Stalin's book "The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR"

"The economic problems of socialism in the USSR" is a book that was published in 1952. In it, the author expressed his view on the specifics of the development of production in the Soviet Union, while revising certain provisions of Marxism with regard to the assessment and description of the current situation. This work was the result of a discussion that was launched a year earlier on the initiative of the party. In addition, it was assumed that it would become a guide to compiling a textbook on political economy.

Prerequisites

The book "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR" appeared not only because of discussions and the preparation of a new textbook. The thing is that the Soviet leadership and Stalin personally had extensive experience in carrying out economic reforms. It is primarily about industrialization and collectivization, not to mention the post-war recovery of the national economy. Planning and directive management methods, centralization of production and tight control over the exchange and consumption of the party needed a scientific explanation and justification. In addition, there was a need to revise certain provisions of the Marxist teaching, a number of provisions which no longer corresponded to Soviet reality. It was this task that the author of the work Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR set himself.

On Marxism

The book consists of twenty-five chapters. In the monograph Stalin expresses the idea that it is no longer possible to apply the old terminology unconditionally to modern concepts and proposes to replace terms when characterizing the national economy in the country. For example, he recommends to abandon such definitions as necessary and surplus products, working time, labor. The author considered these words obsolete and therefore argued that they should be eliminated.

About Trade

In his book Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR, Stalin acknowledged the possibility of the existence of commodity-money relations, but he held the idea of the necessity for their gradual and natural liquidation. In the fourth chapter, he says that it is necessary to destroy the differences between town and country, mental and physical labor. The author was convinced that the socialist system had already prepared the ground for such an important change in the country. The disappearance of this difference, in his opinion, would mean the final disappearance of capitalism and forms of exploitation. At the same time, he admitted that there would still be some difference between these categories, but that it would be insignificant: for example, in industry and agriculture only the working conditions would be discussed, in the case of mental and physical labor only the main gap would be eliminated In cultural and technical terms.

About the market

In his work "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR" Stalin pursues the idea of the disintegration of the world market after the war. He explains this process by the fact that the highly developed capitalist countries were not able to offer the people-democratic states of the Soviet camp really beneficial assistance and cooperation, while the socialist camp itself, without their support, reached such a high level in production, so it should very soon come A time when he will no longer need any imported raw materials or foreign services, but, on the contrary, he himself will want to get rid of the excess product. In this situation, Stalin blamed the capitalist system, which itself created a parallel market, seeking to undermine the position of competitors. Their positions the author contrasted the mutually beneficial cooperation of the socialist states, which together managed to get out of the crisis.

About war

One of the most important was Stalin's work "The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR." The book reflects his views not only on the internal situation of the Soviet Union, but also on the international situation. The author in the sixth chapter analyzes the post-war situation in Europe and the world and concludes that the confrontations between Western countries are much deeper and more complex than between the capitalist and socialist camps. In his view, this is due to the fact that the European powers can not long tolerate the US economic superiority and the Marshall plan, which, in the end, will lead to a deep crisis between them. Stalin included England, France and Germany as such states, pointing out the fact that the First World War did not begin between socialism and capitalism (although he recognized the deep contradictions between these two different ideological systems), namely, between representatives of the capitalist camp.

On the peace movement

In the work "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR," the author of which argued the inevitability of a new war, the idea of the need for a general movement for peace is also being pursued. The Soviet Union was given a decisive role in this process. At the same time, Stalin argued that this social activity is different from what was observed in the years of the previous war, when the new government was fighting for a war against the government. But the new peace movement, according to the author, was only a temporary measure, a delay in the outbreak of hostilities.

About the workers

"The economic problems of socialism in the USSR," a book, the summary of which is the subject of this review, raises a number of questions about the position of the proletariat in the capitalist countries. Stalin argues that one can not judge the welfare of workers in Western European countries, and also in the United States only in terms of the level of prosperity of the working population. He believed that statistics should take into account those who do not work, and their situation was very unenviable. Therefore, the author continued, one can not make hasty conclusions about the high level of material security of the working class in the capitalist states.

On the laws of development

Stalin's book The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR reveals the author's opinion about the laws of capitalism and socialism. He argues that one can not say that value determines the features of the functioning of the West European market. In his view, this law also operated in the era of commodity economy, when capitalism did not yet exist. He also denies the opinion of some scientists who said that the main criterion in this case should be an indicator of the average cost.

Stalin's work "The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR" developed the idea that the maximum value should be taken into account, and therefore the author formulated the law of capitalism in the following way: it is the desire of states to exploit the population, militarize the economy to extract maximum profit.

He developed a completely different point of view in the characterization of socialism: according to him, this system is based on an equitable distribution of resources to ensure the fullest possible provision of all the needs of the population. Thus, he contrasted the foundations of the national economy in two camps.

About the textbook

Stalin himself took an active part in the creation of teaching aids. "The economic problems of socialism in the USSR" - the most impressive confirmation of this. After all, in this book he directly gives instructions to authors and drafters on the content, corrects their opinions and statements, but, most importantly, justifies the significance of the textbook not only for the Soviet Union, but also for the international proletariat. He argues that the work should reflect socialist achievements so that other countries can borrow experience in building a socialist economy. In this case, the manual should also reveal the shortcomings of the capitalist and colonial systems.

About the Collective Farms

In conclusion, Stalin expresses several considerations on how to make the collective farm property public. He began his reasoning with the thesis that their resources and so almost completely belong to the state. Therefore, he does not agree with the opinion that for their socialization it is necessary to transfer all the equipment to them, since only the state can provide the collective farms with new and modern machinery. In his opinion, the only products that were in the disposal of collective farms are surplus, surplus of their agricultural products. In order to make it public property, according to Stalin, it is necessary to organize a natural exchange between the city and the countryside. This will lead to the elimination of commodity-money relations, which is an important step towards the transition to the next stage of development - communism.