Troubles of Socialist Economic Integration: Czechoslovakia and Joint Projects within the CMEA in 1970s and 1980s

• Authors: Lomíček Jan
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The paper summarizes the topic of Czechoslovak participation on international projects within the CMEA. International projects within the CMEA should be considered as specific areas where widely declared socialist economic integration was to certain extent successful, not only in the context of the times. These projects symbolized one of few fields in which particular economic integration of the CMEA countries was based on really multilateral level (not only in the way of bilateral cooperation). Cooperation in case of these projects was realised on multilateral base (considering not only investments, but also the exchange of labor forces from participating countries). From the point of view of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the most important projects in the given period is the participation on the construction of gas pipelines Soyuz (Orenburg), Progress (Jamburg) and integrated mining and metallurgy plant in Dolinskaya near Krivoy Rog. The CMEA was proud of these projects as they represented notable outcomes of its functioning. Such positive image was also widely publicized in media and the participants on the projects gained great experience. Besides publicity function, some projects were important because of their economic function, also after the disintegration of the CMEA. On the other hand, some were not successful. Czech participation on the construction of mining complex in Dolinskaya symbolizes the end to an attempt at socialist economic integration.

Keywords

EN

Socialist Economic Integration; CMEA; The Comprehensive Program; Czechoslovakia; Joint; Projects; Orenburg Gas-Pipeline

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Czech Republic
• Journal: Prager wirtschafts- und sozialhistorische Mitteilungen - Prague Economic and Social History Papers
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 61-74

Contributors

author

Lomíček Jan

• Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Institute of Economic and Social History and Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of International Studies, Charles University of Prague