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The International Socialist Division of Labor (June 7, 1962)

Under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, head of both the CPSU and the Soviet government, efforts to intensify the economic integration of COMECON member states were stepped up in the 1960s. When joint economic planning foundered on Romania’s resistance, a system was established that merely coordinated national economic planning.

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The Basic Principles of the International Socialist Division of Labor, June 7, 1962


1. The Community of Socialist Countries and the International Socialist Division of Labor

The socialist world system is a social, economic, and political community of free, sovereign peoples striding toward socialism and communism, united through the common ground of their interests and objectives, through the indissoluble ties of international socialist solidarity.

The need for socialist countries to form a close union within a system results from the objective laws of economic and political development.

The community of socialist states is supported by the similar economic foundation of each country (society’s ownership of the means of production), by similar state structures (the power of the people with the working class at the forefront), and by a common ideology (Marxism-Leninism).

The united efforts of the nations of the socialist community are aimed at building up socialism and communism, creating a powerful upswing in the national economy of each country and thus within the system as a whole, defending revolutionary achievements as opposed to the machinations of imperialist reaction, and securing a firm peace among nations. The socialist world system has entered a new stage in its development.

The union of socialist states within a common camp, their stronger unity and ever growing power serve to secure the complete victory of socialism and communism within the entire system.

The community of socialist countries is realizing its goals by means of comprehensive political, economic, and cultural cooperation. To this end, all socialist countries are strictly guided by the principles of full equality, mutual respect for independence and sovereignty, fraternal mutual assistance, and mutual benefits. In the socialist camp, no one has, nor can have, any special rights and privileges. Adherence to the principles of Marxism-Leninism and socialist internationalism is an essential prerequisite for the successful development of the socialist world system. [ . . . ]

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