18.2. Stages of development of the world socialist system

In the late 50s, 60s, 70s. Most of the MCC countries managed to achieve some positive results in the development of the national economy, ensuring an increase in the living standards of the population. However, during this period negative tendencies were also clearly identified, especially in the economic sphere. The socialist model, which was consolidated in all the countries of the MSS, constrained the initiative of economic entities, did not allow to adequately respond to new phenomena and trends in the world economic process. This became particularly evident in connection with what began in the 50s. scientific and technological revolution. As it developed, the countries of the MSS increasingly lagged behind the advanced capitalist countries in the rate of implementation of scientific and technical achievements in production, mainly in the field of electronic computing equipment, energy and resource-saving industries and technologies. Attempts at the partial reforming of this model undertaken in these years did not yield positive results. The reason for the failure of reforms was the strongest resistance to them of the party-state nomenclature, which basically determined the extreme inconsistency and, as a result, the failure of the transformation process.

Contradictions within the MSS . To a certain extent, this was facilitated by the domestic and foreign policy of the ruling circles of the USSR. Despite the criticism of some of the most ugly features of Stalinism at the XX Congress, the leadership of the CPSU left intact the regime of the undivided power of the party-state apparatus. Moreover, the Soviet leadership continued to maintain a style of authoritarianism in the USSR’s relations with the MSS countries. To a large extent, this was the cause of the re-deterioration of relations with Yugoslavia in the late 1950s. and a protracted conflict with Albania and China, although the ambitions of the party elite of the last two countries no less affected the deterioration of relations with the USSR.

The dramatic events of the Czechoslovak crisis of 1967-1968 showed the most vividly the style of relations within the MSS. In response to the wide public movement of Czechoslovak citizens for economic and political reforms, the leadership of the USSR, with the active participation of Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR and Poland, on August 21, 1968, led its troops into a sovereign state under the pretext of protecting it from the forces of internal and external counterrevolution ". This action significantly undermined the authority of the MCC and vividly demonstrated the opposition of the party nomenclature of genuine, rather than declarative, transformations.

It is interesting to note in this connection that, against the background of serious crisis phenomena, the leadership of the European socialist countries, assessing the achievements of the 1950s and 1960s. in the economic sphere, it concluded that the stage of building socialism was completed and the transition to a new stage, “the construction of developed socialism”. This conclusion was reinforced by the ideologists of the new stage, in particular the fact that the proportion of socialist countries in world industrial production reached in the 60s. about one third, and in global national income, one quarter.

The role of the CMEA . One of the essential arguments was the fact that, in their view, the development of economic relations within the MSS through the CMEA was quite dynamic. If in 1949, the CMEA was faced with the task of regulating foreign trade relations on the basis of bilateral agreements, then in 1954 it was decided to coordinate the national economic plans of its member countries, and in the 1960s. followed by a series of agreements on specialization and co-production, on the international division of labor. Large international economic organizations were created, such as the International Bank for Economic Cooperation, Intermetall, the Institute of Standardization, etc. In 1971, the Comprehensive Program of Cooperation and Development of the CMEA member countries was adopted on the basis of integration. In addition, according to the ideologists of the transition to a new historical stage in the construction of communism in most European MLS countries, a new social structure of the population has emerged on the basis of fully defeated socialist relations, etc.

In the first half of the 1970s, in most countries of Central and Southeastern Europe, there was indeed a very stable growth rate of industrial production, averaging 6-8% annually. This was largely achieved by an extensive method, i.e. increasing production capacity and the growth of simple quantitative indicators in the field of electricity production, steelmaking, mining, engineering products.

Complications from the mid 70s. However, by the mid 70s. The socioeconomic and political situation has become complicated. At this time, in countries with a market economy, under the influence of the scientific and technological revolution, a restructuring of the national economy began, connected with the transition from extensive to intensive type of economic development. This process was accompanied by crisis phenomena both within these countries and at the global level, which in turn could not but affect the foreign economic position of the MLS entities. The growing backlog of MSS countries in the scientific and technical sphere has steadily led to the loss of their positions in the world market. The domestic market of the socialist countries also experienced difficulties. By the 80th. The impermissible lag of the industries producing goods and services from the still-growing branches of the mining and heavy industries led to a total shortage of consumer goods. This was the cause of not only the relative, but also the absolute deterioration of the living conditions of the population and, as a result, was the reason for the growing discontent of citizens. The demand for radical political and socio-economic transformation is becoming almost universal.

The crisis situation was also clearly indicated in the sphere of interstate economic cooperation based on administrative decisions, which often do not take into account the interests of the CMEA member countries, but also in the real reduction in the volume of mutual trade.

Events in Poland. Poland became a peculiar detonator of the subsequent reform process. Already in the early 70s. there were mass demonstrations of workers against the economic policy of the government, an independent trade union union of workers, Solidarity. Under his leadership, speeches were held in Poland in the 7080s.

The manifestation of the growing crisis was observed in other countries. But until the mid-80s. the ruling communist parties still had the opportunity to keep the situation under control, there were still some reserves to contain the economic and social crisis, including the coercive ones. Only after the beginning of transformations in the USSR in the second half of the 80s. The reform movement in most MLS countries has noticeably increased.