipeline, oil will flow from the USSR to Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the GDR. Under construction international line power transmission line, which will pass through the territory of our country and connect with the power systems of Czechoslovakia and Romania. The people call this line the “Light of Friendship”.

The Soviet Union, Mongolia and China built the Jining-Ulaanbaatar railway. Romania and Hungary use Romanian together natural gas. Poland, the GDR and Czechoslovakia are developing deposits of Polish brown coal. Romania, the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia and Poland are building a pulp and paper mill on Romanian soil.

Cooperation between the countries of the socialist camp also covers agriculture. Thus, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania grow early potatoes, vegetables and fruits and export them to other socialist countries.

The socialist countries exchange experience and the most important inventions.

Having received drawings and projects from the Soviet Union, our friends from the countries of the socialist camp quickly built machine-building, metallurgical, fuel, chemical enterprises, power plants and mines, and mastered the production of various new machines.

According to Chinese drawings in the Soviet Union, machines are manufactured for silk-weaving enterprises and reinforced concrete pipes. We use Czechoslovak recipes for synthetic enamels and production methods for press-forging and textile equipment.

The experience of the GDR in the production of a number of chemical products, printing and medical equipment, the experience of Hungary in the production of electric locomotives and diesel locomotives, and the experience of Bulgaria in the manufacture of canned vegetables are being introduced into the USSR.

The scientists and engineers of the camp of socialism work together to solve scientific problems. Of great importance, for example, is their joint activity in the field of nuclear physics and the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. As early as 1956, the socialist countries created the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the city of Dubna (not far from Moscow).

Cultural cooperation is expanding. The socialist states exchange radio and television programs and books, jointly organize exhibitions, concerts, festivals, release films, and help each other train specialists. In higher educational institutions Thousands of students and graduate students from fraternal socialist countries are studying in the USSR. To exchange experience and provide technical assistance, Soviet specialists visit the people's democracies, and specialists and workers from these countries come to the USSR.

There is a continuous exchange of raw materials and consumer goods between the socialist countries. In 1961 -1965. The Soviet Union will deliver 55 million tons of oil to the European socialist countries. And Czechoslovakia during the same time will supply the Soviet Union with 715 thousand tons of sugar, 53 million pairs of shoes; Romania - by 105 million rubles. furniture; Hungary - by 64 million rubles. garments, etc. Deliveries of these goods are coming in a wide stream.

Foreign trade in the camp of socialism is carried out on the basis of equality of arms and strict consideration of national interests. It is never used to the detriment of the less developed countries, as is the case in the capitalist world, but, on the contrary, it contributes to the advancement of the economy and culture of the socialist states.

Socialism brings people together. The world system of socialism makes it possible to shorten the period of construction of a new society in every socialist country. The USSR, which is the first to move towards communism, facilitates and accelerates the movement towards communism in all socialist countries.

Peoples who were backward in the past are rapidly rising to the level of the advanced. In this way, historical differences in economic and cultural development are gradually disappearing. The transition from socialism to communism will be carried out by the Soviet state and the countries of the socialist camp more or less simultaneously, during one historical epoch.

For the successful construction of a new society - the most just and prosperous on earth - the socialist countries need a firm, indestructible peace. In the camp of socialism there are no social classes or individuals interested in war. But the creation by the Western powers of the aggressive NATO military bloc and the inclusion of West Germany in it in 1955 forced the socialist countries to take measures to jointly ensure their security. In 1955, an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance was signed between the European countries of people's democracy and the USSR in Warsaw. According to this treaty, in the event of an armed attack on one or more states - parties to the treaty, the remaining states will render him immediate assistance. The Soviet government and the governments of other socialist countries have repeatedly stated that they are ready to renounce this treaty if the Western powers give up their aggressive military blocs and agree to conclude a pan-European treaty on collective security.

The USSR and other socialist countries are resolute supporters of complete and general disarmament, the prohibition of atomic and hydrogen weapons, and the liquidation of foreign military bases on foreign territories. AT international life the socialist countries act as a united front. The socialist camp is a reliable bulwark of peace on earth.

Every year the influence of the world socialist system on the course of development of all mankind is growing. It directs this development along the path of peace, democracy and socialism. “The majestic building of the new world, erected by the heroic labor of free peoples in the vast expanses of Europe and Asia,” the Program of the CPSU says, “is the prototype of a new society, the future of all mankind.”

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Alignment of forces and main directions of social development

The results of the war brought about fundamental changes in the international situation.

The war ended the half-century struggle of the imperialist states for world leadership, the United States becomes the dominant "superpower" in the capitalist world. The Soviet Union, although it suffered heavy losses, emerged from the war as a mighty military force and gained enormous prestige in the world community. This correlation of forces in the interformational contradiction largely determined social development in the post-war world.

As a result of the war, the world system of capitalism turned out to be significantly weakened as a whole. In the Western European center: Germany and Italy - defeated; France, subjected to German occupation, reduced production to 30% of pre-war; England, whose debt increased 3 times, was directly dependent on the United States. Another center of the imperialist system (Japan) was also destroyed. The only country that dramatically increased its financial, economic, and military power as a result of the war was the United States of America. The Second World War, like the First, turned into a "golden" rain for the United States. The volume of their industrial output has more than doubled, the national income has grown from $97 billion in 1941 to $161 billion in 1944. Taking advantage of the weakness of its competitors, the United States is seizing the bulk of the world market and laying claim to world domination.

In all capitalist countries, popular sympathy for the socialist idea has increased significantly, the influence of communist and socialist parties who led the anti-fascist struggle, whose representatives entered the government of many states. In the colonies and dependent countries, the struggle against the invaders caused a rise in national self-consciousness, a desire for state independence and social reorganization.

The socialist and communist movements in the countries of various continents, the anti-imperialist struggle in the dependent states and the national liberation struggle of the colonial peoples merged into a single world revolutionary stream. The growth of the might of the USSR, its example and the Soviet Union's support for the peoples in the struggle against imperialism contributed to the development of democratic processes in the world.

Under the prevailing historical conditions, world social development included three main directions.

The first is the development of socialism. It proceeded in the following specific historical forms: 1) the development of the USSR as a stronghold of the world socialist system; 2) the transition to the socialist path of development of countries and peoples of various civilizations in Europe, Asia and Latin America, the formation of a world socialist system; 3) the development of elements of socialism within the capitalist countries - the continuation of the process of "socialization" of capitalism due to internal causes and under the influence of the example of the socialist countries. All this shows the general regularity of the transition of the world community to the socialist system.

The second is the transition of the capitalist formation to the world-monopoly stage. National state-monopoly capitalism (GMK), which was formed in the first half of the 20th century, is developing into a new stage, into world-monopoly capitalism (WMC) - "global imperialism" with the economic, political and military center in the United States.

The third is the national liberation movement in the colonial and dependent countries. As a result of the struggle for independence, these countries are moving to an independent path of development in various forms of the social structure of society.

All three components of the world historical process developed in mutual connection in a concretely developing historical situation, closely intertwined with each other. Imperialism, led by the United States, by force of arms, economic, financial, informational and ideological pressure counteracted the development of the socialist system and the national liberation movement of a socialist orientation.

The most important event of the first post-war years was the transition to the socialist path of development of the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe, where, in the course of liberation from fascism, people's power and people's democratic republics were formed. Albania, Bulgaria, East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia fell away from the system of capitalism in Europe. They consistently carried out socialist transformations. Everywhere the property of those who collaborated with the fascists was confiscated, large-scale industry, banks, and transport were nationalized; carried out land reform. In a tense political struggle, the bourgeois elements were defeated, and the political parties of the working class and peasantry were established in power. The Soviet Union paralyzed the attempts of imperialism to interfere in the internal affairs of the people's democratic states, the presence Soviet troops did not allow them to unleash a civil war and organize intervention. At the same time, the Soviet administration provided support to the forces of socialist orientation.

The victory of the socialist revolution in China was of great historical significance. As a result of many years of armed struggle, the power of the Kuomintang government was overthrown, and on October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was formed. The Communist Party of China came to power and began socialist reforms. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) embarked on the path of socialist development. In general, in the first years after the Second World War, eleven states went over to the construction of socialism. The world process of development of the socialist system began in the countries of various civilizations.

The transition of the United States to confrontation with the USSR, the creation of the NATO bloc The deployment of the "cold war"

Developing the contours of the post-war world order, the leaders of the great powers of the anti-Hitler coalition (which had agreements between themselves on friendship and cooperation after the war) agreed on the main approaches to the problems of the post-war world at conferences in Yalta and Potsdam (1945).

Their essence was that, along with the delimitation of spheres of influence between the victorious countries, it was planned to ensure broad international cooperation to eliminate the consequences of the war and develop a reliable mechanism for international control over the security of all peoples, over political and military stability in the world by the activities of the United Nations (UN) established in 1945

However, already during the Potsdam Conference (July-August 1945), differences emerged in the approaches of the Western powers and the USSR to the post-war order of the world. The leading political circles of the United States and Britain saw in the emerging historical situation a threat to their position in the world and the existence of capitalism as a whole. The first step in the official confrontation with the USSR was Truman's violation of Roosevelt's promise given at the Yalta Conference to Stalin to withdraw American troops from Europe 6 months after the end of the war. Then delays began in the preparation and conclusion of peace treaties with Germany's former allies. Only on February 10, 1947, agreements were signed with Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland. The undoubted merit of the USSR in this peaceful settlement based on the cooperation of all the main powers of the anti-Hitler coalition was that the treaties did not contain provisions that infringe on the political and economic independence of the defeated states, the national dignity of their peoples. The treaties provided for territorial changes, taking into account the national interests of the states participating in the fight against fascism.

The retention by the United States, Britain and France of a powerful group of troops in their zones of occupation of Germany and the turn of the policy of the former allies towards confrontation with the USSR led to the deployment of the Soviet Army in Germany and other European countries. The Soviet Union failed to get the allies to fulfill the agreement on the creation of a united democratic Germany. In the western zone of occupation, a separate German state is being created - the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). In response to this, with the support of the USSR, an eastern German state is formed - the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

The economy of European states and Japan, destroyed by the war, required great economic efforts and investments to restore. American imperialism used this situation to establish its hegemony by creating a single economic space of the capitalist world based on the dollar financial system and the development of transnational corporations (TNCs), tying Europe and Japan to the US economy. These goals corresponded to the "Marshall Plan" (US Secretary of State), which provided for economic assistance to countries on certain political conditions.

A kind of declaration of the "cold war" was the speech of W. Churchill in Fulton (USA) on March 5, 1946, in which he called for uniting forces against the "threat of communism" and creating a military-political alliance against the USSR. These ideas are set forth in President Truman's official message to Congress on March 12, 1947: "the fight against communism" is declared the main goal of US policy. A draft of the USSR ultimatum was found in the Truman archives. Beginning in September 1945, plans for a preventive war against the USSR using nuclear weapons were being developed at the headquarters of the US armed forces. As the US nuclear potential increased, these plans, in accordance with the military doctrine of "massive retaliation", became more and more dangerous. The threat of nuclear war against the USSR was real.

In 1949, the NATO military-political bloc (“North Atlantic Union”) was created, directed against the USSR. It is then joined by the US-created regional alliances around the USSR and China. In 1954 and 1955 SEATO and CENTO were formed, in which the USA, Great Britain and France involved 25 more states of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

In the period 1945 - 1955. the economy of the leading capitalist countries, having gone through several crises, recovered and gained growth rates in common system world economic relations around the economic center - the United States. In the 60s. three centers have again formed in the capitalist world: the main center is the USA and Canada; the second is Western Europe, where the FRG is gaining more and more power; the third is Japan, which makes extensive use of American and European technologies, combining them with national characteristics organization of labor in enterprises. In contrast to the pre-war system of state-monopoly capitalism, Europe and Japan are now closely linked politically, financially and technologically with the United States, which led the formation of global ties of world-monopoly capitalism in their national interests.

The formation of the CMC system was accompanied by a process of sharp confrontation with the developing world system of socialism and the waging of local wars against the national liberation movement in the colonial and dependent countries. In the period 1945 - 1969. The USA, England, France and other NATO countries participated in more than 70 wars and local conflicts in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The United States during this period received the title of "gendarme of the world." The United States of America is launching a nuclear arms race and going over to waging a "cold war" against the USSR. After the expiration of the secrecy period, the plans for waging a nuclear war against the USSR and the countries of the socialist community, developed by the American command, were made public. All of them envisaged an attack on the USSR by the United States of America as the first to deliver massive nuclear strikes on cities: June 1946 - the Pinger plan - 20 cities of the USSR; August 1947 - Boiler plan - 25 cities in the USSR and 18 in Eastern Europe; January 1948 - Grabber plan, then Chariotir, Halfmoon, Fleetwood; June 1949 - "Drop Shot". According to the latest plan, it was planned to use 300 atomic bombs and 250 thousand tons of conventional bombs to destroy 85% of Soviet industry, 154 NATO divisions to occupy the USSR and divide it into 20-25 puppet states. The plan called for the widespread use of "dissidents" to wage "psychological warfare". "Psychological warfare is an extremely important weapon for promoting dissent and betrayal among Soviet people; it will undermine his morals, sow confusion and create disorganization in the country. Achieve a combination of psychological, economic and underground warfare with plans for military operations. It is known that such plans were developed before 1982 with several thousand targets.

In the late 40s - early 50s. the US and NATO leadership are developing a comprehensive concept of the Cold War. Its ultimate goal is the overthrow of governments and the destruction of the socialist (“communist”) system. The Cold War, according to this concept, includes all forms of struggle characteristic of waging a full-scale total war: economic, diplomatic, ideological and psychological, subversive activities and the introduction of proteges into the country's leadership. The conduct of direct hostilities is replaced by the threat of the use of nuclear weapons with an exhausting arms race. The leading place in the complex of these measures was occupied by "psychological warfare". In the 50s. The Cold War was accepted by NATO military theorists as a special form of modern war on a par with total nuclear, limited and local wars. The concept of the "cold war" was reflected in a number of works by NATO military theorists, among which was the translation of E. Kingston-McClory's work "Military Policy and Strategy" published in 1963 in the USSR.

In accordance with this concept, a long-term program of purposeful destructive actions has been developed using the superior economic potential of the capitalist countries and the achievements of science and technology. It was believed that the USSR lags behind the United States in development: industry by 15 years, technical by 5-10 years, transport by 10 years, and nuclear weapons by 5-10 years. And although these calculations, especially for nuclear weapons, were not confirmed, the initial superiority of the combined economic potential of the developed capitalist countries created difficult conditions for the USSR in economic and military confrontation.

The arms race was a heavy burden on Soviet society, significantly reducing its ability to compete in social and economic competition with the world capitalist system. However, the real threat of war when the United States achieved decisive military superiority forced the leadership of the USSR to respond to it by increasing its military power as a real condition for maintaining peace. The struggle for peace also became the main direction of the diplomatic activity of the Soviet Union.

For the conduct of the "cold war" in the United States in the 50s - 60s. a powerful scientific base is being created for studying the state and developing methods for the destruction of the USSR and the world socialist system - research centers for "Sovietology" and "study of socialist countries". Centers for the training of personnel capable of active subversive activities - psychologists, economists, journalists and historians - specialists in anti-communism, closely cooperate with them. For this, materials and specialists exported from Nazi Germany, anti-Soviet emigrant centers, a secret network of agents that have been working against the USSR since the 1920s are used. The whole experience of psychological warfare accumulated during the Second World War by the United States and Nazi Germany, and a powerful financial force (26 - 28 billion dollars annually). The calculation was made for a long struggle against the change of generations in the leadership, for the natural departure of the “generation of winners”, for the decay and degeneration of a new generation of Soviet leaders.

Attaching great importance to the information and psychological warfare, the US leadership creates a world information control center (USIA) and powerful propaganda centers - "Voice of America", "Freedom", "Free Europe", "Deutsche Welle", etc. In 1997, English television showed a program about how the CIA in the 50s. even created a special art, in every sense an alternative to Soviet socialist realism, called "abstract expressionism". With strong financial support through charitable societies, this direction in art began to be rapidly planted in many countries.

While deploying the "cold war" against the USSR and the socialist countries, the American leadership and its allies at the same time directed their efforts to strengthening their rear against the "threat of communism." In the 40s - 50s. in the USA and Western Europe, an active struggle against the communist movement (“McCarthyism”) and subversive activities within it are launched, and bourgeois influence on the social democratic movement is growing. Sophisticated anti-Soviet propaganda is being carried out in all countries in order to create an image of the enemy in the face of the USSR and the communists of all countries as "agents of the Kremlin." In the minds of the peoples of Europe and America, the image of the USSR as a fighter against fascism and a liberator of peoples under the influence of psychological warfare was gradually replaced by the image of a "red aggressor" and "occupier".

Raising the economy through American assistance and exploitation of the colonies, the bourgeoisie of Western Europe had the opportunity already in the mid-1950s. raise the standard of living of the population and introduce a number of social guarantees. The process of "socialization" of capitalism received a new impetus. Western propaganda skillfully presented these measures, opposing the "Western way of life" to the complexities of social development in the countries of the socialist community. This was how the rear of world capitalism was strengthened for the conduct of the Cold War, which played an important role in the general course of the confrontation between the two social systems.

Formation of the world system of socialism. The development of the anti-imperialist struggle, the collapse of colonialism

The formation of socialism in the countries of Eastern Europe and Asia took place under difficult conditions. Historically, socialism was established in the economically underdeveloped, predominantly agrarian countries (with the exception of Czechoslovakia, partly the GDR and Hungary). The war inflicted heavy damage on their economy (especially the GDR, China, Vietnam). The restoration of the economy destroyed by the war in the new socialist states was carried out simultaneously with the restructuring of the economy and social transformations on a socialist basis. This process took place with the active political and material support of the USSR. The "Marshall Plan", which provided for economic assistance to the United States of America on political terms, was rejected by the leadership of these countries. On the basis of a planned economy in all countries by 1948-1949. the pre-war level of production was reached (in the GDR by 1950) and, in accordance with the plans for economic development, industrialization and cooperative agriculture began. The rates of economic development, the growth of the living standards of the population and the development of the social sphere exceeded those of the capitalist countries.

In 1949, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) was established - an economic and political union of socialist countries to help organize systematic economic and cultural cooperation. The CMEA included Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Albania (from the end of 1961 it did not participate in the work of the CMEA). Subsequently, the organization included the GDR (1950), Mongolia (1962), Vietnam (1978), Cuba (1972). The creation of the CMEA formalized the formation of the world socialist system headed by the USSR and contributed to the rapid economic and social development of the states included in the Council.

An "iron curtain" is being lowered between the capitalist world and the socialist countries (by efforts on both sides). It prevents not only the hostile influence and penetration of the capitalist world into the socialist countries, but also economic, scientific, technical and cultural exchange. Imperialism is also trying to "reject communism" by using military force against individual socialist countries: a war is unleashed in Korea, in Vietnam, and an invasion of Cuba is carried out. The firm foreign policy of the USSR, the active political struggle for peace, and its direct support for the struggle of the socialist countries do not allow imperialism to stop their development along the socialist path by force of arms.

The war in Korea (1950 - 1953) was the first large-scale military clash between imperialism and the countries of the socialist community formed after the Second World War, the first major local war of the postwar period. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from North Korea, and later - and American troops from the South, two Korean states were formed: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea. The desire to unify Korea by force of arms was shown by both Korean states.

The war began on June 25, 1950 with border clashes, after which the Korean People's Army (KPA) went on the offensive. The defeat of the South Korean troops and the threat of losing their foothold on the Asian continent caused the US to intervene in the civil war in Korea. The US government achieved a UN decision approving the participation of the armed forces of the US and 15 other capitalist states in the intervention. On July 1, the American command began the transfer of the 8th american army and massive bombing of military installations and troops of the DPRK. But the offensive under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Kim Il Sung continued, the KPA liberated 90% of the territory of Korea.

On September 15, having accumulated superior forces, the enemy launched a counteroffensive with a powerful landing in the rear of the KPA. At the end of the month, the invaders took Seoul, and in October they captured Pyongyang and reached the Korean-Chinese border. The help of China and the USSR made it possible to restore the combat effectiveness of the KPA; at the end of October, the North Korean troops and parts of the Chinese volunteers launched a counteroffensive. Over the next 8 months, during stubborn battles, the territory of the DPRK was liberated and the front stabilized on the 38th parallel, from where hostilities began. The confrontation continued for another 2 years, when negotiations were underway. The DPRK held out, and on July 27, 1953, an armistice agreement was signed. The United States was unable to resolve Korean problem» by military means.

The 64th Fighter Air Corps of the Soviet Armed Forces, which is part of the United Air Army, participated in the war. During the war, Soviet pilots shot down 1,097 enemy planes, 212 with anti-aircraft artillery fire. 3,504 military personnel were awarded orders and medals, 22 pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Losses amounted to 125 pilots and 335 aircraft. (Russia (USSR) in local wars and military conflicts of the second half of the 20th century - M., 2000.)

In 1961, an attempt by the United States to intervene in Cuba ended in failure. Operation Pluto included air bombing and amphibious landings in the Playa Giron area on 17 April. The struggle against the aggressors assumed a nationwide character. Within 2 days, the Cuban army under the leadership of Fidel Castro defeated the landing, on April 20 completed the liquidation and capture of the surviving groups of mercenaries from Cuban counter-revolutionaries. On April 18, the Soviet Union issued a resolute statement of readiness to provide the Cuban people with the necessary assistance and support. The subsequent blockade of Cuba by the American fleet and the threat of a new intervention in October 1962 caused serious military measures by the USSR in support of the Cuban people. The outbreak of the crisis led to the threat of nuclear war. The United States was forced to retreat, to abandon the invasion, and the USSR, for its part, compromised on the deployment of its weapons in Cuba. Socialism on the island of Liberty survived.

The largest US aggression against a socialist country in Asia was the Vietnam War (1964-1973). The puppet "Saigon" regime in South Vietnam served as a springboard for the deployment of the war, against which the armed struggle of the People's Liberation Front of South Vietnam rose up for unification with North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam). Having increased its grouping in South Vietnam to 90 thousand people, the United States is moving to open intervention. On August 2, 1964, they provoked a collision between their ships and DRV torpedo boats, and on August 7, the US Congress officially approved the aggression. The unfolding US war against Vietnam had two periods: the deployment of aggression from August 5, 1964 to November 1, 1968 and the curtailment of the scale of the war - from November 1968 to January 27, 1973.

Against the DRV, the United States used its air and naval forces in order to undermine the economy, the morale of the people and stop providing assistance to the patriots of South Vietnam. Bombing with napalm and the spraying of toxic agents was also carried out in Laos and Cambodia. In military operations against the patriots of South Vietnam, they actively used ground troops. As a result of prolonged fighting and partisan actions, the troops of the Popular Front managed to liberate the territory with a population of 1.5 million people. The Soviet Union carried out the supply of weapons and equipment to the DRV by sea, despite the blockade of the coast by the US Navy. The US leadership was forced to negotiate, and on November 1, 1968, the American bombing of North Vietnam ceased. An important role in the defense of the DRV was played by missile systems supplied by the USSR.

In June 1969, the Congress of People's Representatives proclaimed the formation of the Republic of South Vietnam (RSV). The army of the Republic of South Ossetia numbered over 1 million people and increased its strikes against the enemy. The United States, in accordance with the "Nixon Doctrine", is moving to the "Vietnamization of the war" in Indochina, shifting the main burden of the struggle to the Saigon army. The crushing blows of the army of the South Vietnam, the political, economic and military support of the USSR and the progressive forces of the world, as well as the rise of the pacifist movement in the United States against the many years of war with heavy losses, forced the American political leadership to conclude an agreement to end the war. It was signed in Paris on January 27, 1973. The regime of South Vietnam was overthrown in 1975.

According to American data, the United States spent $140 billion on the war, 2.5 million American troops took part in it, 58,000 were killed, about 2,000 were missing, and 472 pilots were captured. The American nation felt defeated and humiliated. The "Vietnam Syndrome" affects the US to this day. In July 1976, reunification was completed and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was formed. On the whole, world imperialism has not succeeded in stopping the transition to socialism in the countries of Asia and Latin America by military force.

The strengthening of the NATO bloc caused retaliatory measures by the countries of the socialist community. Six years after its creation in 1955, a military-political union of socialist countries was formed - the Warsaw Pact Organization (OVR). With the help of the USSR, the armed forces of Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Albania are being strengthened (withdrew from the organization in 1968).

In the 50s - 60s. the economy of the countries of the socialist community developed at a steady high rate (about 10% per year on average). The established world socialist system is rapidly building up its economic potential and military power. The Soviet Union, having reached the forefront of world scientific, technological and social progress, actively contributed to the rise of the countries of the socialist community. The countries of Eastern Europe have turned from agrarian to industrial-agrarian. From 1956 - 1957 CMEA member countries switched to specialization and co-production, and the practice of coordinating national economic plans was introduced. In 1964, the International Bank for Economic Cooperation was established to regulate international payments. The economies of China, Vietnam, and Korea developed more independently; cooperation with the USSR proceeded on a bilateral basis, taking into account the peculiarities of the economic development of countries and the specific historical situation.

The development of the world socialist system was supported by communist parties in many countries of the world. The international communist movement was an important factor world historical process. After the liquidation of the Comintern, international contacts of the CPSU(b) went on on a bilateral basis. Created in 1947 new organ- Information Bureau of Communist and Workers' Parties. After its dissolution in April 1956, periodic meetings of the communist and workers' parties were held, at which political positions were agreed.

The formation of the world socialist system is a complex social process. Sharp differences in economic, political and social development, national cultures and traditions required a variety of approaches to the formation of a new social order, the originality of the ways and pace of social change in each country. The absolutization of the Soviet model in the development of socialism, under the influence of objective and subjective factors, in a number of cases came into conflict with the peculiarities of the national development of countries, and the class struggle did not die out in them. This led to crises with the use of military force: in the GDR in 1951, in Poland in 1953, in Hungary in 1956, in Czechoslovakia in 1968. The subversive activities of the West played a significant role in exacerbating the contradictions.

Simultaneously with the development of the world socialist system, a stormy process of national liberation movement is going on in the colonial and dependent countries. Centuries-old colonial empires are collapsing: British, French, Belgian, Portuguese. In the countries of the "third world" Indonesia, India, a number of countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South-East Asia. The destruction of the colonial system has begun. The USSR, holding back the aggression of the USA, NATO, Israel, provides active assistance (including military) to the liberation movements and strengthens its influence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The liberated countries are looking for independent ways of development, some of them are drawn into the military-military system, and some adjoin the world socialist system. The struggle of the colonial peoples for their independence and an independent path of development by the end of the 60s. led to the complete collapse of the colonial system. More than 100 new states have entered the world community.

The resolute support of the Arab movement against the US and Israel, as well as the Cuban revolution by the Soviet Union, stopped the aggressive actions of imperialism. The aggravation of the international situation during these years (the Middle East crisis of 1956 and 1957; the Caribbean crisis of 1962) several times brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. The growth of the military and economic might of the USSR, the consolidation of anti-imperialist forces, and a sober approach to assessing the international situation in moments of crisis made it possible to avoid a nuclear catastrophe. Kennedy and Khrushchev laid the foundation for harmonizing the interests of the USA and the USSR on the principles of compromise. However, Kennedy was soon killed, the mystery of his assassination has not yet been solved.

The nuclear missile power of the USSR forced the United States in the early 60s. change the military doctrine of nuclear "retaliation" to a "flexible response strategy", and the achievement by the Soviet Union by the end of the 60s. military-strategic parity ensured the stability of the international situation for many years.

In general, capitalism by the end of the 60s. turned out to be significantly reduced. But it retained its viability, its financial and economic power, and most importantly, the pace of scientific and technological progress. The United States managed to achieve the complete consolidation of all capitalist countries under its leadership in the general opposition to the socialist system, as well as to create new economic and political levers for subordinating the newly-liberated countries to the world capitalist system (“neo-colonialism”). The confrontation between the two world systems, the inter-formational contradiction of capitalism and socialism comes to the end of the 60s. into a new phase.