"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 features of the development of production in the Soviet Union, while revising some of the provisions of Marxism in relation to the assessment and description of the current situation. This work was the result of a discussion that was launched a year earlier at the initiative of the party. In addition, it was assumed that it would become a guide to the compilation of a textbook on political economy.
Background
The book "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR" appeared not only because of discussions and the preparation of a new textbook. The fact is that the Soviet leadership and Stalin personally had extensive experience in carrying out economic reforms. This is primarily about industrialization and collectivization, not to mention the post-war restoration of the national economy. Plan-directive management methods, centralization of production and tight control of the party over exchange and consumption needed a scientific explanation and justification. In addition, there was a need to revise some of the provisions of Marxist teaching, a number of provisions of which no longer corresponded to Soviet reality. The author of the work “Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR” set himself this very task.
About Marxism
The book consists of twenty-five chapters. In the monograph, Stalin expresses the idea that it is no longer possible to unconditionally apply the old terminology to modern concepts and suggests replacing the terms in characterizing the national economy in the country. For example, he recommends abandoning such definitions as necessary and surplus products, working hours, labor. The author considered these words obsolete and therefore argued that they need to be eliminated.
About trade
Although Stalin recognized the possibility of commodity-money relations in the book The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR, he carried out the idea of the need for their gradual and natural liquidation. In the fourth chapter, he talks about the need to eliminate the distinction between city and country, mental and physical labor. The author was convinced that the socialist system had already set the stage 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 acknowledged that some difference between these categories would nevertheless remain, but that it would be insignificant: for example, in industry and agriculture we will only talk about working conditions, in the case of mental and physical labor, only the main gap will be closed in cultural and technical terms.
About the market
In the work “Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR”, Stalin pursues the idea of the collapse 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's democratic states of the Soviet camp really beneficial assistance and cooperation, while the social camp itself, without their support, reached such a high level in production, so that it would very soon come a time when he will no longer need either 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, trying to undermine the position of competitors. The author contrasted their positions with 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 confrontation between Western countries is much deeper and more complicated than between the capitalist and socialist camps. In his opinion, this is due to the fact that the European powers will not be able to put up with the US economic superiority and the Marshall plan for a long time, which, in the end, will lead to a deep crisis between them. Among these states, Stalin included England, France and Germany, while pointing out that the First World War did not begin between socialism and capitalism (although he recognized the deep contradictions between these two different ideological systems), but specifically between representatives of the capitalist camp.
About the peace movement
In the work “Economic problems of socialism in the USSR”, the author of which proved the inevitability of a new war, the idea of the need for a common movement for peace is also held. The Soviet Union was given a decisive role in this process. At the same time, Stalin argued that this social activity was different from what was observed during the years of the previous war, when the new government fought 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 workers
The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR, a book whose brief content is the subject of this review, raises a number of questions about the position of the proletariat in capitalist countries. Stalin argues that one cannot judge the welfare of workers in Western European countries, as well as in the United States, only by the level of affluence of the working population. He believed that statistics should also take into account those who do not work, and their situation was very unenviable. Therefore, the author continued, one cannot draw hasty conclusions about the high level of material support of the working class in capitalist states.
About the laws of development
Stalin’s book “The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR” reveals the author’s opinion on the laws of capitalism and socialism. He argues that one cannot say that cost determines the features of the functioning of the Western European market. In his opinion, this law was also valid in the era of commodity economy, when there was no capitalism yet. He also denies the opinion of some scientists who said that the main criterion in this case should be an indicator of average cost.
Stalin's work “The Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR” developed the idea that maximum cost should be taken into account, and therefore the author formulated the law of capitalism as follows: this is the desire of states to exploit the population, militarize the economy to maximize profit.
He developed a completely different point of view when characterizing socialism: according to him, this system is based on a fair distribution of resources to ensure the fullest possible provision for 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 textbooks. "The economic problems of socialism in the USSR" is the most expressive confirmation of this. Indeed, in this book he directly gives instructions to the authors and compilers regarding 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 work must reflect socialist achievements so that other countries can borrow experience in building a socialist economy. Moreover, the manual should also reveal the shortcomings of the capitalist and colonial systems.
About collective farms
In conclusion, Stalin expresses several considerations on how to make collective farm property public. He began his discussion with the thesis that their resources are already almost entirely owned by 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 equipment. In his opinion, the only production that was at the disposal of the collective farms was an excess, an excess of their agricultural products. In order to make it a public property, it is necessary, according to Stalin, to organize a natural exchange between the city and the village. This will lead to the liquidation of commodity-money relations, which is an important step towards the transition to the next stage of development - communism.