Building Socialism in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, 1983

Stamp of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, 1975

From the Soviet press, 1983:

The liberation of Czechoslovakia from nazi occupation in May 1945 marked a turning point in the country's history. The new National Front government launched democratic transformations. The defeat of the counter-revolutionary coup in February 1948, which aimed at restoring capitalism in the country, ensured the peaceful development of the national democratic revolution into a socialist revolution. By 1960 socialist relations of production were predominant in the country.

During the years of socialist construction signal successes have been scored in all spheres of social, political, economic and cultural life. Here are some relevant facts and figures:

• Socialist Czechoslovakia has become one of the most highly industrialized countries of the world. Its share in world industrial output constitutes about 1.7 per cent (with a population equaling 0.4 % of the world total). The economic potential of the country has grown sixfold compared with 1948. Today Czechoslovak industry produces as much in one month as it did in the whole of 1948.

• Cardinal changes have taken place in the structure of industrial production. At present engineering (machine tools. electric and diesel locomotives, rolling mills, power generating and chemical equipment etc.) is the key industry in Czechoslovakia. Today the country industry in produces 31 times as many engineering products as in 1948, 30 times more chemicals, 15 times more building materials, 12 times more electricity and 9 times more ferrous metals.

• Economic headway rests largely on the use of the advancements made in science and technology. Thus, in 1976-1980, 90 per cent of the growth of the national income was achieved through higher labour productivity, which increased 17.6 per cent over the five-year plan period. On the whole, since February 1948 technical facilities in the national economy have multiplied sevenfold. In the current five-year plan period (1981-1985) 4,000 industrial robots and manipulators of 18 types are to be produced. In 1948, about 10,000 people worked in the field of science and technology and today 18 times as many. Every year about four per cent of the national income are allocated for research and development.

• Although the number of those working in agriculture is now 40 per cent of the 1948 figure and the cultivated areas have declined by one tenth, agricultural output has doubled. Grain yields have risen from 15.8 quintals per hectare in 1948 to more than 39.5 quintals and livestock output has almost trebled.

• The rapid growth of productive forces under socialism has resulted in a sixfold increase of the national income. Owing to this, personal consumption has quadrupled. Social consumption funds have grown 10 fold. Already in the early 1970s the average wages of members of united agricultural cooperatives equaled those in industry. Economic advances made from 1976 to 1980 contributed to an appreciable rise in the people's living standards. Average monthly wages went up 21 .5 per cent and the volume of social payments and benefits increased by a still more substantial margin–31.7 per cent. By the end of the 1970s Czechoslovakia joined the group of countries with the highest living standards in Europe.