The CMEA Council for Mutual Economic Assistance was established c. Examination: History of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. Goals and objectives of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, its structure and functions. main stages and directions of socialist economic integration

CMEA is an intergovernmental economic organization of the socialist countries, established in 1949 with headquarters in Moscow. It united the NRB, Hungary, SRV, GDR, Cuba, Mongolian People's Republic, Poland, SRR, USSR, Czechoslovakia. With the collapse of the USSR and the socialist community, it ceased to exist. Today, the building of the CMEA headquarters houses the Moscow Mayor's Office.

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CMEA) - intergovernmental economic. org-tion socialist. countries, created to promote, by combining and coordinating the efforts of member countries of the Council, the systematic development of Nar. x-va, economic acceleration. and tech. progress, accelerating the industrialization of countries with less developed industry; continuous growth of labor productivity and a steady rise in the well-being of the peoples in these countries. The decision to create a CMEA (initially uniting only European countries) was taken at the Economic. meeting of representatives of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the USSR and Czechoslovakia, held on 5-8 Jan. 1949 in Moscow. In 1949, Albania joined the CMEA (since the end of 1961 it ceased to take part in the work of the CMEA due to the splitting position taken by its leaders), in 1950 - the GDR, in 1962 - the MPR (after the 16th session of the Council held in June 1962, which approved the changes in its Charter, which made it possible to admit to the CMEA non-European countries that share the principles and goals of the Council). Organizational the formalization of the Council took place at the first session, held in April. 1949. In Sept. In 1964, an agreement was concluded between the CMEA and the government of the SFRY on the participation of Yugoslavia in the work of the CMEA bodies. Representatives of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Cuba participate as observers in the work of the CMEA bodies. Until 1966, representatives of the PRC participated in the work of the CMEA as observers. Cooperation in the CMEA is carried out in accordance with the underlying socialist. internationalism by the principles of complete equality, respect for sovereignty and national interests, mutual benefit and comradely mutual assistance. Compliance with these principles makes it possible to successfully overcome certain difficulties in the development of economic. socialist cooperation. countries associated with differences in economic levels. development, unequal supply of raw materials, etc. Forms of cooperation within the framework of the CMEA develop and improve as the economies of the member countries of the Council grow and strengthen. At the first stage (approximately in 1949-57), the cooperation of the CMEA countries mainly covered foreign trade, the transfer of technical equipment. documentation and scientific and technical. experience. All R. 50's, when the conditions for cooperation in the field of production were ripe, sectoral commissions were created, and the CMEA member countries began to coordinate their economic. plans. But only at the next stage (1958-62) this form of collective activity was widely developed. Held May 20-23, 1958 in Moscow, the Conference of representatives of the communist. and workers' parties of the CMEA member countries gave fundamental instructions on the development of long-term plans for the development of their peoples. x-va, drawing attention to the need for specialization and co-operation of production, the all-round development of the raw materials industries of the people. x-va and energy, implementation new technology. 2-3 Feb. 1960 in Moscow was held a meeting of the communist. and socialist workers' parties. countries of Europe, dedicated to the exchange of experience in the development of x-va. The meeting participants considered it expedient to develop the production of grain and fodder crops in all CMEA member countries and spoke in favor of CMEA studying the possibilities of specialization in agriculture. mechanical engineering, as well as in the production of chemicals. funds for the needs of x-va. In the same years, the CMEA bodies adopted recommendations on specialization and cooperation in the production of many types of engineering products, plastics, and synthetics. rubber, chemical fibers, mineral fertilizers, certain types of rolled products, development of the raw material base of the CMEA member countries; A decision was made to build the Druzhba oil pipeline and the Mir energy system. Deepened scientific and technical. cooperation. On June 6-7, 1962, a meeting of representatives of the Communist Party was held in Moscow. and the workers' parties of the CMEA member countries, which indicated that the coordination of the people's economy. plans is the main method of activity of the CMEA, and approved the "Basic principles of the international socialist division of labor", developed by the 15th session of the Council. This Conference marked the beginning of the third stage of CMEA activities (1962-69), characterized by the deepening and expansion of cooperation among its participants. July 24-26, 1963 was the meeting of the first secretaries of the communist. and workers' parties and heads of pr-in countries - members of the CMEA, a cut developed areas of work for the coordination of the national economy. plans for 1966-70 (further work on coordinating plans for these years was carried out in the same way as for 1956-60 and 1959-65 by the countries and bodies of the Council). July 7, 1966 in Bucharest took place new meeting communist leaders. and workers' parties and heads of pr-in the CMEA member countries; its participants expressed the need further development mutual cooperation. In accordance with the recommendations of the CMEA in the 60s. a number of major economic events: in the 1st floor. 60s the Druzhba oil pipeline was built and the energy systems of the CMEA member countries (the Mir energy system) were combined; in 1963 an agreement was concluded on multilateral settlements in transferable rubles; economic bank. cooperation. The successful development of specialization, cooperation, and other forms of economic. and scientific and technical. cooperation between the CMEA countries finds expression in the socialist. economic integration, which is an objective, systematically regulated process of convergence, mutual adaptation and improvement of economic. structures of these countries, the formation of deep and stable ties in the leading sectors of production, science and technology, the expansion and strengthening of international. market of the CMEA countries through the creation of appropriate economic., technological. and organizational conditions. The transition to this new stage of cooperation was marked by the 23rd (special) session of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, held in Moscow on 23-26 April. 1969 with the participation of the first secretaries of the Communist Central Committee. and workers' parties and heads of pr-in countries - members of the CMEA. The session decided to start developing the main directions for the further development of the economic. and scientific and technical. cooperation between the CMEA member countries and specific measures for their implementation, designed for a long perspective period. These measures should promote the development within the framework of the CMEA of an effective, sustainable international specialization and cooperation of production, especially in industries that determine technical. progress; promote the development of ties between min-you, households. org-tions, enterprises, scientific, technical, research institutes, as well as the creation of interested countries, as necessary, international. scientific and technical and other org-tions. In accordance with the decisions of the session, an Investment Bank of the CMEA member countries was established, and temporary working groups were formed to develop a comprehensive, long-term program for further deepening and improving cooperation between the CMEA member countries. Taking into account the decisions of the 23rd session, work has begun on the coordination of the national economy. plans for 1971-75. Interested countries are recommended to carry out joint planning for certain types of metal-cutting machine tools, electronic calculations. equipment, container transport system, some scarce types of sheet metal, pipes and other profiles. In 1970, the interested CMEA member countries created the International in-t economical. problems of world socialism. systems for complex theoretical, methodological. and applied development of socialist problems. integration. In order to improve the contractual and legal framework of the economic. Cooperation within the framework of the CMEA in 1969 was formed by the Conference of Representatives of the CMEA member countries on legal issues. Cooperation in the field of household construction is expanding. facilities through the joint efforts of the interested CMEA countries. A lot of work is being done to improve the forms of foreign trade. and monetary and financial relations, according to standardization. On May 12-14, 1970, the 24th session of the CMEA was held in Warsaw, at which the question of the progress in implementing the decisions of its 23rd session was considered. The session approved the submitted proposals on improving cooperation in the planned activities of the CMEA member countries and adopted decisions aimed at the successful completion of work on drawing up a comprehensive program for further deepening and improving cooperation and developing socialist countries. integration of the CMEA member countries. The multilateral activity of the CMEA contributes to the solution of a number of topical problems in the development of the Nar. x-va of its participants, satisfying more and more of their needs for raw materials, fuel and energy, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, chemical products. prom-sti, mechanical engineering, radio engineering and electronics. Due to mutual deliveries, the CMEA member countries satisfy 98% of their import needs in coal, 96% in petroleum products, approx. 80% - in iron ore, 95% - in machinery and equipment. Soviet deliveries play an important role in this. They almost completely satisfy the needs of the CMEA member countries in oil and iron, 3/4 in oil products and phosphate fertilizers, 3/5 in cotton and rolled ferrous metals, almost half in leather, and 70% in timber. Soviet deliveries cover one third of the import requirements of the CMEA member countries for machinery and equipment. OK. Bulgarian exports meet 90% of the needs of the CMEA member countries for electric cars and electric hoists and 20% of their needs for batteries. Hungary provides the basic needs of the CMEA member countries for buses, diesel trains and equipment. The GDR provides the CMEA member countries with refrigerated trains, cement plants, and forging and pressing equipment. From the Mongolian People's Republic, the CMEA member countries receive wool, fur and hide raw materials, as well as fluorspar. Poland supplies the CMEA member countries with sea vessels, complete equipment for chemical, sugar and yeast factories, and passenger cars. Romania supplies oil drilling and oil refining equipment, chemical equipment. industry. From Czechoslovakia, the CMEA member countries receive equipment for chemical. industry, machine tools, electric locomotives, rolling and other equipment. The activities of the CMEA in the organization of economic. and scientific and technical. cooperation contributes to the rapid growth of the economies of the CMEA member countries. In 1969 compared with pre-war. the level of prom. production in Bulgaria increased 33 times, in Hungary - 7.7 times, in the GDR - 5.6 times, in the Mongolian People's Republic - 17 times, in Poland - 15 times, in Romania - 15 times, in USSR - 11 times, in Czechoslovakia - 6.6 times. The share of the CMEA member countries in world industrial production reached almost one-third in 1969. The activities of the CMEA are determined by its Charter, adopted in December. 1959, as amended at the 16th (July 1962) and 17th (Dec. 1962) sessions of the CMEA. The supreme body of the CMEA is the session of the Council; chief performer. organ - Executor. committee, to-ry has a Bureau to execute. committee on consolidated issues of households. plans. In order to promote the development of economic ties and organization of multilateral cooperation in dep. industries x-va established permanent commissions, as well as the Conference of representatives of freight and shipowners. org-tions of the CMEA member countries, Meeting of leaders of water management. bodies of the CMEA member countries and the CMEA Institute for Standardization. The Council has a Secretariat, which is its economic and executive-administrative body (location of the Secretariat - Moscow). CMEA Secretaries: Apr. 1949 - March 1954 - A. I. Loshchakov; March 1954 - June 1958 - A. A. Pavlov; from June 1958 - N. V. Faddeev. Lit .: Multilateral economic cooperation of the socialist states (collection of documents), M., 1967; Faddeev N.V., Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, M., 1969; Ivanov N. I., International economic relations of a new type, M., 1968. L. I. Lukin. Moscow.

To the creation of the Council mutual economic assistance(CMEA) USSR and countries of Eastern and Central Europe have been going on since 1945, when the USSR began to provide assistance to the liberated states of Europe. With the formation of the CMEA in 1949, this assistance was to become mutual.

Until 1949, assistance to the countries of Eastern Europe was one-sided: from the USSR. For example, a bad harvest in 1947 could have plunged Czechoslovakia into such economic difficulties from which the country could not escape for a number of years.

The damage from the crop failure in 1947 is estimated at 13 billion h / s crowns. Only thanks to the disinterested help from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia not only did not survive the food crisis, but emerged from it without a serious passive balance.

Already in 1945, when Romania sided with the anti-Hitler coalition, the Soviet command for the first time provided the Romanian side with wheat, corn and potatoes for sowing. Romania was given 150,000 tons of wheat and 150,000 tons of corn as part of a loan that had to be repaid in 1946-1947. A similar volume of grain on the world market at that time cost about 35 million dollars. The Romanian authorities were unable to repay the loan.

The drought of 1946 again aggravated the food situation. Nevertheless, the USSR, which also experienced rather serious food difficulties, again provided Romania with 100,000 tons of grain. In 1947, Bucharest again turned to Moscow for help, and the USSR delivered another 80,000 tons of grain to Romania.

Romanian Prime Minister Petru Groza commented on the assistance provided by the USSR: “The years of drought put us in a difficult position ... We were again forced to knock on the doors of our friends in the east. We know that they had a drought and that in spite of this they loaned us 30,000 wagonloads of grain delivered to our homes last year, without asking for any guarantees in return, without demanding gold, and we were unable to repay this debt. Despite this, we turned to our friends again, and they understood us and help us again…”.

But not only with food in difficult years, the USSR helped the countries of Eastern Europe. In the same Romania, by the joint efforts of Romanian oilmen and Soviet specialists, by April 1945, it was possible to restore 1,217 out of 1,450 oil wells, which made it possible to significantly increase oil production. Besides, Soviet Union handed over to Romania most of the German property to be exported to the USSR on account of reparations.

It should be noted that the plans of the USSR under Joseph Stalin did not include the creation of a new self-sufficient region in Eastern Europe or an extremely successful economy. Eastern Europe first of all entered the sphere of special interests of the USSR after the Second World War as a space that separated it from Germany, from Western Europe, pro-American. Nevertheless, despite the most difficult post-war situation in the USSR itself, the countries of Eastern Europe were provided with significant material and economic support for recovery after the war.

Planning for the creation of a hugely successful economy in the countries of Eastern Europe began under Nikita Khrushchev, probably because in 1957 the Western European countries formed the European Economic Community (EEC).

Five years after Stalin's death, the CMEA began to take shape as a powerful organization like the EEC, which cost the USSR a lot of material costs. The headquarters of the organization was in Moscow. The work of the CMEA structures corresponded to the work of the apparatus of a large state.

The economies of the countries of Eastern Europe developed successfully and even outstripped the Western European countries of the EEC in the pace of development. When comparing the CMEA and the EEC, it must be taken into account that the countries of Western Europe did not lie in ruins in 1945, like the countries of Eastern Europe, and also initially, even before the war, had a higher industrial development, and the USA had more opportunities than the USSR for lending to the region.

Only Czechoslovakia before the start of World War II was not inferior in industrial development to the countries of Western Europe, but not even Hitler's Germany, but the United States made every effort to destroy the industry of Czechoslovakia. Industrial production of Czechoslovakia after the war was about 50% of the pre-war level.

The reforms in relations with the CMEA member countries carried out under Khrushchev, like the vast majority of the reforms he carried out, were not fully thought out and harmed the USSR. For example, in 1959, the production of the An-2 aircraft, the most massive and indispensable in agricultural aviation, which had no equal in the world, was transferred to Poland.

In 1965, Poland began serial production of a light Mi-2 helicopter with two gas turbine engines, the production of which was also transferred to Poland by the USSR. The United States could not create such a helicopter until 1971.

The USSR did not transfer assembly to the CMEA countries, as they do Western countries, and full production. The USSR even bought spare parts for the Mi-2 helicopter from Poland. The world has not created better aviation equipment for processing farmland than the An-2 aircraft and the Mi-2 helicopter. In addition, they were made in the passenger version for local airlines, as well as in sanitary and other forms.

Russia is currently forced to use heavy helicopters that are more expensive to operate instead of the Mi-2 helicopter designed for eight passengers and 800 kg of cargo to transport a small number of people and cargo.

The transfer of production of two outstanding types of aviation equipment, urgently needed by the national economy of the USSR, of course, was detrimental to the country's economic interests. But, most importantly, these facts speak of the enormous contribution of the USSR to the development of industry and agriculture of the CMEA member countries. The same Poland did not experience any difficulties in helping and the number of orders for the construction of ships.

Unfortunately, at present the countries of Eastern Europe have forgotten that the bulk of the production (including the food industries), transport and energy capacities currently operating in the countries of the former CMEA were created with the help of the USSR or exclusively by the Soviet Union.

Along with science-intensive production, a significant amount of production of goods was transferred to the CMEA countries light industry. These goods were in great demand among the population of the Soviet Union. Demand outpaced supply and ensured the intensive development of light industry in the CMEA member countries.

By decision of the CMEA Session (10th meeting of the Session, December 1958), the construction of the world's largest oil pipeline "Druzhba" (over 4.5 thousand km) was carried out to transport Soviet oil to Hungary, the GDR, Poland and Czechoslovakia. By decision of the CMEA Session (11th meeting of the Session, May 1959), parallel work of the Mir unified energy systems was organized. In 1962, the Central Dispatch Office of United Energy Systems (Prague) was established.

In the same year, 1962, the "Basic Principles of the International Socialist Division of Labour" were approved. Cooperation in the field of coordinating the national economic plans of the CMEA member countries has deepened still more.

To organize cooperation in specific areas of the economy, international economic organizations such as "Intermetal" were created. In October 1963, an Agreement was signed on multilateral settlements in transferable rubles and the organization of the International Bank for Economic Cooperation.

The 1969 CMEA session adopted a decision to draw up a Comprehensive Program for Further Deepening and Improving Cooperation and the Development of Socialist Economic Integration of the CMEA Member Countries. This 20-year CMEA development program was adopted in July 1971 at the 25th meeting of the CMEA Session.

The 1975 CMEA session instructed the Committee and the CMEA Secretariat to organize in 1975-1977 the development of draft long-term targeted programs of cooperation for the period up to 1990.

The programs were developed for the joint solution of problems of a complex nature: to meet the economically justified needs of the CMEA member countries in basic types of energy, fuel and raw materials; development of mechanical engineering agreed on a bilateral and multilateral basis on the basis of deep specialization and cooperative production; meet the needs for food, as well as the needs for consumer goods.

The CMEA countries participated in the joint construction of large industrial enterprises, main gas pipelines, power transmission lines and other facilities. These were the most complex objects, for example, factories for the production of machine tools with program control.

The agreements covered over 3,800 types of complex products. In 1972-1974, the CMEA member countries created an international economic organization Interelectro, business associations Interatomenergo, Intertekstilmash, Interkhimvolokno, Interatominstrument.

The CMEA countries accounted for 18.5% of the territory and 9.4% of the population the globe. These 9.4% of the world's population in 1974 produced a product that accounted for one third (more than 33%) of world industrial output. In 1950, the CMEA countries accounted for 18% of world industrial production.

China and North Korea were not among the CMEA member countries, but were socialist countries, and taking into account the industrial production in these countries, it is obvious that already in 1974, despite the devastation brought by wars, the socialist countries produced products that accounted for almost half of world industrial output.

In just five years, from 1971 to 1975, the national income of the CMEA member countries increased by 36% overall, industrial output by 46%, and average annual agricultural output by 14%.

Between 1971 and 1980, the volume of productive national income increased by 66% in the CMEA countries as a whole, by 96% in Bulgaria, by 62% in Hungary, by 59% in the GDR, by 81% in Mongolia, and by 81% in Poland. by 73%, in the USSR - by 62%, in Czechoslovakia - by 57%.

In the period from 1971 to 1980, there was an increase in the volume of capital investments in the economies of the CMEA member countries by 73%. Due to the large scale of capital construction, the main production assets have increased. For example, over the period from 1971 to 1980, funds increased 2.2 times in Bulgaria, 1.9 times in Hungary, 1.7 times in the GDR, 2.4 times in Mongolia, and 2.4 times in Poland. 2.2 times, in Romania - 2.9 times, in the USSR - 2.2 times, in Czechoslovakia - 1.8 times.

In 1980, the share of the CMEA member countries in world electricity production was 20.8%, in coal mining - 27.3%, in steel production - 29.2%, cement - 24.5%.

From 1971 until the mid-1980s, that is, before Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR, industry developed rapidly in the fraternal CMEA countries. The total volume of manufactured industrial products increased by more than 80%.

The output of machine-building and metal-working industries increased 2.5 times, electricity and fuel - 1.7 times and chemical - 2.2 times. Gross agricultural output in the CMEA countries as a whole increased by 22% in 1980 compared with 1970.

The incomes of workers increased, including in the USSR - by 36%, in Bulgaria - by 20%, in Hungary - by 22%, in Czechoslovakia - by 23%, and this was a real increase, since inflation was practically absent.

During the years 1971-1980, more than 30 million apartments were built, and thus more than 130 million people improved their living conditions. Apartments were provided free of charge, with the exception of a relatively small amount of cooperative construction. During this period, 603,000 apartments were built in Bulgaria, 1,422,000 in the GDR, 162,000 in Cuba, 32,000 in Mongolia, and 1,262,000 in Czechoslovakia.

These facts clearly indicate that the CMEA countries are economic development outstripped the countries of the West and CMEA ceased to exist not for economic reasons. The opinion that the USSR and CMEA collapsed for economic reasons is imposed on our society by the West.

The protocol on disbanding the organization was signed by the CMEA member countries in Budapest on June 28, 1991, at the 46th meeting of the CMEA Session. And if the USSR in every possible way contributed to the production of various industrial goods in the CMEA countries, then the European Union from the first day began to limit the number of industrial goods produced in the countries of Eastern Europe.

In fact, the West is once again turning the Eastern European economy into an agrarian-raw material economy, which it was basically before the start of World War II.

The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) was an alternative organization to the EU. It was our, Soviet EU, “common market” headquartered in Moscow.

What is very interesting here is that European Union arose not earlier, but later than the CMEA - in 1951. Then, as the first steps towards the integration of social. countries began back in 1949, and in 1950 the organization was already established. We were completely economically isolated.

The main decisions were made at the annually convened sessions, which were held in turn in the capitals of the member countries in the order of names in the Russian alphabet. The delegations of the countries were headed by the heads of governments; at the 16-18th and 23rd meetings, the delegations of the countries were headed by the first (general) secretaries of the central committees of the communist and workers' parties. In 1962, an executive committee was created, consisting of representatives of the member countries at the level of deputy heads of government, one from each country. The CMEA secretariat operated - an economic and executive-administrative body, located in Moscow, the work of the secretariat was led by the CMEA secretary (the chief official of the Council) and his deputies.

We drove German (Ifa) and Polish (Zhuk) cars, Hungarian Ikarus buses, Czechoslovak TATRA cars, trams, trolleybuses and locomotives, we had Romanian, Czech or Yugoslav furniture, German toys and optics, we were Bulgarian, Hungarian and Romanian canned food, wore clothes and shoes made in socialist countries. And many many others.

In response to these deliveries, we built infrastructure in these countries, created energy facilities, helped build factories, supplied them with aircraft and tractors, machines and machine tools, oil and gas, and much, much more. And it was not barter, as the unfortunate modern teenagers sometimes think - those who like to talk about geopolitics.

All these operations within the CMEA member countries were commercial! The currency was a specially created unit "Transfer ruble". And although the “transferable ruble” banknotes never existed, and it itself was used as a non-cash means of payment, it nevertheless had an official gold content of 0.987412 grams of pure gold.

We traded with each other quite successfully and with great profit. We were provided with basic goods and services, production facilities were fully loaded, unemployment was only in films about Western life, and even then we did not believe it, because we did not know what it was and how it looked in practice.

CMEA, unlike the EU, was a purely peaceful organization. We did not fight in competitive wars and did not ruin each other. CMEA was a huge market for the production and sale of our goods with limitless potential.

But besides this, the external market, we also had an internal market - 15 Soviet republics. The single currency “Soviet ruble” operated here, the rest was the same. Russia sold and bought the necessary raw materials or goods.

Both of these markets served as natural restraints on Western economic appetites. Western companies could also come here, but only on our economic and monetary conditions - quotas, the "transferable ruble", the absence of customs duties, etc. This did not suit everyone and not everyone was allowed by their own governments - there was a "cold war".

The existence of both of these markets and its own, in no way connected with the dollar, currency was the key to the economic power of the USSR and its resistance to external fluctuations.

We were completely economically isolated from the rest of the world and protected from its shocks. And being completely independent of him, we could calmly "twist our line" in foreign policy, relying on a super-powerful army and not fearing any retaliatory measures. All this together was sovereignty. Economic and political.

We were competitive! We interfered! Therefore, we have declared the same "cold war". And its loss for us meant, first of all, the loss of economic, and then, as an inevitable consequence, political independence. We are left without our markets.

Having won this war, the West, first of all, defeated us economically. All industries, all industries that were of strategic importance, both in the USSR and in socialist countries. the camps were either bought by the West or liquidated. Instead, we were offered a foreign market. Their market, in which we could not dictate terms.

Both the CMEA countries and the USSR produced a variety of goods. Sometimes they were really inferior in quality to their Western counterparts. But they were ours! We made them ourselves! We did not depend on anyone for their supplies. And they were in demand! Even though our boots were not “SV”, and our pants were not “coupe”, but only “reserved seat”, in the language of the railway, but they were “driving”, it was our train. There was a real demand for it! It meant trade and production.

Now we have been offered a foreign market. We will block lending - you will be left without money. We will shut down the maintenance of leasing junk aviation - you will be left without aviation. We cut off your northern or southern streams for you - you will be left without foreign exchange earnings.

If we close cooperation with the largest Western oil or gas corporations, you will be left without oil and gas production. We will impose sanctions on your defense or financial companies - you will be left without exports and without systems and payment channels. And to infinity.

And in order for us not to do this, you must do what you are told: withdraw from Ukraine and Syria, stop independent searches for allies in the world, break certain ties with certain countries, minimize defense programs, stop integration processes on the post-Soviet space, to allow our companies to their resources and indefinitely.

This is called "open economic blackmail". It became possible because we lost our markets.

In our case, in the context of the above reasoning, we are offered on a non-alternative basis only one opportunity - to pay for friendship and cooperation with the West with our national sovereignty. The future of our children and grandchildren. You won't be able to buy it back. This is a one way road.

Or leave everything as it is and continue to play "capitalism" and "independence" "on a par" with the united Western community, exhausting yourself to the point of complete exhaustion.

If you understand the humiliating situation in which Russia finds itself, then you should also fully understand why the wise "Kremlin elders" sent troops into Hungary and Czechoslovakia without a faltering hand, why they suppressed the Polish "independence" with all their might, why they helped Vietnam and Korea, Ethiopia and Mozambique, Cuba and Nicaragua.

They not only defended the past in the face of millions Soviet soldiers who died for the liberation of Europe, but also the present in the face of economic and political independence, and the future. The very one in which Russia finds itself today despite all their efforts.

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Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

main reason the collapse of the CMEA - by the time they entered the "path of socialism", most countries had not reached that high stage of industrial maturity, which implies the formation of internal incentives for integration. Wishful thinking and the production of non-working integration programs also contributed to the collapse of the CMEA to a certain extent.

The moneyless trade that the countries of the socialist bloc conducted for decades led to the fact that almost all members of the CMEA were convinced that they were being deceived, that their country was giving more than it was receiving. Social integration led to the leveling of the economies of the CMEA member countries: the strong lost, while the weak won. If we compare the economic situation in the countries of Eastern Europe in 1928 (the peak of the pre-war economic recovery) and in 1970 (the most successful period of the CMEA), it turns out that the share of Eastern European countries in world industrial production increased from 6.6 to 8, 6%. At the same time, the share of Romania increased from 0.3 to 1%, Bulgaria - from 0.1 to 0.6%, the share of Hungary - 0.36 to 0.6%, while the share of Czechoslovakia decreased from 1.7 to 1 .5%, and the GDR - from 2.8 to 2.4%

For the USSR and Russia, the CMEA played a twofold role. On the one hand, the USSR ended up with a debt of 15 billion rubles. The fact is that in 1975-1985, the partners in the bloc owed the USSR 15 billion rubles, but in the period from 1986 to 1990 the roles changed: now the Soviet Union owed 15 billion rubles. Since the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance ceased to exist at a moment unfavorable for the USSR, it was he who had to pay off his debts. On the other hand, the USSR gained experience in creating an organization that regulates economic activity several countries.

Revolutions in the countries of Eastern Europe, the collapse of the USSR, the formation of new states in Eurasia.

Social problems. The deterioration of the economic situation in the countries of Eastern Europe led, ultimately, to the manifestation of social problems. Unemployment arose, overt or covert inflation depreciated wages, worsened food supply. Those features of the way of life that were fixed in the mass consciousness as the “conquest of socialism” began to disappear: the absence of unemployment, social stability, fixed prices. Totalitarian socialism has exhausted the last arguments in its defense as a more "advanced" system. The former methods, without which the existence of a totalitarian society is impossible, have become ineffective.
Frustration and discontent took various forms. The population of the GDR preferred to leave for the FRG, which took on a mass form, despite the repressions of the authorities and total surveillance. In Poland, discontent culminated in a strike movement. In 1980, during the strikes, the independent trade union Solidarity was formed, headed by an electrician from the Gdansk shipyard Lech Walesa. Solidarity absorbed almost all the opposition forces and turned into a mass organization: its membership reached 10-11 million people. The government was forced to enter into negotiations with her. A serious challenge was thrown to the authorities .. bound hand and foot by participation in the Afghan adventure, the Soviet leadership did not consider it possible to directly intervene in the events. But it had a powerful impact on the leadership of Poland, demanding a ban on Solidarity. In December 1981, martial law was introduced in the country. All Solidarity leaders were arrested, and the trade union itself was dissolved. But the military government of Poland could not find a way out of the current situation. The decline in production continued. Solidarity retained mass support. Its illegal organizations continued to function. The crisis of totalitarian socialism has become universal: economic, social, political and moral. But in order for it to be resolved, an external push was needed. This impetus was the beginning of perestroika in the USSR. The changes that have begun have played a twofold role in this sense. M.S. Gorbachev began to support in these countries the supporters of change and “renewal of socialism” in every possible way. The former leadership lost the support of the USSR. In addition, the USSR recognized the right of the people to choose the path of development. For the peoples of Eastern Europe, this meant that Soviet intervention was now hardly possible.
The collapse of the Iron Curtain. In the political sphere, as a rule, the line on the liquidation of totalitarianism continued. In foreign policy, the turn was especially sharp. Democratic forces began to seek withdrawal Soviet troops from its territory. All international organizations, created by the countries of Eastern Europe with the participation of the USSR, were dissolved.
The collapse of the Berlin Wall. More and more insistently the demand was put forward for joining the economic and political unions of the countries of the West. The “Iron Curtain” that divided Europe for all the years was collapsing. cold war". In the very first days of the revolution in the GDR, free passage to West Berlin was allowed - the Berlin Wall ceased to exist.
The collapse of totalitarian socialism. The 40-year history of totalitarian socialism in Eastern Europe is over. The Communists, having seized power here and started the “construction of socialism”, promised a sharp acceleration in the development of these countries. This goal was achieved in 40-50 years. Industry has become the leading branch of the economy. Agriculture has been transformed. Most of the inhabitants of these countries have become city dwellers. The level of education of the population has increased. But having managed with colossal sacrifices to ensure a breakthrough towards an industrial society, totalitarian socialism proved unable to solve the problems of this more highly developed society. The collapse of totalitarian socialism in Eastern Europe and the USSR created a new situation in Europe. Now there is not a single totalitarian state here.
The collapse of the USSR. The changes that began in the USSR in 1985 also touched the foundations state structure. Although the USSR was constitutionally a federal state, none of the 15 union republics had real power. Therefore, they began to demand greater independence from the center. These demands intensified as the economic situation worsened, when the center was unable to stop him. In the elections of 1989-1990, supporters of strengthening the independence of the republics, up to their separation from the USSR, invariably prevailed. The strongest movement for independence turned out to be in the Baltic republics, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova.
But the growing movement to strengthen the sovereignty of Russia, the largest republic, played a decisive role. After the election of Boris Yeltsin as president of Russia, the conservative leadership of the USSR tried to stage a coup, remove supporters of the independence of the republics from power and save the USSR. But the path they took in August 1991 failed, on December 8, 1991, the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine - Stanislav Shushkevich, Boris Yeltsin and Leonid Kravchuk - announced in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the termination of the existence of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Section of the armed forces. The collapse of the USSR posed many problems for the new states. The question arose about the armed forces. At first, the CIS countries tried to maintain the united armed forces, but then each started creating their own. I had to share the military property of the USSR. The most controversial issue remains the division of the Black Sea Fleet by Russia and Ukraine. Having become the successor of the USSR, Russia retained the status of a nuclear power. Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, on whose territory there were nuclear weapon agreed to declare themselves non-nuclear states and hand it over to Russia. The Baltic countries generally refused to join the CIS and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops. This withdrawal was completed in 1994.
Ways of economic development of the republics. After becoming independent, the republics of the former USSR took different paths of economic development. The ruble ceased to be a common currency, they all acquired their own monetary systems.

A much smaller percentage of people leave Estonia to work abroad than those from Latvia or Lithuania. This is evidenced by official statistics. Does this mean that during the years of being in the EU, Estonia has moved much further than its Baltic neighbors on the path of socio-economic development? Or is it the tricks of crafty statistics?

The population in Estonia has been steadily declining every year for 25 years, and the main reasons for this are the excess of deaths over births, as well as the negative migration balance. According to the official data of the Department of Statistics of Estonia, at the beginning of 2015 the population of the country was 1312.2 thousand inhabitants. This is almost 4 thousand people less than it was a year ago.

After Estonia joined the European Union, about 51 thousand people left the country in 10 years, from 2004-2013, which is about 4% of the country's population, most of them were Estonian citizens (89%).

The vast majority of emigrants (81%) are residents of working age from 15 to 64 years old, and the largest number of those who left were among people in their prime - from 25 to 44 years old. Their share among all emigrants was 47%. Also, people over 45 years old (20%) and young people from 15 to 24 years old (17%) went abroad more often than others.

Obviously, the departure of residents of the most able-bodied and reproductive age cannot but affect the age composition of the Estonian population. According to official data for 2014, 45% of residents aged 45 and over lived in the country, while the share of residents of the most able-bodied age from 25 to 44 years was only 28% of the population. At the same time, the proportion of young people aged 15-24 who are just entering the working life in the composition of the Estonian population turned out to be the smallest - 11%, and children under 15 - 16%.

According to these data, it is clearly seen that there are fewer and fewer people of working and reproductive age in the Republic of Estonia.

The emigration of the population, of course, is typical for all three Baltic countries after their accession to the European Union, and the trends here are similar. Mostly young people leave for other, more prosperous EU countries for the "long euro". However, at first glance, the Estonian situation looks much better. So, according to official data, about 300 thousand people emigrated from Latvia during the ten years of being in the European Union (about 13%), from Lithuania - almost 500 thousand (about 15%). It would seem that this indicates a smaller scale of socio-economic problems in Estonia, however, according to the economist, professor at the University of Latvia Mihail Hazan, there is a serious inaccuracy in the calculations of the Estonian Department of Statistics regarding the number of emigrants. From a statistical point of view, a person is considered an emigrant only when he has left the population register, having notified this authority of his departure for more than a year. If the person leaving Estonia did not do this, then, in spite of everything, he will be listed as a permanent resident of his country.

At the same time, unlike Latvia and Lithuania, from which the majority of the population leaves for the UK, Ireland or Germany, residents of Estonia prefer to go to Finland, which is closer to them. According to statistics, 70% of all those who left Estonia went there. The capitals of these states - Tallinn and Helsinki - are separated by only 88 kilometers of the waters of the Gulf of Finland. This distance on the Tallink ferry, which runs more than ten times a day, can be covered in just two hours, which is what many Estonian emigrants use. This is especially true when visiting doctors: in Finland it is not so easy to get to them, and therefore Estonians prefer to take a day off from work and come to see a doctor in their hometown. Moreover, many Estonians working in Finland do not have health insurance.

The fact that there are actually more Estonian emigrants than the statistical office calculated is confirmed by a simple comparison of figures. If you look at the data of the Finnish Statistical Office, it turns out that 45 thousand Estonian citizens live permanently in Finland - that is, almost all Estonian emigrants in 10 years in the EU. Is it possible? Hardly, given that Finland is the most popular, but far from the only country of emigration for Estonia. In addition to Finland, Estonian residents go to the UK (6%) and Russia (5%). Most often, residents of the Ida-Virumaa region bordering it (16%), located in the north-east of Estonia, go to Russia.

Accordingly, the real number of those who left the Republic of Estonia seriously exceeds local official data.

It is interesting, however, that Estonians most often leave the central rural regions of the country, which are predominantly populated by Estonians. In the counties of Viljandi County, Jõgeva County and Järva County, according to statistics, the highest percentage of the outflow of residents is observed. That is, paradoxically, when the borders were opened, it was the population that began to leave Estonia en masse, which is the stronghold of the right-wing conservative parties that dominate Estonian politics, whose leaders are so actively fighting for the preservation of the Estonian nation. This struggle, obviously, remains only at the level of ringing speeches - according to some estimates of demographers, if the existing trend of emigration is not reversed, then in a hundred years Estonia will disappear.