Stages of development of the world system of socialism
• Formation of the world system of socialism
• Stages of development of the world system of socialism
• The collapse of the world system of socialism
1. Formation of the world socialist system
A significant historical event of the post-war period was the people's
democratic revolutions in a number of European countries: Albania, Bulgaria,
Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Asia:
Vietnam, China, Korea and a little earlier - the revolution in Mongolia. To a large
extent, the political orientation in these countries was determined under the
influence of the presence of Soviet troops on the territory of most of them,
carrying out a liberation mission during the Second World War. This also largely
contributed to the fact that in most countries cardinal transformations began in
the political, socio-economic and other spheres in accordance with the Stalinist
model, characterized by the highest degree of centralization of the national
economy and the dominance of the party-state bureaucracy.
The emergence of the socialist model beyond the framework of one
country and its spread to Southeast Europe and Asia laid the foundation for the
emergence of a community of countries, called the "world system of socialism"
(MSS). In 1959 Cuba and in 1975 Laos entered the orbit of a new system that
lasted more than 40 years.
At the end of the 80s. The world system of socialism included 15 states
occupying 26.2% of the earth's territory and numbering 32.3% of the world's
population.Taking into account even just these quantitative indicators, one can
speak of the world system of socialism as an essential factor in post-war
international life, requiring more in-depth consideration.
Eastern European countries. As noted, an important prerequisite for the
formation of the MSS was the liberation mission of the Soviet Army in the
countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe. Today there are quite heated
discussions on this issue. A significant part of the researchers tend to believe that
in 1944-1947. there were no people's democratic revolutions in the countries of
, this region, and the Soviet Union imposed the Stalinist model of social
development on the liberated peoples. One can only partly agree with this point
of view, since, in our opinion, it should be taken into account that in 1945-1946.
broad democratic transformations were carried out in these countries, often
bourgeois-democratic forms of statehood were restored. This is evidenced, in
particular: by the bourgeois orientation of agrarian reforms in the absence of land
nationalization, the preservation of the private sector in small and medium-sized
industry, retail trade and the service sector, and finally the presence of a multi-
party system, including the highest level of power. If in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia
immediately after liberation a course was taken for socialist transformations, then
in the rest of the countries of South-Eastern Europe the new course began to be
implemented from the moment the essentially undivided power of the national
communist parties was established, as was the case in Czechoslovakia (February
1948). ), Romania (December 1947), Hungary (autumn 1947), Albania (February
1946)), East Germany (October 1949), Poland (January 1947). Thus, in a number
of countries during one and a half to two years after the war, the possibility of an
alternative, non-socialist path was preserved.
1949 can be considered a kind of pause that drew a line under the
prehistory of the MSS, and the 50s can be distinguished as a relatively
independent stage of the forced creation of a “new” society, according to the
“universal model” of the USSR, the constituent features of which are quite well
known. This is a comprehensive nationalization of industrial sectors of the
economy, forced cooperation, and in essence the nationalization of the agrarian
sector, the displacement of private capital from the sphere of finance, trade, the
establishment of total control of the state, the supreme bodies of the ruling party
over public life, in the field of spiritual culture, etc.
Assessing the results of the course of building the foundations of socialism
in the countries of South-Eastern Europe, one should state, on the whole, rather
the negative effect of these transformations. Thus, the accelerated creation of
heavy industry led to the emergence of national economic disproportions, which
affected the pace of liquidation of the consequences of post-war devastation and
could not but affect the growth in the standard of living of the population of
countries in comparison with countries that did not fall into the orbit of socialist
construction. Similar results were obtained in the course of forced co-operation
of the village, as well as the displacement of private initiative from the sphere of
handicrafts, trade and services. As an argument confirming such conclusions, one
• Formation of the world system of socialism
• Stages of development of the world system of socialism
• The collapse of the world system of socialism
1. Formation of the world socialist system
A significant historical event of the post-war period was the people's
democratic revolutions in a number of European countries: Albania, Bulgaria,
Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Asia:
Vietnam, China, Korea and a little earlier - the revolution in Mongolia. To a large
extent, the political orientation in these countries was determined under the
influence of the presence of Soviet troops on the territory of most of them,
carrying out a liberation mission during the Second World War. This also largely
contributed to the fact that in most countries cardinal transformations began in
the political, socio-economic and other spheres in accordance with the Stalinist
model, characterized by the highest degree of centralization of the national
economy and the dominance of the party-state bureaucracy.
The emergence of the socialist model beyond the framework of one
country and its spread to Southeast Europe and Asia laid the foundation for the
emergence of a community of countries, called the "world system of socialism"
(MSS). In 1959 Cuba and in 1975 Laos entered the orbit of a new system that
lasted more than 40 years.
At the end of the 80s. The world system of socialism included 15 states
occupying 26.2% of the earth's territory and numbering 32.3% of the world's
population.Taking into account even just these quantitative indicators, one can
speak of the world system of socialism as an essential factor in post-war
international life, requiring more in-depth consideration.
Eastern European countries. As noted, an important prerequisite for the
formation of the MSS was the liberation mission of the Soviet Army in the
countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe. Today there are quite heated
discussions on this issue. A significant part of the researchers tend to believe that
in 1944-1947. there were no people's democratic revolutions in the countries of
, this region, and the Soviet Union imposed the Stalinist model of social
development on the liberated peoples. One can only partly agree with this point
of view, since, in our opinion, it should be taken into account that in 1945-1946.
broad democratic transformations were carried out in these countries, often
bourgeois-democratic forms of statehood were restored. This is evidenced, in
particular: by the bourgeois orientation of agrarian reforms in the absence of land
nationalization, the preservation of the private sector in small and medium-sized
industry, retail trade and the service sector, and finally the presence of a multi-
party system, including the highest level of power. If in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia
immediately after liberation a course was taken for socialist transformations, then
in the rest of the countries of South-Eastern Europe the new course began to be
implemented from the moment the essentially undivided power of the national
communist parties was established, as was the case in Czechoslovakia (February
1948). ), Romania (December 1947), Hungary (autumn 1947), Albania (February
1946)), East Germany (October 1949), Poland (January 1947). Thus, in a number
of countries during one and a half to two years after the war, the possibility of an
alternative, non-socialist path was preserved.
1949 can be considered a kind of pause that drew a line under the
prehistory of the MSS, and the 50s can be distinguished as a relatively
independent stage of the forced creation of a “new” society, according to the
“universal model” of the USSR, the constituent features of which are quite well
known. This is a comprehensive nationalization of industrial sectors of the
economy, forced cooperation, and in essence the nationalization of the agrarian
sector, the displacement of private capital from the sphere of finance, trade, the
establishment of total control of the state, the supreme bodies of the ruling party
over public life, in the field of spiritual culture, etc.
Assessing the results of the course of building the foundations of socialism
in the countries of South-Eastern Europe, one should state, on the whole, rather
the negative effect of these transformations. Thus, the accelerated creation of
heavy industry led to the emergence of national economic disproportions, which
affected the pace of liquidation of the consequences of post-war devastation and
could not but affect the growth in the standard of living of the population of
countries in comparison with countries that did not fall into the orbit of socialist
construction. Similar results were obtained in the course of forced co-operation
of the village, as well as the displacement of private initiative from the sphere of
handicrafts, trade and services. As an argument confirming such conclusions, one
